EU and Türkiye deepen cooperation on green and digital transition

Today, Iliana Ivanova, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, and Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye, held the second EU-Türkiye High-Level Dialogue on science, research, technology and innovation in Istanbul. This marks a significant milestone in EU-Türkiye research and innovation cooperation.

Commissioner Ivanova and Minister Kacır exchanged views on EU’s and Türkiye’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 Türkiye in the European Research Area, including EU Missions and Partnerships under Horizon Europe, the EU research and innovation programme.

The two sides have announced that three innovation programmes from Türkiye 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 Türkiye by the end of the year. Moreover, the Commission’s Joint Research Centre has supported the launch of Türkiye’s initial roadmap to support the design of regional Smart Specialisation Strategies.

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 Türkiye 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.