In the opening speech by the Minister of National Defence Vecdi Gönül at the ceremony, the Minister indicated that of the 37 technology development zones known in Turkey, 23 were active and that around 1,200 companies were conducting business, where the number of employees had surpassed 12,000 and where exports of approximately 600 million USD had taken place. Gönül went on to say that, “Our government gives great importance to R&D. Technopark Istanbul in meeting the requirements of our country’s advanced technology through the Advanced Technology and Industrial Park (ITEP) project is an important component of this. The first step in establishing Technopark Istanbul within the coverage of Law 4691 on Technology Development Zones took place on 12 February 2009 with the signing of the letter of intent between the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries, Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and the Istanbul Commerce University. Technopark Istanbul will benefit from all opportunities including tax exemptions like other benefits provided to technoparks.”



Gönül, stressing that Istanbul Technopark has been planned to become the most prominent research, development and technology center, the products produced at the Technopark will be offered to domestic and international markets as commercial goods and that it will become a modern international technopark and trade centre that will draw foreign investments to our country and further stated that, “Technopark Istanbul has important land and sea transport access links. In particular, the Technopark will be active in advanced technologies such as defence, space and aviation, biotechnology, nano technology and maritime technologies and will give priority to quality research infrastructure and services to R&D companies and institutes, domestic and international commercial and academic establishments. It will operate as a technopark that possesses significant expertise and resource support. For technoparks that are attached to our universities, defence industry products occupy and important place. In this situation the principle of giving an important part of tenders to outside companies in which a minimum of 20 percent goes to small and medium-scale companies becomes the most basic incentive effort.”



The Undersecretary of Defence Industries Murad Bayar noted that, “Our goal is make the best technopark in Turkey and one of the few in Europe. As of 2011 we will accept companies to the Technopark. Without even an official announcement, 80 companies have already applied.” Bayar said, “This project consisting of the airport itself and an aeronautics maintenance and repair centre, together with the Technopark and a commercial social zone is a project that was contemplated 20-25 years ago.” Bayar added that their aim is an integrated technology centre that includes aviation and space material technologies, informatics and maritime technologies. Undersecretary Bayar also noted that,” We are waiting for international investors for the land next to this center’s site to establish a R&D center that will belong to these investors. This technopark will be supported by the Undersecretariat. ITO will contribute to having this centre open to private sector companies. At the beginning a seed investment that will not be very large will be undertaken for this project but companies that provide services at the technopark will also carry out their own investments. In other words, they can benefit from the common area or, if they want to, they can establish their own areas at the centre through their investments.”



ITO President Murat Yalçintas stated that, “Over one thousand companies will be active at Technopark Istanbul. Over 30,000 qualified personnel will be employed and the local value added that will be obtained will be approximately 10 billion USD.” Yalçintas continued by saying, “The project’s priority in the defence industry will further accelerate Turkey in the science and technology fields. The company that will operate the centre will have a one million TL founding capital and five partners. The Undersecretariat for Defence Industries will have 45 percent of the shares, ITO 40 percent, HEAS 13 percent, Istanbul Commerce University one percent and the Defence Technologies Engineering and Commerce Corporation one percent. The difference with this technopark is that it will be founded on an ideal foundation of public and private sectors and universities. As ITO we have allocated 50 million TL for this project. We are brining into being an incubation centre of 5,000 m2. We are going to create a research centre and create a seed and venture capital fund for entrepreneurial candidates that are small and medium scale enterprises.”



Technopark Istanbul was founded within the Advanced Technology and Industrial Park (ITEP) Project executed by the Undersecretariat for Defence Industry based on the decision taken by the Defence Industry Executive Committee within the coverage of Law 4691 on Technology Development Zones. The initial step was taken on 12 February 2009 with the signing of the letter of intent between the Undersecretariat for Defence Industry, the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and the Istanbul Commerce University. Among the objectives of the ITEP Project is the formation of the necessary infrastructure in order to meet the advanced technology requirements of our country through domestic resources and provide a regular source of revenue for the Defence Industry Support Fund in which the project has industrial support, R&D, science and technology and training and education dimensions.



Technopark Istanbul is being built in the rapidly expanding Anatolian Side of Istanbul in the Kurtköy region next to Sabiha Gökçen International Airport on approximately 250 hectares of land. Inside this area is about 140 hectares of forests that has been allocated to the SSM for 49 years. The technopark has transportation advantages that only a few technoparks possess in the world and above all it is easily accessible domestically and from overseas by virtue of the international airport. Located between two busy motorways, the TEM and the D-100 State Motorway, Technopark Istanbul has an important advantage in terms of land route. It is located six kilometres away from Pendik Port which has Ro-Ro facilities and near the Pendik Sea Bus Terminal and Tuzla Shipyards.



Having the Undersecretariat for Defence Industry and the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce among the partners of the management company provides Technopark Istanbul with a different vision from other university technoparks. The financial backing, support and means of co-operation as well as professional management services is the most significant feature that distinguishes Technopark Istanbul from other technoparks. Starting with the vision of being an international technopark, Technopark Istanbul will provide the answers to the technological, social and cultural requirements of companies and organisations take will take place within its structure; provide the means of co-operation between specialized academic and commercial establishments; the opportunity to enable quality R&D infrastructure that will ensure the creation of a center of excellence and technopark services that are of world quality.



Technopark Istanbul by enabling the conversion of academic and scientific work that has commercial value into technological products with defence, space and aviation leading the way with target sectors of advanced materials, nano technology and maritime technologies will encourage the formation of new companies as well as the expansion of existing firms. The development of a national innovation system, contributing to the process of a transition to a knowledge society and winning back qualified individuals that went overseas through the brain drain are among the objectives of Technopark Istanbul.



Technopark Istanbul will begin accepting its first participants in 2011 and among its priority forward looking targets is having over 900 companies in excess of 18,000 R&D specialists and qualified personnel in an approximately 720,000 m2 closed area as a result of a development process that took 25 years in the making. In this process the target is to create a minimum 10 percent production equivalent to a value of 10 billion USD in the advanced technology area through local participation.



The firms that will take place in Technopark Istanbul will have tax exemptions and benefits based on Law 4691 on Technology Development Zones. In addition, incentives and attractive opportunities will be provided to companies that have off-set obligations; the opportunity for establishments to participate in projects implemented by the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries and, will also provide companies the means of accessing the business community in Istanbul through the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce. With the opportunities available through a quality joint research infrastructure, the fully equipped incubation centres, venture capital funds and complementary structures such as the European Union Information Centre, it will provide significant opportunities to all entrepreneurs that target the transition from ideas to projects.