Türkiye Targets EU Research Spending Levels Within Eight Years, Minister Says

Turkish Industry and Trade Minister Ali Coskun told attendees at the opening of the 2006 Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET) conference in Istanbul that Türkiye expects to match European Union research and development funding benchmarks within five to eight years.

Under the EU's Lisbon strategy, member states committed to directing 3 percent of gross national product toward research and development by 2010. Türkiye allocated just 0.64 percent of GNP to that purpose in 2002 but has since surpassed the 1 percent mark.

Coskun argued that technology will be the defining factor in national prosperity and security this century, and that countries commanding advanced technology will hold a dominant position as natural resources grow scarcer and global competition intensifies.

The minister also noted that since 2003, Türkiye has established 22 universities along with dedicated technology development zones. Companies operating in those zones generated $40 million in high-technology exports in the previous year, a first for the country.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in July 2006, in its own words.