Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, TOBB Board Member Mehmet Büyüksimitci said that, as TOBB, their desire is to establish an ecosystem in Turkey that not only monitors initiatives abroad, but also hosts initiatives opened to the world. Büyüksimitci also expressed his thanks to TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, who has taken on very important roles in the field of R&D and supports the private sector. Stating that they work together with TÜBITAK on many platforms, TOBB Board Member Mehmet Büyüksimitci said, “With the support of TÜBITAK, we are carrying out the BIGG - Individual Young Entrepreneur Program as TOBB ETU TTO. We are advancing together in the Horizon2020, Horizon Europe and Green Deal Calls. Especially in 2019, we have achieved a very good area of cooperation within the framework of Horizon2020. This cooperation continued in 2020.”

TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal said that Turkey's achievements in the Horizon2020 Program in the last 2 years are clearly visible. Mandal noted that this transformation has accelerated the return from European Union (EU) programs. Since the early 2000s, a significant resource has been allocated to R&D in Turkey. From 2018, we have been focused on transforming our existing resources, potential, competence into output and impact.”

Bülent Özcan, General Manager of Financial Co-operation and Project Implementation at the EU Presidency, expressed his thanks to TÜBİTAK and TOBB for their contribution in organizing the meeting. Özcan also stated that they care about meeting with the private sector and non-governmental organizations, and that they have held many meetings on a better understanding of EU programs.

After the opening speeches, Ezgi Bener, National Coordinator of TÜBİTAK Horizon Europe, gave a presentation on the Horizon European Program. Afterwards, comprehensive presentations on EIC and EIE programs were presented by TÜBİTAK Ufuk Europe EIC National Liaison Point Tarık Şahin and Merve Diyar. At the end of the presentations, the participants’ questions were answered.