Sabancı top university in entrepreneurship

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Sabancı University has opened its Nano Technology Reasearch Center this year. An index puts the Sabancı at the top of its entrepreneurship and innovation list.

Sabancı University tops Turkish universities in terms of entrepreneurship and innovation, according to a newly launched index that Industry Minister Nihat Ergün has announced. Sabancı is followed by Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), İhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, Özyeğin University and Istanbul Technical University.

The Intercollegiate Entrepreneurship and Innovation Index lists the top 50 universities among the 126 eligible universities. There are a total of 168 universities in Turkey. Those employing less than 50 academics are included in the index.

Five aspects of ranking

The index rates the universities in terms of five aspects: scientific and technological research capability, intellectual property rights portfolio, cooperation and interactivity, entrepreneurship and innovation culture, and contribution to the economy and commercialization.

Other universities in the top 10 are Boğaziçi University, İzmir Institute of Technology, Koç University, Gebze Institute of Technology and TOBB Economy and Technology University.

“This index should not be considered a list of the best universities in the country,” Ergün said. “What we wanted to do is confined to entrepreneurship and innovation and to encourage universities to compete in these fields.”

From now on universities should play the leading role in the industrialization of Turkey, he said, noting that the index should be considered a sign of this new period. The index will be announced every year from university entrance process, he also said.