Prof. Hasan Mandal was assigned as TÜBİTAK’s President as per the decree promulgated via the Official Gazette dated 22 February 2018 published under number 30340. TÜBİTAK’s new President took over the duty from the former President Prof. A. Arif Ergin at a ceremony held at TÜBİTAK’s Science Council, with the participation of the Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Dr. Faruk Özlü.

Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Dr. Faruk Özlü stated that restructuring the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) in accordance with the changing circumstances, demands and requirements was in their agenda and continued: “We will adopt a structure that conducts research and development, focuses on research and development, executes projects, and one that is flexible and a solution partner. We will be mobilizing all of TÜBİTAK’s know-how towards achieving ‘technology breakthroughs’ elevating us toward our targets for 2023. Our vision will be domestic throughout this process, yet our goals will be global.” Minister Dr. Özlü thanked Prof. Arif Ergin, who has been executing the institutions’ presidency since June 2015, for his hard work. Stating that despite his young age, Prof. Ergin has successfully managed a versatile institution such as TÜBİTAK and made crucial contributions to the Turkish scientific community, Minister Dr. Özlü continued: “With his scientific and humanistic merits, he mobilized his expertise on behalf of TÜBİTAK having served the Turkish scientific community and the Turkish academic community for many years with dedication and has made his mark on lasting projects.” Minister Dr. Özlü pointed out that Prof. Mandal, who taking over the position, is also one of the significant and distinguished members of the Turkish scientific community as is Prof. Ergin.  He expressed that he believes that Prof. Mandal will be successful in his new assignment as he is esteemed with his academic achievements, the executive positions he has assumed in universities and his successful activities at the Council of Higher Education.  

Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Dr. Özlü: “TÜBİTAK is the apple of our eye”

Underlining that TÜBİTAK is the flagship of science and technology, Minister Dr. Özlü added, “TÜBİTAK is the apple of our eye. This institution has always been at the service of our nation and government with the projects it has launched in every area and with the national and domestic support it provided to Turkish science, industry and technology. Strengthening Turkey, fully availing its facilities to scientists and researchers, being the source of hope with scholarships and incentives it has granted to our youth, TÜBİTAK will proceed on its path in line with the same mission.” Minister Dr. Özlü stated that the restructuring of TÜBİTAK in accordance with the changing circumstances, demands and requirements was on their agenda and added: “We will restructure TÜBİTAK with less bureaucracy and more science. We dream of a Turkey that generates science and technology.  We will adopt a new structure that runs research and development, focuses on research and development, that conducts projects and TÜBİTAK will become a flexible solution partner. We will be running our activities through a perspective that embraces science and technology policies and industrial policies on the same platform and that forms a strategic target alliance between them. We will be mobilizing all the know-how of TÜBİTAK towards the ‘technology breakthrough’ that will take us toward our targets for the year 2023. During this process, our vision will be domestic where our targets remain global.”

Noting that the tasks assigned in politics and bureaucracy are in a sense deposited by the nation, Minister Dr. Faruk Özlü underlined that the change of positions also means that the continuity of the relay race ran to provide services. Minister Dr. Özlü told that Prof. Ergin, who has worked hard throughout his assignment and cared deeply for the problems facing the science world, has completed this relay race successfully and added that now it is Prof. Mandal’s turn to elevate TÜBİTAK and to make his personal mark in the new successes achieved in the areas of science and technology. Minister Özlü mentioned that they will benefit from Prof. Ergin’s experiences at the Ministry and wished this reassignment to bring good luck to TÜBİTAK and the scientific world.

TÜBİTAK President Prof. Hasan Mandal: “We will be working for our country’s priorities and needs”

TÜBİTAK President Prof. Hasan Mandal stated that he won a scholarship from TÜBİTAK in 1989 and that he assumed several positions within the institution and was deemed worthy of support and science awards. Underlining that the demand for information has increased significantly in the global competition environment while the methods for accessing information have differentiated, Prof. Mandal said, “Within the context of global competition, developing our indigenous and national technology based on information and science places further importance on the necessity to achieve our short, medium and long term goals that have been identified and reaching our country’s targets set for year 2023 and the 11th Development Plan, particularly taking the present circumstances surrounding us into consideration. This may be achieved by developing qualified know-how and qualified human resources on all levels.” Prof. Dr. Mandal emphasized the fact that TÜBİTAK’s requirements at all levels regarding processes and support within the scope of its mission will be increasing and said, “TÜBİTAK will be revising its processes in this regard and fulfil these demands by renewing them if required. Within the framework of our country’s priorities and demands, we will be exerting all our energy to enable TÜBİTAK to reach out to numerous scientists, researchers, industrialists, entrepreneurs, students and relevant all individuals as well as institutions and allowing the institution to make effective and efficient contributions which will assist our country in reaching its targets.”

TÜBİTAK’s Former President Prof. A. Arif Ergin: “The Project Volume of TÜBİTAK Institutes is 8.3 Billion Turkish Liras”

Former President of TÜBİTAK Prof. A. Arif Ergin stated that ever since his assignment, Turkey has been going through a rough and quite different period with developments, primarily events such as the July 15th. Prof. Ergin stated that TÜBİTAK had 4 thousand 900 staff when he was assigned and now he is handing over an institution with 5 thousand and 26 employees and continued, “Following the July 15th Coup Attempt, and even before this incident we changed nearly 23 percent of the institution. One of the focal points of FETÖ was TÜBİTAK and as we completed these changes we paid utmost attention to keep our activities running at the same pace.” Pointing out the importance of the utilization of unique and national ammunition in the operations in Southeast Anatolia, Prof. Ergin, added, “In the period prior to the July 15th Coup Attempt, we were having difficulties in acquiring ammunition developed by TÜBİTAK Defence Industry Research and Development Institute (SAGE) in the inventory and its industrialization processes. As of today, over 2 thousand ammunition such as the precision guided kit, wing guided kit and penetrating bomb have been delivered to the Turkish Armed Forces through the information we accessed from available resources. Therefore the change has fulfilled its task of guidance that clears the way for TÜBİTAK and Turkey, while working also for the country’s independence.” Prof. Ergin stated that they distributed nearly 1.5-2 billion Turkish Liras allocated for science, technology and R&D institutions, on behalf of the government in order to reinforce Turkey’s R&D infrastructure and noted that the project volume of TÜBİTAK institutes reached 8.3 billion TL from 4.6 billion TL when he was assigned.