Universities to back firms, state to fund

İZMİR - Anatolia News Agency

Technology Minister Ergün says if the universities develop projects for resolving the problems of the companies, the ministry will finance 75 percent of the cost. DHA photo

Turkey’s universities and industry are to join forces in a new initiative financed by the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology.

Universities will develop projects for resolving problems experienced by industrial companies, Minister Nihat Ergün has said.

“Universities should research ways of resolving the demands and problems of these companies. If they do, we will finance 75 percent of the cost,” Ergün said during the Fourth University-Industry Cooperation Regional Meeting held in the western province of İzmir on March 9.

He said that the share of high technology in production would rise to 25 percent in the future, adding that Turkey needed to reach a level of intensive production of high technology. He stressed that university-industry cooperation was the key to carrying Turkey to a higher level in this respect.

“When we are sick, we go to the hospital. We should apply the same logic to the industrial sector.

Industrial companies that need innovation, better financial management, or better branding, will go to the university,” he said, adding that the ministry would finance 75 percent of the cost of the projects developed by the universities. Ergün also said that they had considerable funds earmarked for this, which would increase as the number of projects went up.

Turkey needs to take steps toward “the third generation universities” that can combine
entrepreneurship, teaching and research at the same time, he added.