Turkey R&D budget increases significantly with 107-fold rise in space funding

Data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) shows a significant increase in Turkey's central government R&D budget. Total R&D expenditures rose from 13.2 billion lira in 2017 to approximately 308.5 billion lira over a ten-year period, representing a 23-fold increase.

The most dramatic growth occurred in space exploration and usage. Driven by the National Space Program and projects like the Türksat 6A satellite, the space R&D budget grew 107-fold from 30.5 million lira in 2017 to over 3.2 billion lira this year.

Other strategic sectors also saw substantial funding increases. Agricultural R&D grew 53-fold, reaching 14.5 billion lira, while industrial production and technology funding rose from 1 billion lira to 27.6 billion lira. University-funded general knowledge development remains the largest segment, accounting for roughly 70% of the total R&D budget.