Turkey boasts 900 R&D centers

By Mehtap Yilmaz

ANKARA (AA) - The number of research and development (R&D) centers in Turkey has reached 900, the country's science, industry, and technology minister said Tuesday.

The 900th R&D center, established by Vektor Technology in Istanbul, employs 17 R&D personnel to develop projects for transportation technologies such as vehicle tracking, rota planning, and cruise reporting systems, Faruk Ozlu told Anadolu Agency.

"R&D and innovation are indispensable for competition. Countries who support industry with effective incentives are on the top in the world competition rankings."

The 900 centers are active in 39 sectors in 43 cities, and they employ around 48,000 R&D personnel involved in some 11,000 projects, he stressed.

He added that the centers have also generated 2,500 registered patents.

"In recent years, a large amount of money was spent to support innovative ideas and R&D projects in Turkey," Ozlu said.

Such support carries great importance for creating R&D infrastructure in the country, he said.

Istanbul, Turkey's largest city by population, hosts the most R&D centers -- over 310 -- followed by prominent industrial centers Kocaeli and Bursa with 102 and 94 centers, respectively.

Research and development centers which work to develop technology with staffs of 15 or more are supported by the ministry with tax exemptions and incentives.

Turkey also has more than 200 design centers that work to develop, improve, and diversify private sector products to boost the country's international competitive edge.

Similarly, design centers with more than 10 staffers are also supported by the ministry.

*Gokhan Ergocun contributed to this story from Ankara