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Report General Assembly in Istanbul - April 2026

General Assembly - Istanbul, Türkiye - 22 + 23 April 2026

Summary: 

  • Commemoration Beatrice Boots, chairwoman and co founder of the EU STEM Coalition.
  • Looking forward to the Coalition's future
  • Walking dinner with posters
  • Talk by Turkish former Minister of Education prof. dr. Ziya Selçu
  • Presentation on best practices of STEM Education in Türkiye
  • Keynote Paula Walsche
  • Workshop policy recommendations
  • Keynote Pedro Russo

Click here for the Full Report of the General Assembly April 2026

Click here for the Powerpoint slides of the General Assembly April 2026 

We are happy to share the report of the EU STEM Coalition General Assembly in Istanbul.

This was a special and important edition, marking the 10-year anniversary of the Coalition. A moment not only to look back at a decade of collaboration, growth and impact across Europe, but also to look ahead to the future of STEM, skills and innovation.

During the Assembly, we also took time to commemorate Beatrice Boots, whose vision, energy and commitment helped shape the Coalition and inspire many within the European STEM community.

Hosted at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Istanbul provided a meaningful setting for discussions on another important crossroads: the connection between advancing STEM and responding to the major societal, economic and technological challenges Europe is facing today.

The conversations highlighted the growing importance of cooperation between education, industry, governments and regional ecosystems in building Europe’s future talent and innovation capacity. We also reflected on the importance of early childhood education, raising human beings rather than only future workers, and fostering a culture of STEM literacy, curiosity and agency for citizens of all ages.

Importantly, we also looked ahead as a Coalition and presented our new 5-year strategy - outlining ambitions for stronger European collaboration, regional STEM ecosystems, inclusion, innovation, skills development and a broader societal approach to STEM literacy and engagement. A sincere thank you to all partners, speakers and participants who contributed to this milestone gathering.

Special thanks to our hosts, the Turkish STEM Alliance, and in particular to Gultekin Cakmakci for the warm welcome, leadership and organisation of this memorable General Assembly.