Turkey's First Chemical Technology Center Opens

İstanbul Kimyevi Maddeler ve Mamulleri İhracatçıları Birliği (İKMİB), in line with its Vision 2030 strategy, has taken another step to carry the Turkish chemical industry into the future. The Chemistry Technology Centre has opened its doors, featuring accredited laboratories that will conduct tests and analyses never previously performed in Turkey, an incubation centre that will serve as the hub for next-generation start-up projects, and facilities to host research and development work on high-value-added domestic and national products.

The Chemistry Technology Centre, brought to the sector by İKMİB with support from the Ministry of Commerce and contributions from the Ministry of Industry and Technology, began operations following approximately five years of comprehensive feasibility and construction work. Spanning 7,000 square meters of enclosed space with a 1,650 square-meter incubation centre, the Chemistry Technology Centre has been designed with a broad perspective spanning from testing and analysis to entrepreneurship, research and development and innovation projects to high-value-added product development. It will serve as a meeting point for a new ecosystem that carries chemistry into the future.

Minister Bolat: "Chemistry Technology Centre will accelerate our exports with time and cost advantages"

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Chemistry Technology Centre, Minister of Commerce Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat said, "I wish the Chemistry Technology Centre, whose construction was financially supported by our Ministry of Commerce, to be beneficial and auspicious for our country, exporters and chemical manufacturers. This is a qualified project completed in as short a timeframe as two years. Our exporters will benefit significantly from here. Because the chemical sector is such an important sector that it holds a share of 7 trillion dollars within the world's 106 trillion dollar production—a vast field. And over the past 20 years, our chemical sector has made major strides in exports and has managed to always rank among the top three sectors with the highest exports.

It has provided significant added value to the economy in terms of employment, production and foreign exchange earnings. The fact that 39 tests previously conducted abroad will now be performed for the first time in Turkey at the Chemistry Technology Centre is highly valuable. This centre will provide advantages in time and cost and will add significant momentum to exports. The Incubation Centre will also provide major support to technological development in chemistry and will become an important hub, especially for the growth of new start-up projects. Through joint deliberation between our Ministry of Commerce, our Ministry of Industry and Technology and İKMİB, and through great teamwork, the Chemistry Technology Centre has come to life in the Technology Valley. I sincerely congratulate and commend everyone who contributed to this, particularly İKMİB. I wish the Chemistry Technology Centre will impart momentum to our chemical manufacturers and exporters," he said.

Minister Kacır: "Chemistry Technology Centre will bring fresh impetus to our research and development and innovation ecosystem and economy"

Viewing the Chemistry Technology Centre as an important milestone in advancing the technology development and testing infrastructure of the chemical sector, Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said, "I hope the project, which has been realized with an investment of TRY 165 million, will be beneficial and auspicious for our chemical sector, our country and our nation. In line with our National Technology Initiative vision, we are determinedly taking steps that will advance our country further to the centre of value-added and high-technology production. We fully support all the sectors that play a locomotive role in domestic and national production and are paving the way for sustainable growth. With our Organized Industrial Zones, whose numbers we have increased from 191 to 364, and the 45 industrial zones we have established, Turkey has become a global production hub today.

At our 105 technology parks, more than 11,000 technology start-ups are conducting innovation-focused work. Under the leadership of our private sector, more than 1,600 research and development and design centres are developing projects that will accelerate value-added production. We have activated and continue to activate elements that will fuel the strong infrastructure we have built with powerful technology development and production capabilities. The increase in our research and development spending from USD 1.2 billion annually to USD 16.1 billion and our research and development personnel from 29,000 to 291,000 are indicators of the effectiveness of the support we provide. Through our investment incentives, we have issued 3,068 incentive certificates over the past 22 years for investments made in the chemical sector. We have opened the way for TRY 1.1 trillion in qualified investment and 112,000 jobs.

Through our Technology-Driven Industrial Initiative Programme, which provides end-to-end support from research and development to serial production for value-added projects, we are supporting 24 projects in our chemical sector with total investment reaching TRY 7.4 billion. Through programmes we implement via TÜBİTAK, KOSGEB and our Development agencies, we have provided TRY 16 billion in support to projects in the field of chemistry. I would like to thank everyone, particularly İstanbul Kimyevi Maddeler ve Mamulleri İhracatçıları Birliği, who have contributed to the realization of our Chemistry Technology Centre, which will bring fresh impetus to our chemical industry, research and development and innovation ecosystem and economy," he said.

TBMM Industry and Technology Commission Chair Mustafa Varank said, "I feel great joy to be here with you at the opening of such an important facility that we have been part of from the idea and signature stage. We have come from the day İKİMB Chair Adil Pelister and I signed the first signatures. We are making efforts to instil in our private sector an approach that directs our companies towards innovation.

In this sense, the Chemistry Technology Centre will provide significant contributions to Turkey's exports both in quality and quantity. God willing, we will build the Turkey Century together with our private sector. The Chemistry Technology Centre will make major contributions to our country's achievement of global targets and to the future of the chemical sector and will provide added value. I thank everyone who contributed," he said.

İKMİB Chair Pelister: "With the Chemistry Technology Centre, we will shape the future of our sector"

Stating that the Chemistry Technology Centre will create an ecosystem to carry the Turkish chemical sector into the future, İKMİB Chair Adil Pelister said, "Approximately five years ago, we took the first steps of our Chemistry Technology Centre project as part of our Vision 2030 strategy. The Chemistry Technology Centre will be a very important milestone in the future projection of our chemical sector, which touches 27 main sectors with its strategically important products and provides significant impetus to Turkish industry and exports with its 16 subsectors. At the Chemistry Technology Centre, which we have realized with an investment of TRY 165 million, with our modern equipped laboratories, 39 tests that have never been performed before in Turkey will be conducted and we will set many firsts for our country in the field of chemistry.

A total of 209 different tests will be performed and 100 tests will be accredited. From cosmetics to plastics, from rubber to paints, tests and analysis work that many of our subsectors have needed and have so far been conducted abroad can now be performed at the Chemistry Technology Centre. In this way, our manufacturers and of course our exporters will benefit from both time and cost advantages. Additionally, an average contribution of USD 12.5 million annually will initially be made to reducing our country's current account deficit. In addition to testing and laboratory services, our incubation centre will be home to start-up projects, high-value-added products and certification consultancy services, among many other services.

We feel great joy at bringing the Chemistry Technology Centre, which will be a meeting point for the chemistry of the future, to our country. I extend my gratitude to our Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Industry and Technology, which have been by our side with their valuable support from day one, and to all valued supporters who have added value to our Chemistry Technology Centre project. May it be beneficial for our chemical sector and our country," he said.