A Book Has Become the National Technology Initiative in Türkiye
TÜBA has published two works titled "Millî Teknoloji Hamlesi: Toplumsal Yansımaları ve Türkiye'nin Geleceği" (National Technology Initiative: Social Reflections and Türkiye's Future) and its English edition "National Technology Initiative: Social Reflections and Türkiye's Future." The works extensively cover the multidimensional aspects of the National Technology Initiative in 37 chapters, presenting Türkiye’s technology-driven national development efforts from the perspective of scientists and reflecting their primary source opinions. The book conveys the strategic support given to R&D investments and scientific activities, which contribute to the positive development of Türkiye’s international competitiveness in technology. The work focuses on individual, institutional, and societal interactions, showcasing examples of the national technology leap, the academic perspectives of scientists, and the practices of institutions contributing to the National Technology Initiative.
In the introduction of the work, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan states that Türkiye has started to position itself as a country leading and paving the way in many fields through the National Technology Initiative, aiming to leverage every opportunity to globalize this significant technological development and actively participate in international competition in collaboration with the public and private sectors.
Türkiye is now a country that can produce two-thirds of its defense industry’s needs.
Tank, helicopter, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicle, and many other products have reached an encouraging stage where ready procurement projects have been canceled in favor of the development of national and indigenous models, as noted by President Erdogan. "Türkiye is now a country capable of producing two-thirds of its defense industry needs domestically. Moreover, we have laid the foundations of national and domestic production in many fields, including healthcare, education, energy, and transportation," President Erdogan stated. He emphasized the significance of the book titled "National Technology Initiative: Social Reflections and Türkiye's Future," prepared by the Turkish Academy of Sciences, which meticulously documents the scientific progress Türkiye has achieved in the field, production lines, air, sea, space, and the world of software.
President Erdogan highlighted that the work, prepared with the contributions of technology experts, researchers, scientists, decision-makers, and representatives from the public and private sectors, aims to incorporate Türkiye’s National Technology Initiative into the scientific literature. He expressed his belief that the work, which demonstrates the contributions of all stakeholders in Türkiye’s journey to becoming an influential actor and a technological hub in global politics, will serve as an important reference source.
The study titled "National Technology Initiative: Social Reflections and Türkiye's Future" aims to bring the cornerstones and experiences of Turkiye’s national technological breakthrough into the scientific literature using scientific methods.
In the presentation of the study, Minister of Industry and Technology, Mustafa Varank, emphasized their ongoing support for all scientific and technological developments in their efforts to enhance Türkiye’s technological competence through the pursuit of "new," "better," and "unexplored" advancements. He stated that the National Technology Initiative, initiated under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is the vision that ensures Türkiye’s economic and technological independence. It represents the conceptual definition of our efforts to design, develop, and produce critical technologies and products with national capabilities at the highest level. In line with this vision, our 2023 Industry and Technology Strategy serves as an important reference in achieving our goals during this period of building the Türkiye Century. Our multidimensional policies, built upon five components of high technology and innovation, digital transformation and industrial drive, entrepreneurship, human capital, and infrastructure, address all the necessary areas.
Varank emphasized that the study "National Technology Initiative: Social Reflections and Türkiye's Future," prepared by the TÜBA, aims to bring the cornerstones of Türkiye’s leap in the national technology and its experiences in this path into the literature through scientific methods. He expressed the importance of this work as a fundamental human input for our future policies on science, R&D, and innovation.