The 61st anniversary of TÜBİTAK, the flagship of science and technology in Türkiye, was celebrated with a glorious ceremony. The ceremony, hosted by Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, President of TÜBİTAK, was attended by Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Industry and Technology, Ahmet Serdar İbrahimcioğlu, President of KOSGEB, TÜBİTAK executives and TÜBİTAK employees.
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, in his speech at the 61st anniversary ceremony of TÜBİTAK, stated that TÜBİTAK was established in 1963 with the task of guiding the science and technology policies of our country, and said: “We have seen the seal of TÜBİTAK in many showcase projects of our National Technology Movement, which is a source of pride for our country, in the last one year. Under the leadership of TÜBİTAK, we have become one of the 11 countries that can develop their own communication satellites by launching TÜRKSAT 6A, the first domestic and national communication satellite of our country, into space. We have allocated MODSİMMER TRUBA Data Centre and ARF Computing Cluster, which are critical for the development and development of our country, to the private sector, public sector and academia.”
“By developing the integrated processor unit of the computer at the heart of our National Combat Aircraft (MMU) Kaan, which makes it a 5th generation aircraft, we have become one of the few countries with this capability.” emphasised Kacır, adding: “The wings of our independence and freedom are soaring safely in the sky. We have added Türkiye's first in-sight air-to-air missile BOZDOĞAN and the first beyond-sight air-to-air missile GÖKDOĞAN to our inventory.”
“We will produce sensitive sensors domestically and nationally”
Minister Kacır said, “With our new chip production facility, the foundation of which we will lay in the second half of the year, we will first switch to 110 nanometre and then 65 nanometre technology in chip design and production. We will domestically and nationally produce all chips required by renewable energy systems, especially electric vehicles, and sensitive sensors used in sectors such as white goods. TÜBİTAK continues to mobilise all elements of our science, innovation and research ecosystem. Within the scope of industrial R&D supports, we have provided 4.2 billion liras of support to 3,654 projects in the last 1 year. With the Türkiye Green Industry Project, we allocated 175 million dollars of financing to our industrialists' green transformation-oriented, R&D and technology projects.”
The main factor of the new success story, “Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem Call”
“We opened our Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem Call, in which we support all actors involved in the creation of national products and solutions in the field of artificial intelligence with an active cooperation model. We believe that technology entrepreneurship is the main factor of the new success story we will write together in the Turkish Century.” Kacır said, “Within the scope of Academy and Public R&D support, we provided 6 billion TL support to 6 thousand 231 projects in the last 1 year. We prioritised the commercialisation of R&D activities with the high technology platforms we established in strategic areas such as additive manufacturing, domestic pharmaceuticals and vaccines, sustainable agriculture, electric vehicles, renewable energy, circular economy and quantum.”
3.1 billion TL support to 91 thousand 438 scientists and young people in the last 1 year
Minister Kacır said, “With scholarship and support programmes for scientists and young people, we have provided 3.1 billion TL support to 91 thousand 438 scientists and young people in the last 1 year. We included 3 thousand scholarship holders at undergraduate level in our research ecosystem at an early age. 171 qualified researchers who continue their scientific studies in our country within the scope of our International Leading Researchers Programme have successfully completed the programme. We continue our evaluations for the 2024 call of the programme.” he said.
“We will always stand by our young people and support their interest in science and technology”
“We are realising moves that will bring our young people together with science and technology culture and enable them to carry out new studies in this field. Nearly 65,500 students participated in the TÜBİTAK Secondary and High School Students Research Project Competitions, which we see as an important step for our young people to step into the world of science and technology, with more than 41,600 projects.” Kacır said, “We will continue to support their interest in science and technology by always standing by our young people. In pursuit of a youth that develops technology; we continue to bring science together with our youth through science fairs, science festivals and science talks. In the last 1 year, we brought together more than 620 thousand students with scientists through 4 thousand 133 science talks. With 3 thousand 284 science fairs we supported, we raised scientific awareness in 250 thousand students and 3 million visitors.”
Education of 15 thousand 910 students continues at DENEYAP Technology Workshop
Minister Kacır said, ‘In the last 1 year, we have opened 11 science centres that bring together society and science, science and society. Our 32 science centres hosted 3 million 540 thousand visitors in the same period. In 145 DENEYAP Technology Workshops, which we have brought to 81 provinces, the education of 15 thousand 910 students continues. Within TEKNOFEST, the world's largest aviation, space and technology festival, which offers our young people the opportunity to pursue their dreams, competitions in 16 different categories will be held this year with the contribution of TÜBİTAK. Within the scope of the ‘We Bring Our Schools Together with TÜBİTAK Books Project’, which enables our young people to become science literate from an early age, we brought 4 thousand 931 schools in 3 provinces together with 773 thousand 540 popular science books. We reached 630 thousand subscribers by achieving a 410 percent increase in the number of subscribers of our TÜBİTAK Popular Science Magazines Science and Technique, Science Child and Curious Minik, which bring readers of all ages together with science, compared to last year.’
‘We will deepen our country's expertise in critical research areas’‘TÜBİTAK, which has always acted as a flag-bearer in the strengthening of science, technology and R&D in our country, will continue to be the address of sustainable prosperity and stability, fair sharing and inclusive solutions with its activities in the Turkish Century. It will maintain its strong role in implementing projects that respond to the needs and goals of our country.’ Kacır emphasised: ’We will deepen our country's expertise in critical research areas.We will ensure that the inventions that will change the world will come out of our country with the investments we will make in basic science fields that shape the technologies of the future such as quantum, neuroscience, opto-electronics/photonics, nanomaterials and nuclear fusion/fission, synthetic biology. We will ensure that our existing R&D and innovation capabilities within TÜBİTAK are transformed into economic value.‘ he said.‘We are an institution needed for our country and humanity’
In his speech, Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, President of TÜBİTAK, emphasised that ‘I am honoured to work in this institution, which is celebrating its 61st anniversary.’Mandal thanked Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Industry and Technology, who has been with TÜBİTAK every year on the anniversary of its foundation since his deputy ministry.
Emphasising the song prepared by TÜBİTAK employees, Mandal said that the lyrics of the song, the video of which was watched at the beginning of the ceremony, were written by TÜBİTAK employees, uploaded to artificial intelligence and the song was created.
Mandal said, ‘TÜBİTAK has two main objectives that have never changed since it was founded in 1963. To produce information for our country, whatever the need is for that day, and at the same time, more importantly, to train the human resources that will produce that information.’ Mandal said, ’We are an institution that has worked and laboured for this for years. Especially in recent years, we are now at the stage of transforming this knowledge production into a higher level with the contributions of our President and our minister, and we see this as a responsibility. Because we are an institution that is needed for our country and humanity. In this process, what we are trying to do the most is to be in the field more, to listen more and to be accountable to all our stakeholders in the ecosystem as an intermediary, both in terms of transparency and accountability, but at the same time, we are working to ensure that the solutions we will offer are done dynamically, quickly and in an agile manner. We are trying to see the effects of this in the programmes we have created. I say we are working, because this is not a process that ends. It is a continuous process.’
“We are trying to reveal the answer not only to the question of what, but also to the question of how”
Prof. Dr. Mandal said, ‘What we have put forward is not only to answer the question of what, but also to explain the topics needed for a fully independent Türkiye within the concept of how. We are trying to realise this not through individual studies, but through more platforms. The high-tech platforms we have created for this, the SAYEM platform, the order R&D platform, patent licensing, all of these are just a few titles that we are trying to answer not only the question of what, but also the question of how in this ecosystem. Especially in the recent period, we are trying to give our centres and institutes a role in this co-development approach at the point of being a stakeholder when necessary. Our Covid-19 platform, which we experienced during the Covid-19 period, is the best example of this. Our earthquake platform is the best example of this. Our mucilage platform is the best example of this. ‘ he said.
“What we are trying to do the most is to touch more young people, students and children”
‘Not only to produce information, but also to offer alternative finance methods within innovative methods. Not only to develop resources from the public sector, but also to try to use external resources much more effectively. We can give examples of the formats we have started this year with the World Bank. Again, European funds can be utilised much more. While producing knowledge, we aim to be able to respond more quickly to the changes in the needs of that knowledge production without giving up its main mission.’ Mandal emphasised that ’What we are trying to do most at the point of training human resources is to touch more young people, students and children. We see this very clearly in the field. While talking to my friend Alper before this meeting, I am pleased to have been with our young people in 58 provinces and to have heard the response of TÜBİTAK from him.’
“We are grateful to our young people”
‘It is very important for us to be able to involve our young people in the research process at the earliest age, at primary school, secondary school, high school, university, associate degree and undergraduate, not only doctorate, but at all these stages. And again, in this process, our central institutes not only include our own researches, professional, adult, competent researchers, but also young researchers at the undergraduate level, even at the high school level, because already with our TÜBİTAK science high school, we now have not only experienced researchers but also young researchers in our institutes.‘ Mandal said, ‘We believe that we are trying to reach young people all over Türkiye, especially through the STAR programme, high school students and secondary school students, research projects support programmes, TEKNOFEST, university students research projects support programmes, and we need to work harder. Because we trust these young people more than ourselves, more than our own age group. The most important assurance of this is the national and international degrees they have recently achieved in olympiads, project competitions and TEKNOFEST. We are grateful to our young people.’
Mandal said, ‘When we look at the future, there is a much greater need for TÜBİTAK both geopolitically and technologically. ‘ he emphasised.
“TÜBITAK is needed for fully independent Türkiye, for our national technology move”
Thanking TÜBİTAK employees for their efforts, Mandal said, ‘There is a need to produce science and develop technology for humanity in our country and all over the world. TÜBİTAK is needed for fully independent Türkiye and for our national technology move. But we also need to move forward in becoming an institution that responds to these needs quickly. I would like to thank our President, who has always been with us in this process, and I would like to thank our minister, our heads of institutions and rectors who work with us as stakeholders. But most importantly, of course, I would like to thank you, my valuable colleagues.’
He also invited Gökçenaz Akyol, the youngest employee of TÜBİTAK, to the stage to share his excitement.
Mandal said, ‘I would like to invite our friend who joined us on 16 July. Gökçenaz Akyol works as an Assistant Scientific Programmes Expert in the (EEEAG) ELECTRIC, ELECTRONICS, ENFORMATICS R&D SUPPORT Group. She graduated from Hacettepe University Artificial Intelligence Engineering.’
Şanlıurfa regional winner in the TÜBİTAK competition in 2017
In his speech, Akyol said, ‘I have been really interested in science and technology since I was a child. I was doing small projects on my own. In 2017, I took part in the finals in Şanlıurfa as the regional winner of the TÜBİTAK 4007 High School STEM Competition. It was a very exciting experience for me. Now, being able to contribute to the world of science and technology in an institution like TÜBİTAK makes me really proud.’
“I come to the workplace to see what I can learn from whom”
Akyol stated that he has learnt a lot although it has only been a week since he started and said, ‘The people I have met are really experts in their fields, they are very valuable. And they have already started to contribute to my working vision. They have given me new perspectives. I come to work once a week, but every day I am really excited. I go to work thinking about what I can learn from whom today. Very valuable, very exciting feelings for me.’
“There is nothing that cannot be achieved”
TÜBİTAK President Mandal then introduced Belgin Bumin from SAGE as the most experienced personnel on the stage, saying: ‘She started working at MAM in Gebze in 1986 and took part in the establishment of our National Metrology Institute. In ‘99, she transferred to SAGE, where she worked in the Metrology Unit. Mrs Belgin graduated from Hacettepe University, Department of Physics Engineering...’
Bumin also shared his experiences, saying that he applied to TÜBİTAK in 1986 through a newspaper advertisement:
‘I had the chance to take part in the establishment of UME, in ensuring the contribution of national reference standards to Türkiye. This was a very important experience for me. Then I came to SAGE. The establishment of Türkiye's first atmospheric measurement unit, their production and testing, their transfer to ammunition, their use in kits such as SOM and HGK, taking part in these, and evaluating the results of these, these were very exciting. I can still feel the excitement. While we are carrying out these activities, we are also continuing to work within the scope of nationalisation. Such as accelerometer studies. Seeing these, other institutions took them as an example and continued these studies in their own institutions. It was also good to see Banu. I have always been proud of living in a distinguished and respected institution at TÜBİTAK’.
Bumin also gave advice to young people and said, ‘I can say this to young friends. There is nothing that cannot be achieved. However, difficulties may be encountered. I believe that this can be overcome by researching and working.’
Following the speeches, Minister Kacır and TÜBİTAK President Mandal presented certificates of appreciation to the personnel who have completed 25 years of service and retired in 2024.
In addition, certificates of appreciation were also given to those who contributed to the institution with Technology Transfer.
Ahmet Akgöz, who developed the ‘Foldable Metal Mine Detector - OZAN Technology’, Cesarettin Alaşalvar, who developed the ‘Protective Lozenge/Chewable Tablet Technology against SARS-CoV-2 Virus’, Elif Tahtasakal, who developed the ‘AEP 54 Compliant Chromium Free Empregne Activated Carbon Production Technology’ and contributed to the ‘Special Quality Empregne Activated Carbon Production Technology for CBRN Protective Filters’, Eyüp Akagündüz, who developed the ‘Particle Reinforced Composite Brake Shoe Technology’, Özgenç Subaşı, who developed the ‘Real Time Infrared Trace Management System Technology’, Zekayi Korlu, who developed the ‘Intraocular Lens Technology’ and contributed to the ‘Gas Ammunition Technologies for Intervention in Social Events’, received their certificates of appreciation from Minister Kacır and TÜBİTAK President Mandal.
Afterwards, the 61st anniversary cake was cut in the courtyard of TÜBİTAK and the Turkish Folk Music Choir consisting of TÜBİTAK employees performed.
