Turkey's R&D spending reaches $20 billion, says Defence Industry President

At the 9th Vecihi Hürkuş Technology Awards held at Teknopark İstanbul, the Presidency of Defence Industries President, Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, announced significant growth in Turkey's research and development capabilities.

Görgün stated that R&D spending in Turkey has increased 16.5 times since 2002, rising from $1.2 billion to approximately $20 billion. This growth has raised the share of R&D spending within the national income from 0.5% to 1.46%. According to Görgün, Turkey now ranks second among OECD member and observer countries in terms of the highest increase in R&D spending based on purchasing power parity between 2002 and 2023.

The President also highlighted advancements in intellectual property, noting that international patent applications have increased significantly, moving Turkey up 20 places in global rankings. He emphasized that the country has transitioned from merely using technology to designing, developing, and exporting it, citing engineering projects such as Hürkuş, Hürjet, and Kaan as evidence of this institutionalized progress.