IAESTE “Winter Exchange Session (WES)” Meeting at ITU

The Winter Exchange Session (WES) event, which followed the 79th IAESTE Annual General Conference held in Canada this year, was hosted by Istanbul Technical University at our Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center from February 5-7, 2026.

Istanbul Technical University, one of the world's longest-established technical universities, plays a pioneering role in internationalization and international technical internship exchange, as it does in many other areas. Since 1955, it has been an active member of IAESTE, regularly participating in these conferences with the aim of running a sustainable international internship exchange program.

The 79th IAESTE General Conference was held in Canada from November 14 to 19, 2025, with the participation of more than 40 countries. The conference has been held annually since 1948.

A total of 30 representatives from 15 countries participated in person at our university's “Winter Exchange Session (WES)” event, while 25 countries participated online. ITU was represented by Vice Rector Prof. Dr. İpek Akın Karadayı, International Relations Coordinator Prof. Dr. Esra Çapanoğlu Güven, IAESTE Türkiye National Secretary Prof. Dr. Gülhayat Nasün Saygılı, IAESTE Türkiye Office Manager Lecturer Cahit Okan, and IAESTE Türkiye Office Staff Chief Yasemin Aras. IAESTE Representatives and Student Committees from member universities, including ITU, METU, MEF, YTU, and IU, also played an active role in the event.