Faculty of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering

Information Field	Provided Information
Laboratory /Department /Institute /Centre Name	Faculty of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
Brief description of the Centre/Research Group (Please provide a brief description of your research group or organisational unit, including research infrastructure, laboratory facilities, team size and industry collaborations.)	Our research group focuses on the design, modelling, and control of autonomous surface and underwater vehicles (ASVs, AUVs, ROVs), with a strong emphasis on sensor fusion, AI-based approaches, and reinforcement learning for autonomous navigation and decision-making in complex marine environments. The team currently comprises 8 graduate members, including research assistants and thesis students, though the group size varies depending on active projects. The group has been involved in several funded projects supported by the European Union, TÜBİTAK, and the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB). The group has access to key experimental infrastructure, including an indoor towing/test pool (160 m × 6 m) and an outdoor lake facility, enabling hydrodynamic parameter estimation, system identification experiments, and full-scale field trials of autonomous vehicles.
Research Area (Please provide 5–10 keywords that best describe your research areas and expertise.)	Autonomous Underwater/Surface Vehicles Reinforcement Learning Sensor Fusion System Identification AI-based Navigation Hyperspectral image processing
Please list your relevant previous projects, indicating the programme, project name, year and role.	ADVISOR: Development of Escort Autonomous Surface Vehicle, EU ITEA & TÜBİTAK 1509, 2024–Present, Researcher (head of D7 team, WP4 leader) Development of a Maneuvering Mathematical Model for ONR Tumblehome Ship (RL-based), TÜBİTAK 1001, 2025–Present, PI. KİDAPORT: Autonomous Surface Swarm Development (Multi-Agent RL), SSB SAGA, 2025–Present, Researcher (head of D7 team). IoT Based Inventory Management, EU & TÜBİTAK 1509, 2023–Present, Researcher. Multi-Static Radars and Target Tracking, TÜBİTAK BİLGEM ATAM, 2022–2024, Researcher. UWB Relative Navigation and Swarm Formation, HAVELSAN R&D, 2023–2024, Researcher. Swarm Drone Coordination: Autonomous Swarm & Sensor Fusion, Aselsan / SSB TKP, 2017–2019, Advisor. Underwater Glider Development, TÜBİTAK 1512, 2018–2019, PI. Sensor Fusion and Swarm Control for Mobile Sensor Networks, Atılım University, 2017–2018, Advisor. TUYGUN: Advanced Image Processing, SSB–HAVELSAN, 2014–2017, Researcher.
Proposed Project Idea or Area of Interest (If applicable, please briefly outline a concept idea, the problem you aim to address, or your specific area of interest.)	1. HORIZON-CL3-2026-01-BM-01 – Border Security Building on our previous application under this call, where we are developing an autonomous underwater glider for maritime border surveillance, we now propose a coordinated swarm of autonomous sail drones. The swarm will be integrated with unmanned aerial vehicles capable of landing on the surface platforms, forming a persistent, multi-domain surveillance network. Our group contributes autonomy algorithms based on multi-agent reinforcement learning, sensor fusion for situational awareness, and vessel design capabilities. 2. HORIZON-CL5-2026-10-D6-10 – Multimodal Transport Istanbul is a natural testbed for multimodal transport, connecting ferries, ships, ro-ro services, bridges, and railed systems across two continents. We propose investigating how expanded sea-based transport lines can ease the congestion burden on land infrastructure. Our approach combines reinforcement learning and optimisation algorithms to model and improve route planning and resource allocation across transport modes. We can also facilitate engagement with relevant government bodies. 3. HORIZON-CL5-2027-03-D5-16 – Autonomous Short Sea / Inland Shipping We aim to contribute to the development of autonomous surface vessels for short sea and inland shipping. Our group can design and implement autonomy algorithms, develop safety and security systems for inland vessels, and carry out vessel design and testing using our experimental infrastructure. The faculty’s towing pool and outdoor lake facility allow for validation from model-scale to full-scale trials.
Potential Contributions to Projects	☑ Scientific / technical research ☐ Methodology development ☑ Modelling / simulation ☑ Data analysis / artificial intelligence ☑ Experimental studies / testing ☑ Pilot / demonstration activities ☐ Socio-economic analysis / policy contribution ☑ Education, dissemination and impact activities ☐ Other (please specify):
Preferred Role in Consortia	☑ Coordinator ☑ Partner
Programmes and Calls of Interest (Please indicate the programme(s) you are interested in and, if possible, specify the call identifier and/or title.)	☑ Horizon Europe Clusters ☐ Erasmus+ ☑ Digital Europe ☑ EIT (HEI / KIC, etc.) ☐ MSCA ☐ ERC ☑ Other (please specify):
Additional Notes (Please provide any additional information or specific remarks you would like to share with the International Projects Office.)	Beyond the proposed project ideas listed above, our group is flexible and open to collaboration in adjacent areas. We are actively involved in industrial optimisation, IoT, cloud-based systems, and agricultural technologies, including the ongoing development of an autonomous weeding vehicle. We welcome opportunities to contribute to consortia where our expertise in AI, reinforcement learning, sensor fusion, and autonomous systems can add value, even outside the maritime domain.