Kırşehir Ahi Evran University, which has contributed to the development of the region with the pilot university projects and has made a name for itself with the projects it has developed, is attracting investor support for its projects in agriculture and geothermal fields. In this context, on March 11, 2022, the Kırşehir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) team visited the KAEU Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kurt in his office, and then visited the R&D greenhouse on-site and made investigations.
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kurt, who gave information to the KCCI team about the projects and investment conditions, stated that they were working on Clustering Projects in Thermal Greenhouses to develop Kırşehir and provide added value to the private sector without expecting any economic gain. Kurt noted that they had set strategic goals for greenhouse cultivation, and these goals were cultural practices in the greenhouse with different lighting systems, integration of artificial intelligence, and the fight against pests with biological methods in place of chemicals.
After visiting Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kurt, the KCCI team visited the R&D greenhouse. The Head of the Clustering in Geothermal Greenhouses Project, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hakan Başak, explained the projects implemented in the greenhouse to the team. Dr. Başak provided information on studies such as the microbial application project aiming to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the light clay aggregate and perlite project that could be an alternative to imported cocopeat, the project investigating the suitability of seven different cocktail tomato varieties for soilless agriculture, the project aiming to reduce costs in cut rose cultivation via using waste mushroom compost and nutshells. The representatives of Kırşehir Chamber of Commerce and Industry stated that the projects were interesting and had economic potential and stated that they would direct the investors from Kırşehir or outside the province to the university. The visit ended after the team examined the projects on-site.