LOC13:53
10:53 GMT
BRUSSELS, April 25 (KUNA) -- European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Iliana Ivanova and Minister of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Turkiye, Mehmet Fatih Kacir participated Thursday in the second EU-Tأ¼rkiye High-Level Dialogue on science, research, technology and innovation in Istanbul.
This marks a significant milestone in EU-Turkiye research and innovation cooperation, said the commissioner in press release.
The two sides have announced that three innovation programmes from Turkiye are now certified to take part in the European Innovation Council (EIC) Plug-in scheme, which will enable them to submit projects from their portfolio directly to the full application stage of the EIC Accelerator.
In addition, the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) will set up a Community Hub in Turkiye by the end of the year.
Moreover, the Commission's Joint Research Centre has supported the launch of Turkiye's initial roadmap to support the design of regional Smart Specialisation Strategies.
Commissioner Ivanova and Minister Kacir exchanged views on EU's and Turkiye's science, technology, and innovation policies, putting an emphasis on the critical role of a skilled workforce in enabling innovation and technology transfer.
They reaffirmed their commitment to intensifying cooperation in the aforementioned areas, aiming for closer and deeper integration of Turkiye in the European Research Area, including EU Missions and Partnerships under Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme.
The meeting was an important moment to assess ongoing co-operation in critical sectors and to discuss future opportunities for collaboration between academia and business.
The EU and Turkiye agreed that a stronger integration of research and innovation capacities and technology transfer activities, coupled with human capital development, are key to succeeding in the ongoing green and digital transitions.
The significant achievement of Turkish scientist Rana Sanyal, winner of the 2023-2024 European Prize for Women Innovators, was highlighted as a successful result of the EU-Tأ¼rkiye innovation cooperation.
Commissioner Ivanova and Minister Kacir will also open the Bogaziأ§i University Life Science Centre. This centre has been upgraded thanks to nearly آ€8 million support from EU programmes. The Centre will perform cutting-edge research on protein sequencing and cancer therapy.
Turkiye has participated in EU research and innovation programmes since 2003, with a total of آ€743 million in EU support to Turkish researchers and innovators. Their participation in Horizon Europe, the current programme, has been particularly successful.
EU contribution to Turkish entities reached آ€91 million in 2022, supporting participation in EU Missions and Partnerships, Science, Technology and Innovation Networks such as Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) and EUREKA, as well as in Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions, supporting the training, skills development and mobility of researchers and international doctoral programmes. Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) has provided more than آ€700 million in support to the competitiveness and innovation of the Turkish economy, funding projects boosting productivity, technology development and innovation as well as promoting green and digital transformation.
The first EU-Tأ¼rkiye High-Level Dialogue on science, research, technology, and innovation took place in Brussels on 15 November 2022, focusing on aspects of the European Green Deal in boosting human capital development, innovation and technology transfer.
On September 1, 2023, the two sides signed an agreement associating Tأ¼rkiye to the Digital Europe Programme. This enables Turkish businesses, governmental bodies and other eligible entities to take part in projects implementing digital technologies. The agreement will also enable the establishment of Digital Innovation Hubs in Tأ¼rkiye.(end)
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