Middle East Technical University (METU / ODTU) is the first and one of the biggest campus universities in Turkey with 26.268 students, 7.816 of which are in post-graduate studies in 2012. It is an international research-intensive university with more than 1.800 international students coming from 68 different countries. In 2012, 3.686 diplomas were granted by METU, 224 of which were for PhD degree. 2500 academic staff are currently working in 40 undergraduate programs within 5 faculties. Within the scope of its national and international mission, in recent years, Middle East Technical University has realized significant breakthroughs in education, research and service to the society. In March 2012, according to Times Higher Education (THE) "World Reputation Rankings 2012", METU has been ranked among the top 100 universities of the world by reputation. Ranked 203rd among the Top 400 World Universities 2012-13 list of THE, Middle East Technical University is listed among the first 150 universities of the world in terms of teaching – learning environment.

According to 2011 – 2016 strategic plan of METU, one of the primary areas in interdisciplinary research within the university is "Defence and Aerospace" since defence industry and technologies have been and will continue to be the driving force of our nation’s development. Middle East Technical University embodies currently three research centers focused on defence technologies: MODSIMMER (Modeling and Simulation Technology Center) in collaboration with Turkish Armed Forces, MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems Facilities) and BİLTİR (Interdisciplinary Research & Application Center). Vital for development are recruitment of qualified human resource, specialization of research hence of university – industry collaboration, support systems for innovation and entrepreneurship as well as the contribution of know-how accumulated in defence industry into national technological development.