Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Reminding that a project to change the structure of the university and private sector cooperation, one which will provide financial support to universities is being develop by TÜBİTAK, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that TÜBİTAK is once again competing its mission in an admirable fashion. The TOBB President said , “The structure which incentivizes inventions in the USA is the R&D system. Without it, there would be no technical developments in the USA.”

TOBB Turkey Higher Education Council meeting on February 7^th, 2014, was host to TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu and TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Yücel Altunbaşak.

During the meeting Sector Council President Bekir Okan emphasized the importance give to universities in regards to R&D, however, he went on to report that only 20-25% of projects put forth by academicians are accepted and that only a share 11% is set aside for these projects within universities. Okan stated that costs pertaining to projects for universities reach 30%.

TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Yücel Altunbaşak stated that the project TÜBİTAK has been quietly working on for a long time will change the very foundations of university dynamics and that this will prove to be a revolutionary for the development of universities.

Stating that conducting R&D is dependent on finance, Altunbaşak reported that TÜBİTAK is developing an instrument to address this issue; that it will only be possible to achieve the 2023 goals after overcoming the ‘middle-income traps’.

Altunbaşak went on to detail the situation regarding R&D, financing it and the institutional structure pertaining to it in Turkey.

During the second part of the meeting the problems and suggestions which are to be mentioned during the Turkey Sector Economy Summit were discussed.