Spanish travel tech giant opens R&D center in Istanbul

By Emir Yildirim

ISTANBUL (AA) – Spanish travel technology giant Amadeus IT established its third biggest research and development center in Istanbul, housing some 500 developers, according to a statement by Türkiye’s Ministry of Industry and Technology on Friday.

Mehmet Fatih Kacir, industry and technology minister, said at the center’s opening ceremony that the number of research and development centers in Türkiye has grown over 1,600, while 10,000 tech companies operate in the country.

The minister stated that Türkiye aims to be a global hub for innovative technologies in near future.

Kacir mentioned that entrepreneurs are “making their dreams come true” in Türkiye with “robust support systems backing them up,” as Turkish startups garner attention worldwide.

The minister highlighted that the government has invested over $1 billion in startups, creating a leverage effect, through the Turkish unicorn program “Turcorn100,” which offers startups government and private networking support.

Kacir stated that the national initiative to scale-up technology and innovation startups is an effort to globalize Turkish startups and ensure that Türkiye reaches 100,000 tech startups by 2030.

“Many global companies are carrying out their research and development activities in Türkiye, benefitting from our qualified workforce and attractive incentives,” said Kacir.