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Türkiye has dramatically expanded its research and development spending over recent years, increasing its allocation from 0.5% to 1.4% of gross domestic product, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir announced Wednesday at the opening of TEKNOFEST 2025 in Istanbul.
The surge represents a jump from $1.2 billion to $16 billion in annual R&D investment, placing Türkiye's spending levels alongside European nations like Italy and Spain, according to Kacir.
The announcement came as Türkiye's flagship technology festival opened its five-day run in Istanbul, organized by the Turkish Technology Team Foundation and the Industry and Technology Ministry, with Anadolu serving as the global communications partner.
Türkiye's technology sector transformation extends beyond financial investment. The country's R&D workforce has expanded dramatically from 29,000 to more than 290,000 personnel, while technology parks have proliferated from just two facilities to 113 nationwide.
The government has also prioritized intellectual property development, with registered IP rights surging from 93,000 to 2 million. Patent applications showed particularly steep growth, rising from 414 to over 10,000 applications.
"We allocated significant resources and made tremendous investments in intellectual property this period, increasing the total intellectual property pool from 93,000 to 2 million registered IP rights, while the number of patent applications increased from only 414 last year to over 10,000," Kacir said at the event.
The minister framed the technology push within Türkiye's broader strategic goals, linking technological advancement to economic sovereignty. "Economic independence is not possible without technological independence," he noted, describing Türkiye's National Technology Initiative as central to achieving the country's "Türkiye Century" objectives.
Despite the significant progress, Kacir acknowledged that Türkiye's R&D investment still trails behind global technology leaders, suggesting continued expansion lies ahead as the country pursues its technological ambitions.
TEKNOFEST has emerged as a key platform for showcasing Türkiye's growing technology capabilities, drawing participants and observers from across the region to demonstrate advances in aerospace, defense, and emerging technologies.
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