On September 23-24, 2013, the "Islamic Countries Rectors Forum 2013" was held in Islamabad, Pakistan, organized by COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Pakistan Higher Education Commission, Ministry of Science and Technology of Pakistan, Federation of Universities of the Islamic World, and ISESCO (Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization of the Islamic World).

The forum aimed to initiate joint academic programs, support research activities, create shared resources, offer scholarships, facilitate student exchanges, and establish centers of excellence among universities in the Islamic World. A total of 130 universities participated, with 35 university rectors from Turkey attending, including Bursa Technical University's (BTU) participation represented by Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Arif Karademir on behalf of Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Sürmen.

During the forum, Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) were signed between BTU and several Pakistani universities, including:

COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT) (Islamabad, Pakistan), Indus University (Karachi, Pakistan),City University of Science & Information Technology (Peshawar, Pakistan), Khushal Khan Khattak University (Karak, Pakistan), Shaheed Benazir Bhutto University (Shadeed Benazirabad, SBA) (Nawabshah, Pakistan), University of Sciences & Technology Bannu (USTB) (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)

On the second day of the forum, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Arif Karademir spoke at the Research and Innovation: The Role of International Collaboration panel, emphasizing the significance of academic and scientific collaboration among universities in Islamic countries. Other university rectors also shared important messages regarding mutual goodwill and steps toward cooperation.