2247 - A - National Outstanding Researchers Program

ANNOUNCEMENT: The deadline for the 2247-A National Leading Researchers Program, which opened for applications on October 8, 2026, is December 15, 2026 (17:30). Applications can be submitted via the TÜBİTAK Management Information System (tybs.tubitak.gov.tr)

The scope of this program is to provide support for projects which having groundbreaking goals, offering the opportunity to meet significant gaps at scientific and technological areas and providing new perspective to researchers, and/or having potential of important discovery and/or inventions at every single area of science and technology; and for researchers working on these projects in Türkiye.

Click here to access the critical technology areas and priority R&D and innovation subjects included in the 12th Development Plan and the 2030 Industry and Technology Strategy.

Click on the link below for the 2026 Call Text.

The scope of this program is to provide support for projects which having groundbreaking goals, offering the opportunity to meet significant gaps at scientific and technological areas and providing new perspective to researchers, and/or having potential of important discovery and/or inventions at every single area of science and technology; and for researchers working on these projects in Türkiye.

Within the scope of this program;
 

is provided.

*A minimum of 2 and a maximum of 5 scholarship holders can be added to the project team.

Duration of support is 36 months.

• On the date of the application,
  In case of the institution that the project is carried out is a SME-run business, 25% of the support provided within the scope of the program must be covered by this institution/organization.

• In case of the institution that the project is carried out is a large-scale company, 40% of the support provided within the scope of the program must be covered by this institution/organization.

• In case of the institution that the project is carried out is a foundation university, 25% of the support provided within the scope of the program must be covered by this institution/organization.

• In case of the institution that the project is carried out is a state agency or state university, all of the support provided within the scope of the program will be covered by TÜBİTAK.

• A coordinator cannot apply to this program with more than one project proposal at the same time.

• Applications to this program are not included in the quota for projects applied to the coordinator / researchers benefiting from TUBITAK support programs.

• As of the application deadline, those who benefit from BİDEB Research Scholarships or Supports cannot apply to this program, except for the 2244 Industry Doctorate Program and 2247-B European Research Council (ERC) Support Program.

• The coordinator is expected to successfully complete a European Research Council (ERC) project in order to benefit from this support again.

• The Researcher Information System (ARBİS) record must be updated before the application.

• Researchers who have previously applied to the 2247-A program and will re-apply with the same project proposal should indicate the arrangements they made in their projects during the application.

• Researchers who are entitled to receive support must conduct their research in Turkiye.

• Within the scope of this program, researchers who are entitled to receive support must trained at least two qualified researchers.

Researchers who will apply to the program must be working in Türkiye as of the first day of the application.
As of the date of application, any of the following work experiences must be provided.

Researchers applying must meet any of the following work experience requirements as of the first day of applications (If the researcher has multiple areas of expertise, the duration of work experience will be calculated starting from the graduation date of the first completed area of expertise).

• Having received a Ph.D. degree at least 7 years ago, working as a faculty member at a university or a training and research hospital, and having at least 4 years of research experience,

• Having received a Ph.D. degree at least 7 years ago, working as a team leader or a researcher conducting independent academic research* in a public research institute or a research infrastructure qualified under Law No. 6550, and having at least 4 years of research experience,

• Researchers applying from the private sector having 6 years of full-time research experience, provided that at least 3 years of it was spent working within the private sector (A maximum of 1 year of completed master's education with thesis or a maximum of 3 years of completed Ph.D. education is evaluated under this scope).

*Documentable individual study/research periods related to the field of the Ph.D., periods during which the person conducted their own studies as a researcher/post-doctoral researcher, etc.

Researchers applying must have served as a coordinator/principal investigator in at least one of the following project types under TÜBİTAK R&D and Innovation Programs:

• R&D and Innovation Support Programs coded TÜBİTAK 1001, 1003, 1004, 1005, 1007, 3501, COST Projects, International Bilateral Cooperation Programs (including 1071), 1505, 2232, 2236, 2247-B.

For the prerequisites above, the applicant's statement during the application will be taken into account, and additional documents may be requested when necessary. The CV section must be filled out carefully and descriptively. In case of detecting a false statement, applications will be returned without evaluation and/or relevant legislative provisions will be applied.

Additionally, researchers applying must meet at least one of the following clauses a, b, and c:

a. Within the scope of the criteria set out in Table 1 in the call text

• Must have scored at least 30 points in the field of science, engineering, or health sciences,

• Must have scored at least 20 points in the field of social sciences and humanities.

b. The principal investigator having a completed** European Research Council (ERC) project or having served as a coordinator in completed** Research and Innovation Actions (RIA) and Innovation Actions (IA) projects under Horizon 2020 / Horizon Europe***, 

c. Having received a TÜBİTAK Science Award, TÜBİTAK Special Award, or TÜBA Academy Award***.

**Researchers whose projects will be completed by the end of 2026 will also be eligible to apply to the program. 

***For researchers meeting this condition, condition 4.1.3 in the call text is not required.

Applications are made online at TYBS within the dates announced in the call announcement.

Documents for the application system must be in Turkish. Certified Turkish translations of documents prepared in other languages must be uploaded.
At the application stage, it is sufficient to upload the documents to the system, and they do not need to be delivered to BİDEB. The evaluation is made only on the documents uploaded to the system. For this reason, the document related to each condition must be uploaded to the system through application forms in a clear and determined content (The documents containing only a web page link will not be considered).

A two-stage application system will be used in this program.

Required Documents For The First Stage

• 1^st Stage Research Proposal Form

Required Documents For The Second Stage

• 2^nd Stage Research Proposal Form

Registered information about researchers on Researcher Information System (ARBİS) must be updated before application.

For both stages, candidates must undertake that the information they enter into the system is correct and that they will comply with the program obligations. Candidates who approve their application are deemed to have undertaken this. If a contrary declaration is detected, the applications are returned without being evaluated and/or the relevant legislation provisions are applied.

Researchers who receive support must submit other requested documents specified in the call text to BİDEB after the announcement of the support decision.
Application withdrawal can be done at any stage. For withdrawal process, a petition with signature indicating the application year and period must be sent to the address of BİDEB. Upon receipt of the petition to BİDEB, the update process is carried out.

The evaluation is carried out according to the following criteria.
The application files submitted in the first-stage applications are subjected to evaluation according to the following criteria:

Value of the Research Topic:

• Alignment of the research with our country's strategic targets

• Added value the research will provide to our country

• Breakthrough nature of the research idea

• The applicant's contribution to establishing a sustainable infrastructure in the research field within our country,

• Valuable partnerships to be established with stakeholders to enhance coordination and cooperation among the public sector, universities, private sector, and industry,

• The quality of delivering the studies to be conducted to different target groups

Academic Competence of the Applicant:

• The applicant's academic career and track record to date (potential to execute, manage, and complete high-risk, high-budget projects at the level expected from the program, and to produce high-value outputs; scientific infrastructure, academic productivity, and leadership skills; awards, etc.)

• The quality of the applicant's publications forming the basis of the research topic (originality, innovation, evaluation of contributions to multi-author publications, etc.) and/or patents

• The quality of the applicant's Turkey-affiliated publications, the existence of pioneering studies in a scientific sense, and the formations/infrastructures pioneered to ensure the continuity of these studies in our country, and the potential to establish infrastructure

• The comprehensive application files submitted in the second-stage applications are evaluated according to the following criteria:

Nature of the Research Project

• Originality of the research idea at the level of being breakthrough (resolving global-level problems and deficiencies regarding advancements in the focused scientific or technological field; offering effective and innovative solutions to identified problems; making methodological/conceptual/theoretical original contributions to the relevant scientific field(s);)

• Appropriateness of the original, effective, and innovative proposals presented for solving the problems and/or addressing the deficiencies identified regarding the study topic

• Appropriateness of the work plan (the research program and schedule to be conducted in Turkey for the upcoming three-year period)

• Partnerships planned to be established in the study and individual/institutional support

• Foreseeable risks in the study

• Adequacy of the infrastructure of the institution/organization where the study will be conducted in terms of realizing the research

Impact Value:

• The potential of the study to establish a sustainable infrastructure in the research field within our country,

• The potential of the planned study for coordination and cooperation among the public sector, universities, the private sector, and industry

• Potential to train top-tier researchers,

• Reachability/accessibility of the studies to be conducted to different target groups

• Verifiable and measurable high-value scientific/academic, economic, and societal outputs projected to be obtained from the study; usability in different scientific fields and potential to generate new projects

Applications are evaluated in three stages.

Preliminary Review: At this stage, the information/documents entered into the system during the application will be checked. Candidates who do not meet any of the application conditions specified in the call text, who do not approve the information they entered into the application system by the deadline, or who submit application documents solely via fax or email will be eliminated during the preliminary review and their applications will be returned.

First-Stage Evaluation: The letters of intent submitted in the first-stage applications are subjected to evaluation by the Board based on the designated evaluation criteria.

Second-Stage Evaluation: In the second-stage applications, the comprehensive project proposal requested from the applicant will be subjected to scientific evaluation by a consultant/panel according to the evaluation criteria.

The researcher to be supported should start his research by sending the following documents as soon as possible after the support decision. The coordinator may request to postpone the project start date for a maximum of 6 months due to force majeure.

• In case the coordinator is working in public research centers, the letter of approval to be obtained from the highest official of the public institution to which the relevant public research center is affiliated,

• It should be obtained before research if the study requires any legal / special permission certificate and/or Ethics Committee certificate (animal experiments ethics committees, clinical trials ethics committees and non-interventional human trials ethics committees).

• (See TÜBİTAK Ethics Committee Approval Document Information Note and TÜBİTAK Legal / Special Permit Information Note)
  Project proposal and "Approved Application Document" which was automatically generated by the system during application

• The original or certified copy of the diploma or graduation certificate related to the latest education (a certified Turkish translation of the diploma other than Turkish or English must be sent.

• If any, the support letters to be received from the people / institutions / organizations to be benefited within the scope of the project

The coordinator is obliged to submit his reports to TÜBİTAK on the dates specified in the project contract, according to the work plan proposed during the application. Progress / results reports should include the expenditures for the relevant period.

The project is concluded as of the end date specified in the contract. The final report must be sent within two months at the latest following the deadline specified in the project contract. If the host institution is a foundation university, a "Certified Public Accountant" report regarding the expenditures made within the scope of the project is required.

Progress and results reports are evaluated by experts assigned by TÜBİTAK.

The project whose final report is accepted is deemed to have been completed.

1. Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu Bilim İnsanı Destek Programları Başkanlığı Tarafından Yürütülen Programlara İlişkin Yönetmelik
2. Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu Bilim İnsanı Destek Programları Başkanlığı Burs ve Destek Programlarının Yürütülmesine İlişkin Usul ve Esaslar
3. BİDEB Burs ve Destek Programlarında Başvuruların ve Raporların Panel/Danışman/Danışma Kurulu Yöntemi ile Değerlendirilmesi ve İzlenmesine İlişkin Yönerge
4. TÜBİTAK Kaynaklarından Genel Bütçe Kapsamındaki Kamu İdareleri ile Özel Bütçeli İdarelere Proje Karşılığı Aktarılacak Tutarların Harcanması ve TÜBİTAK Tarafından Yürütülen Dış Destekli Projelerin Harcamalarının Gerçekleştirilmesine İlişkin Esas ve Usuller
5. TÜBİTAK Tarafından Özel Kuruluşlar ve Vakıf Üniversitelerine Proje Karşılığı Aktarılacak Tutarların Transferi, Harcanması, Muhasebeleştirilmesi ve Denetimine İlişkin Esaslar
6. TÜBİTAK Kaynaklarından Araştırma Altyapıları İle 5018 Sayılı Kamu Malî Yönetimi ve Kontrol Kanununun Kapsamı Dışında Kalan Kamu İdarelerine Proje Karşılığı Aktarılacak Tutarların Mali İşlemlerinde Uygulanacak Usul ve Esaslar
7. Proje Teşvik ve Destekleme Esaslarına İlişkin Yönetmelik Uyarınca Desteklenen Projelerde Uygulanacak Fikri Haklar Esasları
8. TÜBİTAK Araştırma ve Yayın Etiği Kurulu Yönetmeliği

TÜBİTAK Science Fellowship and Grant Programmes Directorate

2247-A National Outstanding Researchers Program

Address: TUBITAK, Science Fellowship and Grant Programmes Directorate, Tunus St. No:80, 06100 Kavaklidere, Ankara, Turkey
Phone: +90 312 468 53 00
e-Mail: bideb2247a@tubitak.gov.tr