The reception was held at the Permanent Representation Türkiye of the EU in honor of Türkiye's Eureka chairship, which will be carried out under the coordination of TÜBİTAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye). The Eureka 2023-24 Türkiye Chairship was introduced with a reception held in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, under the auspices of Ambassador Faruk Kaymakcı, the Permanent Representative of Türkiye to the European Union. The reception was attended by Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology and President of Eureka Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yozgatlıgil, President of TÜBİTAK Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, New President of Eureka and Director of TÜBİTAK TÜSSİDE İsmail Doğan, Director of Eureka Brit Helle, High-Level Country Representative of Türkiye Assoc. Prof. Dr. Duygu Çelik, National Project Coordinators (NPC) Umut Ege, Dr. Ayda Kara Pektaş, Hasan Burak Tiftik, other High-Level representatives of Eureka member countries, science advisors, representatives of Eureka clusters, and various officials from the European Commission.
At the Eureka General Assembly meeting held in Brussels on June 22, 2023, the Eureka Chairship was handed over from Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yozgatlıgil to İsmail Doğan, the Director of TÜBİTAK TÜSSİDE (Turkish Management Sciences Institute). This handover marked the first time in Eureka's history that the presidency was passed from one Turkish representative to another.
Speaking at the reception, the President of TÜBİTAK Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal emphasized the significant alignment of roles between TÜBİTAK and Eureka, highlighting that Eureka plays a crucial role in promoting international collaboration in research and innovation, involving various stakeholders such as SMEs, academics, and industries. He stated, "Eureka has been a milestone for research and innovation in science and technology."
“Eureka has been a benchmark for research and innovation in science and technology.”
President Mandal emphasized that Eureka enables numerous successful projects that foster cross-border collaborations and facilitate the growth of innovative ventures. Prof. Mandal stated that during Türkiye's chairship, they aim to enhance the effectiveness of Eureka instruments, make a concrete impact, and promote innovation. He particularly highlighted the need to improve the communication of existing project and initiative results, stating, "Climate change has become a significant priority. We emphasize green and digital transformation, which is of global importance, among our priorities in the Eureka Chairship."
“We will focus on building bridges against global challenges”
Prof. Mandal pointed out the importance of increasing the effectiveness of Eureka in underrepresented countries, Mandal emphasized the importance of the Western Balkan countries being more involved in Eureka projects and the inclusion of new countries.
Explaining that Eureka is one of the important organizations that give the right answer on how to overcome many problems, Mandal stated that they will focus on building bridges against global challenges during their presidency.
"I am proud that the Eureka Chairship coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye."
Ambassador Faruk Kaymakcı, the Permanent Representative of Türkiye to the EU, expressed his pleasure at the event held in cooperation with the Eureka Network. He emphasized that assisting scientists in developing joint projects yields very positive results and highlighted that Eureka is an open-minded platform that offers opportunities to other regions in Europe as well.
Director General of Eureka, Brit Helle, stated, "It is a privilege for me to be with you this evening to officially celebrate the inauguration of Türkiye's Eureka Chairship. I am very happy to be among all of Eureka's friends." Helle expressed her eagerness to collaborate within the Eureka network under Türkiye's chairship for the next 12 months.
During the presidency to be carried out under the coordination of TÜBİTAK, three major meetings, and a Global Innovation Summit will be held.
Türkiye as the president of the 47-member country and the Eureka Association will take important responsibilities and obligations with this task, and will also bring serious prestige to our country. Being in constant communication with other countries and directing Eureka's activities according to the strategic priorities of the chair country are among the most important advantages.
Within the scope of Türkiye's Eureka chairship, which will be carried out under the coordination of TÜBİTAK, three big meetings will be hosted by TÜBİTAK in November 2023, March 2024, and June 2024, and a Global Innovation Summit will be held with the participation of companies from Eureka member countries. Meetings supported by social events will provide an advantage in promoting our country's R&D and innovation ecosystem.
About Eureka
Eureka is known as an important international cooperation platform established to encourage the research and development of advanced technologies, products, processes, and services that will increase the competitiveness of industrial and research institutions in European countries in the world markets, and encourage the creation and execution of joint projects between countries.
Eureka was founded in 1985 by 18 European countries, including Türkiye, and the EU Commission. With the increase in the impact and functionality of the EUREKA network over time, the number of members increased to 47 with the inclusion of non-European countries such as Canada, South Korea, South Africa, and Singapore.
Türkiye served as the Eureka Chair for two terms, between 1998-1999 and 2012-2013.
Türkiye's Activities within the Scope of Eureka
Actively operating in Eureka since 1985, Türkiye became the 11th country with the highest number of project partnerships, with 976 Turkish-partnered project proposals between 2008 and 2021. The aforementioned projects are evaluated, financed, and monitored directly or through a co-financing mechanism.
Representatives of Turkish companies undertook the presidency of two of the Eureka Clusters, one of the most important support mechanisms of Eureka, and the vice-president of one. There are five clusters active under the Eureka.
23.06.2023