“Defence and Aerospace: One of METU’s Priorities in Interdiciplinary Research”
Middle East Technical University (METU / ODTU) is the first and one of the biggest campus universities in Turkey with 26.268 students, 7.816 of which are in post-graduate studies in 2012. It is an international research-intensive university with more than 1.800 international students coming from 68 different countries. In 2012, 3.686 diplomas were granted by METU, 224 of which were for PhD degree. 2500 academic staff are currently working in 40 undergraduate programs within 5 faculties. Within the scope of its national and international mission, in recent years, Middle East Technical University has realized significant breakthroughs in education, research and service to the society. In March 2012, according to Times Higher Education (THE) "World Reputation Rankings 2012", METU has been ranked among the top 100 universities of the world by reputation. Ranked 203rd among the Top 400 World Universities 2012-13 list of THE, Middle East Technical University is listed among the first 150 universities of the world in terms of teaching – learning environment.
According to 2011 – 2016 strategic plan of METU, one of the primary areas in interdisciplinary research within the university is "Defence and Aerospace" since defence industry and technologies have been and will continue to be the driving force of our nation’s development. Middle East Technical University embodies currently three research centers focused on defence technologies: MODSIMMER (Modeling and Simulation Technology Center) in collaboration with Turkish Armed Forces, MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems Facilities) and BİLTİR (Interdisciplinary Research & Application Center). Vital for development are recruitment of qualified human resource, specialization of research hence of university – industry collaboration, support systems for innovation and entrepreneurship as well as the contribution of know-how accumulated in defence industry into national technological development.
Of all the different national industries, defence industry is the most advanced sector in terms of research and development and university-industry collaboration. The reason is the existence of an ecosystem of defence industry with the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) leading and regulating the system to act as an interface among contractors and suppliers; the prominent universities that are experienced in education, research and industrial relations; the technology parks that nest and feed technology companies some of which are among the top 100 in defence industry worldwide.
Since 2004, national defence industry has progressed from manufacturing to include design of critical systems. Consequently, the goal is to come up with unique designs of systems, to do research and manufacture new components and materials. Such a goal can only be achieved by the industry through collaboration and joint projects with universities and research institutes.
The research and development activities specialized for defence industry have played an important role in the technological development of the nation. The developments in the military sectors exceed those in the civilian and bring about developments in other sectors. Owing both to its ecosystem and the companies that it accommodates, ODTU Teknokent takes the lead in nesting technological developments in Turkish defence industry. Technology companies operating in ICT, consumer electronics, materials and mechanical design fields have also established offices in ODTU Teknokent. Consequently, the know-how accumulated from the research programs in defense sector led to developments in vehicle technologies and energy sector. Currently, ODTU Teknokent is the at the heart of technology development in the region and taking it as a successful example, it is among the University’s strategic goals to establish new technology parks and enable the franchised use of ODTU Teknokent model.
