TÜRKİYE BİLİMSEL VE TEKNOLOJİK ARAŞTIRMA KURUMU
The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK)

Country: Turkey

Founded in 1963, TÜBİTAK is the leading agency in charge of management, funding and coordinating scientific and technological research in Turkey. It is governed by a Management Board whose members are selected from prominent scholars from universities, industry and research institutions. TÜBİTAK operates as the main advisory institution to the Turkish Government on scientific and technological issues. More than 4.000 researchers work in 20 research institutes and do perform research actively. Turkey has been associated to the EU Framework Programmes (EU FPs) since the beginning of the FP6 onwards and TÜBİTAK currently holds the national coordination of Horizon 2020, garnering a substantial 16 years of EU FP association experience in Turkey.

TÜBİTAK’s main tasks are to determine Turkey’s science and technology policies; to support, encourage and coordinate scientific research to establish and operate special institutes to conduct research and development activities in line with national priorities. It provides scholarships and support to researchers and organizing contests to discover and train future scientists; develops support programs for R&D activities and innovations in universities, public and private sectors; promotes university-industry collaborations; publishes scientific journals, popular science magazines and books that make science accessible to the public and supports researchers with awards. TÜBİTAK is the executing agency in deployment of international scientific and technological agreements. TÜBİTAK, coordinates national academic research programmes via its department, Academic Research Funding Program Directorate (ARDEB).