R&D 250 Marked by ASELSAN

R&D 250 Bears ASELSAN Mark While the Turkish economy continued to struggle in 2021 with the damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the "R&D 250, Turkey's Companies with the Highest R&D Spending" research carefully prepared by Turkishtime revealed that companies were continuing their R&D work at full speed.   The Turkey R&D 250 research, which has monitored Turkish business R&D spending since 2013, was this year prepared as reports in both Turkish and English to serve as an effective reference source that would communicate our companies' performance to the world, publicizing their successes globally. According to the research, the company with the highest R&D spending in 2021 was ASELSAN, the jewel of our defense industry, with spending of TRY 5,614.78 million, an increase of TRY 2,258 million compared to the previous year. The Economy and Business World Portal Turkishtime, with the "Turkey R&D 250 Research" which it conducted for the ninth time this year, revealed where Turkey is on its value-added journey, while the 500 companies included in the research increased their R&D spending to TRY 25,449 million. While serious steps have been taken in Turkey in recent years regarding R&D work, the "Turkey R&D 250 Research" launched by the Economy and Business World Portal Turkishtime in 2013 became one of the most important initiatives serving this purpose. As the research, which has included thousands of companies so far, enters its ninth year, it added another stone to the vision of "creating an R&D memory in Turkey." The Turkey R&D 250 research was prepared as reports in both Turkish and English to serve as an effective reference source that would communicate our companies' performance to the world, and is being shared with world thought leaders and international media. Although 2021 was a year when the pandemic's relative impact was broken, its effect on the Turkish economy continued to be seen. While companies' 2021 R&D investments increased nominally, it was a period in which contractions were observed in dollar-based investments due to global and local economic turbulence.   R&D 250 Research: An Effective Global Reference The Turkey R&D 250 Research, as each year, was prepared during this period based on responses to surveys sent to the top 500 companies in Turkey's export rankings from the previous year, companies that disclosed R&D data in the Public Enlightenment Platform, and companies with R&D centers approved by the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkey. The Turkishtime Turkey R&D 250 Research, the only research based on correct sources and data about R&D-conducting companies that drive the Turkish economy, has created an effective reference source that will communicate our companies' R&D performance to all of Turkey and the world. Companies' 2021 R&D spending, R&D spending planned for 2022, number of R&D personnel, patent numbers, useful model numbers, design registration numbers, and brand numbers obtained in R&D centers in 2021 formed the basic data of the R&D 250 research.

Aselsan Will Not Relinquish the Top Position

Defense industry companies constitute the main element of total R&D growth. Defense industry companies accounted for 65.93 percent of the total 2021 R&D investments of the top 50 companies. This ratio was at 60.7 percent in 2020. From 2017 to 2021, the top 50 companies' investments were found to be comprised to a very large extent—respectively 50.8 percent, 49.7 percent, 58.2 percent, 55.9 percent, and 62.8 percent—by just five important TSK Foundation companies such as Aselsan, TUSAŞ, Roketsan, TEI, and Havelsan. The research, which drew attention to the importance of investments made in R&D, showed that ASELSAN, one of the important players in the defense industry that held the leading position in 2020, maintained its leadership position in 2021 as well. ASELSAN's R&D investments increased by TRY 381 million in 2020 and TRY 2,258 million in 2021, reaching TRY 5,614.78 million in 2021. The role of ASELSAN's R&D projects, a total of 1,094 of which, some of them groundbreaking, cannot be denied in leading the country's R&D growth, as ASELSAN has been the locomotive of R&D in recent years. TUSAŞ Turkish Aeronautical and Space Industries Inc. ranked second on the list in 2021, with the company allocating TRY 4,389.83 million to R&D during the period. Roketsan, which ranked fourth with TRY 488.82 million in the previous research to which 2020 data were transferred, moved up to third place with TRY 1,446.07 million in R&D spending, a 195.8 percent increase. Turkcell, which ranked 6th in the previous research, ranked fourth on this year's list. The company, which had R&D spending of TRY 443.93 million in 2020, realized R&D spending of TRY 680.91 million in 2021, showing a 53.4 percent increase in R&D investments compared to the previous year. FORD Otomotiv, which signed off on TRY 680.52 million in R&D spending in 2021, had allocated TRY 441.98 million to R&D in 2020. Following FORD Otomotiv in the top 10 of the list were, respectively: TUSAŞ Motor Industries (TRY 604.24 million), Havelsan (TRY 599.68 million), Tofaş Turkish Automobile (TRY 552.80 million), Arçelik (TRY 444.07 million), and Vestel (TRY 405.70 million).

Ford Otosan and Tofaş's R&D Investments Draw Attention

When the top 50 companies with the most R&D are ranked by sector in 2021, defense industry companies account for 66.3 percent, the automotive industry for 12.5 percent, white goods and electronics companies for 5.5 percent, and pharmaceutical companies for 1.6 percent. Ford Otosan and Tofaş stand out as the two companies with the highest R&D investments outside the defense industry over the past five years combined. Particularly foreign companies such as Mercedes-Benz (MBT), MAN, and BSH, as well as semi-foreign companies such as Ford, Tofaş, and Oyak Renault, are observed to be more effective now in shifting their headquarters in Europe to R&D and product development projects to Turkey, thanks to the reference of their successful R&D projects and the contribution of our country's R&D incentives.

More Progress Must Be Made on Female Employment

In defense industry companies where R&D employment is highest, female employment is generally found to remain in a low range of 16 to 25 percent. The ratio of female employees to all R&D employees in R&D centers is found to be relatively high in companies such as Deva Holding, Netaş, and Turkcell Teknoloji. At this point, experts state that there are many social initiative opportunities that other companies could undertake in this area.

ASELSAN Did Not Relinquish Leadership in Project Numbers

While the total number of projects for companies in the top 100 of the list is 7,803, ASELSAN, the R&D leader, again ranks at the top of the list. ASELSAN, with 1,094 projects (this number was 749 in 2020), ranks at the top of the list, followed by World Medicine (449), Petlas (366), Deva (283), Abdi İbrahim (154), Dyo Boya (153), Roketsan (132), Perfetti Van Melle (120), Polifarma (119), and Vem İlaç (113), placing them in the top 10 in this category.  

Top 10 Companies by 2021 R&D Spending (TRY)

  1 ASELSAN ELEKTRONIK SANAYI VE TICARET A.Ş. 5,614,780,977 2 TUSAŞ TÜRK HAVACILIK VE UZAY SANAYI A.Ş. 4,389,834,303 3 ROKETSAN ROKET SAN. VE TIC. A.Ş. 1,446,073,717 4 TURKCELL TEKNOLOJI ARAŞTIRMA VE GELIŞTIRME A.Ş. 680,910,355 5 FORD OTOMOTIV SAN. A.Ş. 680,519,000 6 TUSAŞ MOTOR SANAYII A.Ş. (TEI) 604,244,091 7 HAVELSAN HAVA ELEKTRONIK SAN. VE TIC. A.Ş. 599,683,300 8 TOFAŞ TÜRK OTOMOBIL FABRIKASI A.Ş 552,796,546 9 ARÇELIK A.Ş. 444,068,000 10 VESTEL ELEKTRONIK SANAYI VE TIC. A.Ş. 405,695,000

Top 11 Companies Registering the Most National Patents in 2021 (number of patents)

  1 TURKCELL TEKNOLOJI ARAŞTIRMA VE GELIŞTIRME A.Ş. 114 2 NETAŞ TELEKOMÜNIKASYON A.Ş 64 3 TOFAŞ TÜRK OTOMOBIL FABRIKASI A.Ş. 56 4 TIRSAN TREYLER SANAYI VE TICARET A.Ş 50 5 BSH (BOSCH/SIEMENS) EV ALETLERI SAN. VE TIC. A.Ş. 49 6 TURAŞ GAZ ARMATÜRLERI SAN. VE TIC. A.Ş. 37 7 ASELSAN ELEKTRONIK SANAYI VE TICARET A.Ş. 34 8 KORDSA TEKNIK TEKSTIL A.Ş. 28 9 MULTI TOHUM TARIM SAN. VE TIC. A.Ş. 24 10 TUSAŞ TÜRK HAVACILIK VE UZAY SANAYI A.Ş. 21 11 BOSCH SANAYI VE TICARET A.Ş. 21     ***Patents comprise those registered directly by companies with the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office or through PCT national phase applications in 2021, those validated in Turkey in 2021 through the European Patent Office, and registrations with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry by plant breeding and seed companies. ***Companies with the same number of patents are ranked according to R&D spending.