A Biotechnology Valley Is Being Established in Tuzla

Under the leadership of BİYOSAD, the Biotechnology Valley Project, operated under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, is being established in the Tuzla district of Istanbul with an investment of TRY 12 billion. Within the scope of the project, companies at every level, from major investors to start-ups, will operate across a wide product range.

Designed as a hub for the production of biotechnological products, the Biotechnology Valley Project will be established in the Tuzla district of Istanbul with an investment of TRY 12 billion. In the valley, companies at every level, from major investors to start-ups, will operate across a wide product range. In the project, which is planned to be one of the locomotives of Turkey's economy, companies can benefit from many incentives such as the Ministry of Industry's expanding Technology-Driven Industry Initiative Program and the İVME Financing Package. While it is stated that the valley will produce Turkey's high value-added products and enable the country to capture a share of the global biotechnology market, it is expected to play an active role in closing Turkey's current account deficit of USD 36.724 billion recorded in 2020 in the coming years. The Estimated Annual Compound Growth Rate (CAGR) of the global biotechnology market is expected to be 9.9% between 2019-2025, and the 2025 value is expected to be USD 775 billion. The industry market size is estimated to reach USD 727.1 billion by 2025. In assessments on the matter, Biotechnology Industrialists Association (BİYOSAD) Board Chairman Dr. Ercan Varlıbaş, Atabay Pharma Board Vice Chairman Zeynep Atabay Taşkent, Koçak Farma Chief Executive Officer Dr. Hakan Koçak, İlsan Pharma Board Chairman Halil Yaşar, and VSY Biotechnology Chief Executive Officer Dr. Fatih Ergin made statements regarding the project's impact on Turkey and the global scientific community.

"CLUSTERING HAS CRITICAL IMPORTANCE"

Highlighting that biotechnology is an emerging sector in Turkey, Zeynep Atabay Taşkent said, "At this stage, clustering is of critical importance for pre-competitive collaboration, joint learning and university-industry cooperation concepts. The Biotechnology Valley is located in the right geographical location to meet these needs. Its proximity to GTÜ, Kocaeli University and research centers such as TÜBİTAK MAM on one side, and its location within Turkey's largest industrial region on the other will provide the clustering needed for biotechnology companies. In this way, our work can be commercialized faster in an environment where start-ups, academia, public and industry collaborations can flourish in the fields of industrial, agricultural and health biotechnology," she said.

"TRY 6.4 BILLION BIOTECHNOLOGICAL DRUG IMPORTS WILL BE CURBED"

Speaking about production and development costs of biotechnological products, Dr. Hakan Koçak said, "The valley will provide significant contribution to start-up companies to be housed within it and biotechnology companies through R&D infrastructure, by supporting both new product development and providing cost-effective investment areas in a region like Istanbul where logistics and skilled labor access is high. In the total global pharmaceutical market of USD 1.2 trillion, biotechnological drugs have reached a 20% market share. In Turkey, the market share of biotechnological drugs is at a similar rate, reaching TRY 7 billion in 2019, of which approximately 90% is imported. Biotechnological products are expensive products due to high production and development costs. With the biotechnology climate created in the Biotechnology Valley, sectoral development will accelerate and the approximately TRY 6.4 billion biotechnological drug imports will be curbed through the production of domestic biotechnological drugs," he said.

Dr. Hakan Koçak continued his remarks as follows:

"The climate created will attract domestic and foreign investors to this region and make the region an attraction center for biotechnological production. It will also be a high value-added production center for our country and the world. University and industry collaborations in the region will increase and the sector will gain significant momentum. Through the production and export of high value-added biotechnological products, it will be possible for our country to have cost-effective access to expensive biotechnological products and to close the current account deficit."

"SUPPORT ABOVE TRY 500 MILLION IS NEEDED"

Expressing his belief that the valley is a very important step as Turkey's first specialty organized zone to be established on a biotechnology basis, Halil Yaşar said, "The Covid-19 pandemic showed the entire world how important it is for a country to produce the necessary diagnosis, treatment following diagnosis, and medical equipment and supplies required in treatment. In parallel, I see it as necessary for governments to urgently include projects encompassing R&D, innovation and biotechnology in five-year priority investment programs and implement them with material and moral support. This project is planned to continue its function with a different status from previously established organized zones. Our project requires the support that our government provides to large investments of over TRY 500 million in terms of incentives, infrastructure and status. We see that our government will support industrialists in line with this request. We believe the valley is a great opportunity for companies serving any branch of the health sector and we invite our companies to participate," he said.

"WE WILL PRODUCE TURKEY'S FIRST ORIGINAL DRUG MOLECULE IN THE VALLEY"

Emphasizing intense competition in international markets, Dr. Fatih Ergin said, "One of the important conditions for companies to get ahead in today's competition is the ability to achieve sustainable innovation in both infrastructure and products. With technology developing very rapidly, a technology that is popular today can be forgotten tomorrow, and another innovation can quickly take its place. Companies that rank high in terms of turnover today will likely not be seen tomorrow if they cannot complete their technological transformations. The Biotechnology Valley Project, based on sustainable innovation, confronts companies with this knowledge and calls on them to produce high value-added, innovative products. In this valley to be established, we plan to produce Turkey's first original drug molecule," he said.   Source