Artificial intelligence has become an almost constant component of new projects at Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Teknopark, according to Cem Duran, the complex’s general manager. Duran told Anadolu Agency that nearly all projects arriving at the Teknopark include an element of artificial intelligence, after three years of working at the institution.
This trend comes in the context of Turkey’s Medium-Term Program for 2027-2029, published by the Presidency of Strategy and Budget at the beginning of September, which includes increasing domestic research and development, production, and innovation capabilities in strategic sectors among its objectives. These sectors include defense, health, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence, with a focus on transferring developed technologies to civilian uses.
From Defense to Civilian Applications
Duran believes that the transfer of technologies from defense industries to civilian sectors is a customary process, because defense projects enable the state to finance strategic needs that the civilian sector cannot bear alone. According to his presentation, the accumulation of expertise, infrastructure, patents, and licenses in defense can support value-added production, reduce imports, increase high-skilled employment, and strengthen international competitiveness.
He also said that the growth of the defense industry helped Turkey build testing infrastructure and a pool of expertise within universities, technology parks, and companies, describing this as having created a “strong army of research and development engineers.” However, the source does not provide specific examples of civilian artificial intelligence products actually transferred from defense projects. Therefore, discussion of technology transfer in this article remains a policy framework and an interpretation by a complex official, rather than an announcement of completed transfer operations.
Expansion of Companies and Personnel
The number of research and development companies at Boğaziçi Üniversitesi Teknopark rose from about 30 companies three years ago to 150 companies, while the number of engineers increased from approximately 200 to around 1,000 engineers. The complex aims to raise the number of research and development engineers to approximately 3,000 next year, with university students and academics expected to work at the complex’s companies.
The focus of the complex’s locations varies according to their structures. The Etiler location focuses more heavily on artificial intelligence and financial technologies, while the Kandilli location hosts projects in health, biotechnology, and biomedicine, benefiting from its technical infrastructure, its connection to earthquake engineering, and the presence of a deep technologies center.
What Is Changing in Practice?
The figures reflect a clear expansion in the base of companies and engineers within a Turkish university-based complex. Duran’s statements also indicate that artificial intelligence is no longer confined to specialized companies, but has become a technological layer entering projects across multiple sectors. However, the article does not specify the artificial intelligence models being used, the size of investments, the results of the projects, or the number of companies that have reached commercial products. Therefore, it cannot be considered evidence of an economic impact that has already been realized.
In an effort to expand this model beyond Istanbul, the Teknopark announced the opening of a 1,000-square-meter incubation center in Batman. The center includes 15 startups, three or four of which work in agricultural technologies, alongside initiatives in artificial intelligence and other sectors. Duran says the aim is to transfer Boğaziçi’s expertise to Anatolian regions, but the source does not provide performance indicators or a timeline for evaluating the center’s results.