Teknokent Defence Industry Cluster: Bridge between University, Industry and New Markets
Founded in 2010, Teknokent Defence Industry Cluster, TSSK, represents the high technology cluster of defence, aerospace and security industries operating in Ankara, Turkey. At present, it consists of 70 member companies operating in ODTU Teknokent, but intends to embrace all defence industry companies of the region, that are developing high-tech innovations in the sector. TSSK has close relations with the Undersecretariat for Defence industries (SSM), and is a member of Defence Industry Manufacturers Association (SASAD) as well as the Turkish Defence Alliance.
Turkey is ranked as the 15th among the global top military spenders and the 6th in Europe, accounting for 1.1% of global military spending for 2011. The defence budget for the 2012 fiscal year indicates a 7.4% increase over 2011 defence spending, comprising 1.3% of the GDP of the country for 2012. Thus, defence industry is considered to be the driving force of the technology base of the country and is expected to become the key driver of Turkish economy in a couple of years. Turkish defence industry has been experiencing a rapid growth in recent years, owing to the government’s strategic decision to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign procurement, to increase the production of indigenous solutions, products and systems for use by the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF), as well as to attain technological competence in the market. As of today, more than 50% of the TAF’s needs are satisfied through domestic supplies. The expectations are that this growth can only be sustained through high technology development via investment of funds along with human factor for research and development activities. To this end, Turkish Armed Forces, the SSM and Ministry of National Defence have allocated considerable financial resources, around 50 million USD on annual basis, for high technology R&D activities to improve the country’s technological infrastructure. Consequently, the SSM issued a Defence R&D Road Map for the optimization of allocated resources, determined and prioritized R&D projects in line with the needs and objectives of the main system projects that will involve collaboration of industries, universities and research organizations.
TSSK located at ODTU Teknokent at the heart of the capital of Turkey and surrounded by the region’s most renowned university as well as various research centers many of which focus on defence technologies, hosts many companies that perform intensive R&D activities for defence industry. The majority of these companies are privately owned, high-tech SMEs operating in the development of solutions for manned and unmanned vehicles; energetic materials, advanced materials, CBRN technologies, protective vehicle and material technologies; human-machine interface; cryptography, coding and encryption, electronic intelligence systems; modeling and simulation, simulation systems; communication, electronic and information systems; sensors and electronic systems, datalink technologies as well as the various related engineering services such as testing, calibration, modeling and maintenance. The top-tier contractors of the Turkish defence industry, ASELSAN, HAVELSAN and TAI, also have their R&D departments located at Teknokent and they are the members of the cluster, TSSK, as well. Owing to the abundance of technology developing, high quality companies collaborating with the top-tier contractors and among themselves, ODTU Teknokent is a center of attraction and TSSK is a house for national and international defence companies.
TSSK is commissioned to contribute to the development of the cluster members by furthering the cooperation within and outside the cluster, promoting its members’ competencies and know-how in the international market, facilitating university-industry collaboration as well as through intensive communication and information sharing with national policy makers. The driving force of the cluster is the R&D projects stimulated by the synergy between university, industry and research. The cluster members employ around 1000 R&D personnel and currently, there are approximately 150 active R&D projects being conducted for defence industry by the members of TSSK.
Currently, the cluster is financed by the Turkish Ministry of Economy for a $3.6 million project, which aims at internationalization and improving the export capabilities of the cluster with its members by creating sustainable, competitive advantage for the firms in defense sector. Within the scope of this project, TSSK members are trained and certified on technical necessities, managerial and marketing issues; the cluster attends international trade shows and fairs, visits other high-technology defence cluster(s), organizes trade missions to countries of interest and hosts foreign trade missions made to the cluster in search for opportunities of cooperation.
International markets and competition have become more and more important for the companies. Majority of TSSK companies are currently exporting technology to various countries in the world and envision expanding these export activities even more. Assisting member companies in their export activities and networking are amongst TSSK’s top priorities. With all the support and incentives by the government and from abroad, ODTU Teknokent and TSSK offer unique opportunities to companies strengthen and to improve their positions in domestic and international markets, especially the Middle East and Middle Asia countries.
