The Opening Meeting of the INNOVATIVE LEARNING FOR COLD CHAIN FOOD LOGISTICS PROJECT (InFoCoL) Held at Maltepe University

20–21 November 2025, Istanbul

The opening meeting of the InFoCoL – Innovative Learning for Cold Chain Food Logistics Project (KA220-VET-1DBE20AF), carried out in cooperation with Erasmus+ Vocational Education and Training, was successfully held on 20–21 November 2025, hosted by Maltepe University.

The meeting welcomed project partners from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, the Association of International Forwarding and Logistics Service Providers (UTIKAD), APAT - Associação dos Transitários de Portugal, UKRZOVNISHTRANS-Association for Transport, Freight Forwarding and Logistics Organizations in Ukraine, and Maltepe University.

The event began with opening speeches delivered by Maltepe University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Gökçesu Akşit and Asst. Prof. Atiye Tümenbatur. Following the opening remarks, project partners introduced themselves and shared their institutional experience and areas of contribution within the scope of the project.

On the first day of the meeting, Maltepe University, as the project coordinator, presented the project’s objectives, scope, work packages, and implementation timeline in detail. Comprehensive sessions were also held on financial procedures, budget management, reporting structure, team responsibilities, and task allocation.

On the second day, the project team visited the International logitrans Transport Logistics Fair as part of the program’s field experience component. During the visit, participants observed current industry practices related to freight transportation, warehousing, cold chain technologies, and logistics services, gaining direct insights from sector representatives. A brief evaluation meeting was held with project partners at the fair, marking the successful conclusion of the opening event.

This first InFoCoL Project meeting held in Istanbul proved to be highly productive in terms of both project management and practical application perspectives. Partners finalized the work schedule for the next project meeting before departing.