Turkey increases R&D budget and sees pharmaceutical market growth

Turkey's central government budget for research and development (R&D) reached 253.5 billion TL in 2025, representing 1.58% of the central government budget and 0.40% of the country's GDP. For 2026, the allocation for R&D is set to increase to 308.5 billion TL. The largest portion of funding is directed toward universities for general knowledge development, which accounted for 64.9% of R&D spending in 2025 and is projected to rise to 69.5% in 2026.

In the pharmaceutical sector, Turkey has seen significant growth, with the market size expanding from 56 billion TL in 2020 to 479 billion TL last year. While global top-50 pharmaceutical companies hold a 49% share of the Turkish market, local and other international firms maintain strong positions. The sector is increasingly focused on high-tech usage and R&D to reduce foreign dependency and increase innovative drug production capacity, aligned with the 12th Development Plan.