TÜBİTAK Focuses on Groundbreaking Technologies

TÜBİTAK Focuses on Breakthrough Technologies Pointing out that climate change threatens all countries' energy, water and food security, Mandal stated that this problem disrupts supply chains and leads to lower trade volumes. Mandal recalled that through the Paris Agreement, to which Turkey is a party, countries are conducting efforts to combat climate change and its impacts. Noting that Turkey, given its geographical position, will be affected 20 per cent more by climate change than other regions in the world, Mandal continued: "In such a period, it is important for our country to increase the resilience of its domestic and external supply chains, achieve self-sufficiency and take advantage of repositioning opportunities in regional and global supply chains. With this awareness and to bring our country to a stronger position through this transformation, our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan set out our 2053 net zero emissions target in September 2021. The vast majority of issues awaiting solutions to combat and adapt to climate change can be resolved through research and investments in future technologies rather than today's technologies. There is a need to develop breakthrough technologies in many areas including green hydrogen and ammonia, carbon capture, utilisation and storage, next-generation nuclear reactors, advanced energy storage, synthetic biology, digital agriculture, low-carbon steel, aluminium, cement and green chemistry." he said.

27 Critical Technology Areas Analysed

Emphasising that countries are seeking ways to come together through international channels to develop solutions, Mandal stated that under the presidency of President Erdoğan, as the Council on Science, Technology and Innovation Policies, they organised the "Target 2053 Net Zero Emissions R&D and Innovation Initiative" meeting with relevant institutions to address steps to be taken by Turkey in the fields of science, technology and innovation towards its 2053 net zero emissions target. Mandal said, "In line with our 2053 net zero emissions target, by developing breakthrough technologies domestically that will meet our country's needs for green development, we will mitigate global risks, seize opportunities and enable our country to take a leading role in technologies serving the green transition." Mandal stated that within the scope of the "R&D and Innovation Initiative Project", common vision will be established with national institutions and organisations and coordination will be ensured for implementing initiatives towards future technologies. Mandal continued: "First, by examining examples from other countries, we established the framework of a strategic approach that will accelerate our R&D and innovation initiative in line with our country's needs and in combating global challenges. Accordingly, rather than short-term solutions, we focused on identifying technological transformation areas and creating medium and long-term national technology policy proposals. We adopted a perspective that prioritises socioeconomic benefits and comprehensively addresses the process from idea to commercialisation. In order to contribute to the process of identifying priority technology areas for Turkey to focus on, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of 27 critical technology areas that stand out in terms of global trends and national needs, in two fundamental dimensions: impact and feasibility."

"TÜBİTAK Works with the Aim of a Self-Sufficient and Leading Turkey"

  Recalling that the importance of green development was emphasised in Turkey's Economic Model, Mandal said, "Our green development process directly concerns many different sectors and application areas such as energy, agriculture, ecosystem and biodiversity, clean production and circular economy, health and transport. In this context, within the scope of the 'R&D and Innovation Initiative' serving our 2053 net zero emissions target, we will develop science and technology-based solutions in coordination with all ecosystem stakeholders."   Mandal stated that TÜBİTAK works with the aim of a self-sufficient and leading Turkey within the scope of the initiative. Emphasising that they will continue to increase and sustain work based on science, technology and innovation and collaborative achievement, Mandal noted: "In 2022, TÜBİTAK continued to determine planning for the coming period and agile implementation in support of combating climate change and environmental problems and promoting green-digital dual transformation in priority R&D and innovation matters in line with our country's 2053 net zero emissions target. TÜBİTAK MAM and other TÜBİTAK research centres and institutes will continue to make significant contributions in the field of green technologies. With its strategic collaborative approach centred on qualified knowledge production and qualified human resources development, TÜBİTAK will continue to support the production of innovative solutions in order to create goal-oriented impact in the science, technology and innovation ecosystem while considering global risks and our national needs and priorities." Source