Brain, Innovation and Smart Cities

When it comes to the brain, as we explore more, there is more to explore. There is no need to go far into the space, it is a whole universe right above our shoulders… It is what makes mankind one of a kind, sometimes stationary dynamic, sometimes animated yet static. Recently, the research about brain and their outcomes have been accelerating. We have been learning more about the brain and trying to comprehend the depths of it. In the sea of complexions and complex systems, we have been realising nothing but that we do not know anything. In fact, it is what makes us unique - the complexity of our brain. We conquered the world, transferred information from generation to generation, taught and learnt, managed to create and continue cultures, and addressed emotions through music and arts. We’ve been good to the Earth, we’ve done harm. We have even gone further into the space where we kept exploring; together with this sea of complexions right in our brain. In fact, in addition to knowing our brain better, all of these are due to the interest of knowing ourselves in the light of Mevlana’s words “Whatever you are looking for, look for it within yourself”

And innovation… Intelligence turning into wisdom. Creativity and application. It has been on our agendas for more than ten years. What is it, and what not? Or what it should be… How are the new approaches shaping our lives with their functionalities? In the dawn of Internet of Things, we are moving through environments of ‘big data’ and ‘cloud’. We are creating smart places and smart cities that learn and teach. We are in a time when local government become more important every day. Where are we going? Our conversation titled Brain, Innovation and Smart Cities is going to allow us to take a break and exchange ideas as we move faster towards the Internet of Everything.

Commentary: Prof. Dr. Nazif Gürdoğan | Maltepe University
Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences

Who is Halil Kulluk?
Halil Kulluk is the founder and Chairman of Administrative Board of Intekno Corporate Group. He completed his undergraduate education in 1982 at Nottingham University (England), Department of Manufacturing Engineering and Management Sciences. Later, He continued his graduate education at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA) in Robotics, Automation and Artificial Intelligence field. Afterwards, he was appointed as the director of “Esnek Laboratory of Production” and served as the Chief Investigator of the project “Factory of the Future for Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturers” supported by Ben Franklin Partnership, Pennsylvania State. In 1988, he founded Manufacturing and Engineering Technology Application Center (METAC) within Robotics Institute and undertook directorship of the center for five years. Subsequently, he returned to Istanbul and founded the company Intekno Technology Transfer. Between 2000-2012 he directed DEİK (Foreign Economic Relations Board) Turkish - Georgian, Turkish-Slovak, Turkish - Central European, Turkish - Finnish business councils and he is now the director of Turkish-Czech Business Council. He is a member of National Innovation Initiative sponsored by Sabancı University and TÜSİAD. He is a founding member of Selçuk University Mevlana Research Center Advisory Board. In August 2007, he was selected for the Advisory Board of Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program supported by Qatar Science and Technology Park and Carnegie Mellon University. Moreover, he is the chairman of Business Advisory Council for South Eastern Europe and Eurasia (BACSEE) in Vienna. Recently, he has been working as a ‘freelance’ researcher on comparative application of Brain and Nervous System functions in business world and has been continuing his work in the US. He also speaks English and French, is married and father of two.