The newly assigned Head of the EU Delegation to Turkey Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-LANDRUT and an accompanying delegation visited TÜBİTAK President Prof. Hasan MANDAL in his office.
During the meeting whose main agenda was the plans for the improvement of current research collaborations between Europe and Turkey in the coming period as part of various programs in the fields of science, technology and innovation, the parties expressed their pleasure from the mutual collaborations.
Importance of research and innovation
Ambassador Meyer LANDRUT emphasized the importance of research and innovation activities for the social and economic development of countries.
A pleasing improvement in Turkey-EU collaborations
Ambassador Meyer LANDRUT expressed his pleasure from the improvement of collaborations between Turkey and the EU in research and innovation.
TÜBİTAK, the main funding institution of Turkish Research Area
Prof. Hasan MANDAL introduced TÜBİTAK and its activities to the visiting delegation and stated that TÜBİTAK is the main funding institution providing support to Turkish Research Area.
R&D innovation projects in strategic fields
Prof. Mandal stated that, besides a funding role, the 23 institutes of TÜBİTAK, which conduct R&D and innovation projects in strategically important areas, mostly perform industry-oriented technology development activities rather than basic research studies.
Impact-oriented programs improve our performance in Horizon2020
Prof. MANDAL stated that, besides developing national R&D capacity, TÜBİTAK has been designing and implementing impact-oriented support programs based on co-development since 2018, and that these efforts have made important contributions to the harmonization of Turkish research and innovation ecosystem with Europe and consequently to the betterment of Turkey’s performance in Horizon2020 Program.
Turkey's growing success in EU programs
Touching upon the growing success and momentum of Turkey in recent years in the EU research and innovation program Horizon2020, Prof. Mandal expressed that Turkish organizations started to take part as coordinators in consortia and to manage multi-partnered international consortia.
Collaborated countries under Horizon 2020
Prof. MANDAL stated that Turkish organizations under Horizon2020 Program established collaborations with organizations mostly from Spain, Italy, Germany, France and United Kingdom in Europe.
The discount in contribution was spent for Turkey’s research and innovation ecosystem
Prof. MANDAL stated that the budget created with a discount in the contribution share of Turkey under the EU Horizon2020 Program was used for national scale activities aiming to improve the capacity and performance of Turkey’s research and innovation ecosystem in the EU Framework Programs.
TÜBİTAK programs for Academy - Industry collaboration
Prof. MANDAL said that, with a view to improve academic-industrial cooperation, to allow production at medium and high level technologies and to encourage private sector to employ more and qualified researchers, TÜBİTAK developed “1004-Center of Excellence Support Program”, “Industrial Innovation Networking Mechanism (SAYEM)” and 2244-Industrial PhD Program, and that the organizations in the EU countries could involve in the platforms to be created as part of 1004 and SAYEM programs.
COVID-19 Platform studies
Stating that Turkish COVID-19 Platform is coordinated by TÜBİTAK and vaccine-development studies continue at full steam, Prof. Mandal added “Turkey is one of the countries conducting COVID-19 studies with success.”
During the meeting, the EU delegation was briefed on the project “Scientific Response Against COVID-19” and they were requested to provide support.
Invitation to Green Deal Project Market
Ambassador Meyer LANDRUT was also invited as a speaker to the International Project Market of the Green Deal Call under Horizon2020 Program, which will be held by TÜBİTAK and has not been officially announced yet.
25.11.2020