Turkey expands defense industry internship program for engineers abroad

The Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB) hosted the ‘Türkiye Stajları Vizyon Söyleşileri’ event to highlight the ‘Türkiye Stajları Programı’. This initiative connects qualified young engineers studying abroad with Turkey’s leading defense companies, including TUSAŞ, ASELSAN, HAVELSAN, ROKETSAN, and STM. For the 2026 cycle, the program has accepted 109 interns from 11 different countries to gain experience in fields such as engineering, software, and space sciences.

During the event, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır highlighted Turkey’s significant growth in research and development. He noted that R&D spending has risen from $1.2 billion to over $20 billion annually, while the R&D workforce has expanded from 29,000 to over 310,000 people. Additionally, defense industry exports have grown from $240 million to over $11 billion per year.

Kacır emphasized the importance of self-sufficiency in a changing global landscape where technology sharing and free trade rules are shifting. He stated that the goal is to develop critical technologies domestically to ensure national strength and contribute to global justice through beneficial technological advancements.