# Turkey R&D budget and technological investment growth > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/turkey-rd-budget-and-technological-investment-growth > Updated: 2026-09-04T07:10:10.000Z. Sources: 20. Developments: 5. Turkey has seen a substantial increase in its central government research and development (R&D) budget, rising from 13.2 billion lira in 2017 to a projected 308.5 billion TL in 2026. Funding has grown dramatically in strategic sectors: space exploration budgets increased 107-fold to over 3.2 billion lira, agricultural R&D grew 53-fold to 14.5 billion lira, and industrial technology funding reached 27.6 billion lira. University-funded general knowledge development remains the largest segment, projected to account for 69.5% of the 2026 budget. In the pharmaceutical sector, market size expanded from 56 billion TL in 2020 to 479 billion TL recently, with a focus on high-tech R&D to reduce foreign dependency. Additionally, public investment in the information and communication sector reached 3.3 billion lira in the first half of 2026, a 314% increase over the previous year, with R&D in this field rising to 2.1 billion lira. Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün, President of the Presidency of Defence Industries, noted that R&D spending has increased 16.5 times since 2002, reaching approximately $20 billion. He highlighted that Turkey now ranks second among OECD member and observer countries regarding the highest increase in R&D spending based on purchasing power parity between 2002 and 2023. This progress is supported by indirect R&D tax incentives, which rose to 169 billion TL in 2025. While SMEs represent 89.5% of participating companies, large-scale enterprises captured 61.8% of the total incentive value. ## Claims - Total indirect R&D tax incentives in Turkey reached 169 billion 33 million TL in 2025. (corroborated by 3 sources) - Indirect R&D tax incentives increased by 59.5 percent compared to 2024. (corroborated by 3 sources) - A total of 11,835 enterprises benefited from R&D tax incentives in 2025. (corroborated by 3 sources) - Income tax withholding support accounted for 86 billion 105 million TL of the total incentives. (corroborated by 3 sources) - The information and communication sector filed the highest number of R&D incentive declarations. (corroborated by 3 sources) - R&D incentives under Law No. 4691 totaled 43 billion 227 million TL. (corroborated by 3 sources) - SMEs made up 89.5 percent of the enterprises benefiting from R&D incentives. (corroborated by 2 sources) - Large-scale enterprises received 61.8 percent of the total indirect R&D incentives. (corroborated by 2 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-09-04: Turkey R&D tax incentives reach 169 billion TL in 2025 Turkey's indirect R&D tax incentives grew 59.5% to 169 billion TL in 2025. While SMEs comprise nearly 90% of beneficiaries, large enterprises received over 61% of the total incentive value. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-rd-tax-incentives-reach-169-billion-tl-in-2025 ### 2026-08-15: Turkey increases public ICT investment to 3.3 billion lira Turkey's public investment in the information and communication sector rose 314% to 3.3 billion lira in the first half of the year, driven largely by research, development, and digital infrastructure. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-increases-public-ict-investment-to-33-billion-lira ### 2026-08-14: Turkey's R&D spending reaches $20 billion, says Defence Industry President Turkey's R&D spending has reached approximately $20 billion, a 16.5-fold increase since 2002, according to Defence Industry President Haluk Görgün during the Vecihi Hürkuş Technology Awards. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkeys-rd-spending-reaches-20-billion-says-defence-industry-president ### 2026-08-10: Turkey increases R&D budget and sees pharmaceutical market growth Turkey is increasing its R&D budget to 308.5 billion TL for 2026, while its pharmaceutical market has grown to 479 billion TL, driven by increased technological investment and innovation. 7 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-increases-rd-budget-and-sees-pharmaceutical-market-growth ### 2026-08-08: Turkey R&D budget increases significantly with 107-fold rise in space funding Turkey's R&D budget has seen massive growth, with space exploration funding increasing 107-fold and total R&D expenditures rising 23-fold since 2017. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/turkey-rd-budget-increases-significantly-with-107-fold-rise-in-space-funding --- Cite as: Turkey R&D budget and technological investment growth. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/turkey-rd-budget-and-technological-investment-growth