ODTU - TEKNOKENT

The establishment of ODTÜ TEKNOKENT started at the end of 1980s. With the support of the World Bank, feasibility studies were initiated and examples from around the world, especially form the US and the UK were studied to mold public opinion related with the concept. As a result of these studies, with the goal of founding incubation centers for technology development, ODTÜ TEKMER was established in collaboration with KOSGEB. The successful outcomes from ODTÜ KOSGEB Tekmer, reinforced the foundation of a science park (technopark) in ODTÜ. In 2000, the first building of ODTÜ TEKNOKENT was put in service and in 2001, Technology Development Zones Law No.4691 that defines the legal framework for technoparks in Turkey was enacted. The infrastructure and know-how presented by ODTÜ coupled with the tax exemptions and incentives that are provided to the enterprises by this law turned ODTÜ TEKNOKENT into a center of attraction.

Being the first and the most innovative technopark of Turkey, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT’s goal is to provide contemporary infrastructure and superstructure to the researchers and companies that develop and produce the technologies which will elevate the international competitiveness of the country. With its activities to facilitate university-industry collaboration, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT is the catalyst for synergy between the parties.

Occupying a prominent place in the world in respect of size especially among technoparks established within a university, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT looks ahead into new horizons and takes firm steps towards being an internationally renowned technology ecosystem where technologies developed in cooperation with universities and private sector are sold in global markets with high added value.

With its more than 430 tenant companies, 70% of which were initiated in its premises and employ more than 15.000 personnel, 90% of which have bachelor, master or PhD degrees, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT has undersigned exemplary success stories to serve as a model for other technoparks in Turkey.

Currently ODTÜ TEKNOKENT operates in a total of 170.000 square meters of closed area on 1.2 square kilometers of land in three separate locations: ODTÜ Campus, ODTÜ MET Facilities located on Eskişehir Main Road and ODTÜ TEKNOKENT OSTİM Center located in OSTİM Organized Industrial Zone.

The companies that are operating at ODTÜ TEKNOKENT are involved in R&D activities in software and information technologies (50%), electronics (20%), mechanics and design (15%), medical technologies (6%), energy and environment (6%) and advanced materials, agriculture, food, aviation and space, automotive that account for the remaining 3% altogether.

The following are some examples of the technologies developed by ODTÜ TEKNOKENT companies:

Start – ups:

• Indigenous game for play station

• Game technologies sold over 10 million copies

• The first and unique social content platform of Turkey

• New fiber laser technology

• Indigenous rehabilitation robot

Projects developed by companies run by academicians /spin-offs:

• Indigenous chip exported

• Indigenous DNA chip with trademark Made in Turkey

• Indigenous unmanned underwater vehicle

• Cochlear implant with self-energy production

Projects realized by anchor companies:

• Home-made combat aircrafts

• Smart TVs

• Software for Sikorsky helicopters and German submarines

• Electronic systems and software programs for Airbus and Boeing aircrafts

• Indigenous helicopter project

• National satellite project

• Indigenous unmanned air vehicle

• E-state projects (Central Civil Registration System - MERNİS)

ODTÜ TEKNOKENT companies have so far contributed, through income they have generated in R&D projects, to the Turkish economy with an amount of more than 90 billion TL, with export income of more than 3 billion USD and domestic income of 30 billion Turkish Liras. These figures only include the income companies generated through R&D projects that they have realized within the boundaries of ODTÜ TEKNOKENT; in other words, income generated from mass production and exports are not included in the figures. Besides, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT companies have also managed to have registered various products (as patent, petty patent, trademark etc.) in more than 730 cases on the basis of R&D projects which they have so far conducted.

Within the programs and projects ODTÜ TEKNOKENT have implemented to enhance the collaboration between university and industry, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT companies have managed, in projects that have been realized in cooperation with universities and industry since 2002, to realize more than 2.000 joint R&D projects, signed with more than 1.000 academicians. Furthermore, the companies operating in the zone have realized joint projects with more than 40 different departments from the university, especially with the departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering and Computer Engineering being in the first place.

ODTÜ TEKNOKENT implements a great variety of programs for the technology companies and entrepreneurs based in the zone, some examples of which are (i) ‘’New Ideas New Businesses Program’’ and the pre-incubation centre of ATOM, Animation Technologies and Game Development Centre, both programs implemented to support technology-based entrepreneurship, (ii) Growth Circuit Investor & Accelerator and INVEST101 developed as financial tools, (iii) ODTÜ TTO, Technology Transfer Office, established to promote the commercialization of academic knowledge, (iv) the clusters of TSSK, the Cluster of Defence Industry, T.ICT, the Cluster of ICT, T.HEALTH, the Cluster of Advanced Healthcare Technologies and the Cluster of Gaming and Animation Technologies and overseas offices established to help companies find new partners in global markets.

Among these, mention should especially be made of ‘’ODTÜ-TTO, Technology Transfer Office’’, a unit established by ODTÜ in ODTÜ TEKNOKENT both to enhance the university-industry collaboration and to promote technology-based entrepreneurship. In this respect, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT manages the whole process in the name of academicians, both financially and administratively, from the stage of patent registration to turn the produced academic know-how into commercial value up to the establishment of a company. ODTÜ-TTO helps academicians to get their scientific work patented and promotes them, in the subsequent period aiming to establish new spin-off companies. As of end of 2023, national and international patent applications submitted through ODTÜ-TTO already number more than 720, of which over 400 have been registered as patent.

ATOM, Animation Technologies and Game Development Centre, is a pre-incubation centre, the first-ever of its kind in Turkey, established by ODTÜ TEKNOKENT to promote entrepreneurship among university students and where students can develop their software ideas and projects with the possibility to establish their own companies. Within the scope of ATOM, over 50 of the 200 teams supported have been incorporated to companies. The center did serve more than 2.000 developers and young entrepreneurs, and until today, they have developed more than 1.000 games of different scales and reached more than 50 million game fans. The games developed in ATOM have generated an export income of over 15M USD to date.

Another program is the "New Ideas New Businesses (YFYI)" acceleration program, which was initiated as the first entrepreneurship program of our country in cooperation with ODTÜ and ODTÜ TEKNOKENT, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023, continues to support the entrepreneurs of our country. The number of companies that have been established with the direct support provided by the program is over 100. When, however, indirect support is considered, this number exceeds 250 with over 1000 people employed.

With the help of incubation programs that contribute to the establishment of more than 100 technology startups each year and support more than 150 new technology startups at any time, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT is increasingly approaching its vision of becoming a successful innovation ecosystem.

Besides all these programs, three different clusters in the fields of defence industry, ICT, advanced healthcare technologies and gaming have been established with the aim to enhance the cooperation of over 430 leading companies in their respective field in Turkey. In the clusters of ‘’TSSK, Teknokent Defence Industry Cluster’’, ‘’T.ICT, Teknokent ICT Cluster’’ T.HEALTH, Teknokent Advanced Healthcare Technologies Cluster’’ and “Teknokent Gaming and Animation Technologies Cluster”, all founded with the contribution of the related companies, important projects are carried out aiming to promote both the inter-company cooperation and that of companies with ODTÜ. Over 110 companies are clustered in the defence cluster, more than 160 in that of ICT, over 50 in the one of advanced healthcare technologies and around 40 in the gaming.

Launched in 2015, the Growth Circuit San Francisco Business Acceleration Center was established by ODTÜ and ODTÜ TEKNOKENT to develop technology exports across the country, create globally successful companies and accelerate investment as well as business development processes of these companies.

Growth Circuit, which operates as an investment, acceleration and co-working company, started to provide investment and acceleration support to early-stage technology start-ups with a fund size of 2 million USD as of 2018, and by the end of 2022, the number of invested start-ups increased to 14. 2023 - 2028 period will be an exit period, no new investments will be realised by the Growth Circuit. Turkey's first co-working space "CoZone" run by the Growth Circuit will continue its activities with more than 800 members.

After experimenting and successfully achieving the Growth Circuit investment case, INVEST 101 Venture Capital Investment Fund was established in 2022 in strategic collaboration with Türkiye Development Fund. As of end of 2022, the fund made its first closing with $6 million and reached a new fund size of $12.5 million with 100+ investors by the end of 2023. INVEST 101 invested in 5 technology companies in 2023: DefensX, Syntonym, ClayToken, Veloxia and Gesund AI.

In 2023, together with OYAK Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş., the application for "Carbon06", a Venture Capital Investment Fund focused on decarbonization and impact investing, was completed and approved by the authorities by the end of the 2023.

Owing to the aforementioned services and its activities, ODTÜ TEKNOKENT is among the most successful technoparks according to the Technology Development Zones Performance Index study of Ministry of Industry and Technology of Turkey.