ODTU Teknokent, incorporating not
only more than 92 companies dealing
with R&D in the defence sector, but
also several research centers and
laboratories, has clustered those
companies under the name of Teknokent
Defence Industry Cluster (TSSK), by
the year 2010. Those companies, who
complete and provide added value to
each other, have the vertical expertise
to develop products in defence, aviation
and security sectors.
ODTU Teknokent Defence Industry
Cluster – (TSSK), with the mission
of enhancing the vital and critical
needs of Turkish Armed Forces, by
native defence companies, within the
frame of research and development
oriented cooperation with universities,
and producing technology for the
international market within the scope
of research and development oriented
cooperation between universities and
other companies, is promoting the
internationalization activities of its
companies as well as transferring their
accumulation to the other sectors.
Teknokent Defence Industry Cluster
– TSSK, established in May, 2010,
according to this beforementioned
mission, has promoted almost 92
companies who are settled in ODTU
Teknopark and have been shareholders
since its establishment, with a diverse
range of education and consultancy
services, regulations made for facility
security clearances, cooperation days
resulting with successful collaborations
and participation to industry-specific
international fairs.
As of February, 2012, pursuant
to the relevant communique of The
Ministry of Economy, number 2010/8,
“ODTU Teknokent Defence Industry
Cluster International Competitiveness
Developmement” project has begun with
the participation of 19 companies who
are comprised under TSSK.
Within the context of the project,
amongst what is being done in order
to increase the export capacities and
the expertise of our companies and
support their clustering activities to
improve their competitiveness in the
international market, hosting trade
delegations under the auspices of
SSM, making international delegation
visits and participating at fairs can be
counted as well as providing training
and consultancy services for the
companies within the project. By means
of cooperation with SSM, within this
project, it is possible to make market
surveys, international delegation visits
and hosting trade delegations in Turkey.
As being one of the most important
castles of the defence sector, TSSK
will support up to 50 companies in
the international arena, by means of
increasing their recognition and their
export rate in the international market.
As to make a comparison between
Teknokent Defence Industry Cluster
(TSSK) with its European counterparts
and write a report about TSSK’s present
state, the experts who are authorized
in Turkey have been directed by
European Secretariat Cluster Analysis
(ESCA), visited Teknopark Management
Company and labeled TSSK with
“bronze label” after making case studies
about the cluster and its activities. The
desired benefit of this benchmarking
is to provide a strategic partnership
with a European cluster, by applying
“European Strategic Cluster Partnership
(ESCP)” programme, which has been
started as part of the European Union.
With the establishment of Defence
Sector Research and Technology
Development Zone (SATGEB) in ODTU
Teknopark, prime contractor companies
like Aselsan, Havelsan and TAI are also
provided to have their R&D unites in
SATGEB.
TSSK is made up of prime contractor,
small and medium sized companies,
which provide a variety of engineering
services like; manned and unmanned
vehicles, advanced materials, KBRN
technologies, protective tools and
materials technologies, human-machine
interface, cryptography, coding and
encryption, electronic intelligence
systems, modelling and simulation,
simulation systems, communication,
electronic and information systems,
sensors and electronic systems,
datalink technologies, test, calibration,
modelling and maintenance services.
The propulsive force of the cluster is
the R&D projects, which are carried out
with the synergy between university,
industry and the research done. 2196
R&D personnel are being employed by
the member companies of the cluster
(TSSK) and as of now, almost 400 active
R&D projects are being carried out in
the defence sector. At the end of year
2013, the turnover and the export rates
of TSSK are more than 500.000,000 TL
and 235.000,000 respectively.
In recent years, there has been a
great contribution of Teknokent Defence
Industry Cluster companies’, to many
projects which have been actualized
in the defence sector. To illustrate; for
Turkey’s first medium altitude unmanned
air vehicle – ANKA, first advanced attack
and tactical reconnaissance helicopter
– ATAK, first modern tank –ALTAY, first
national ship – MİLGEM and for first
high resolution remote sensing satellite
– GÖKTÜRK 2, the software, hardware
and systems used are all designed by
the member companies of TSSK.
On the other hand, in order to
maintain the university-industry
collaboration in defence sector, there
began a programme called “Researcher
Training Programme for Defence
Industry (SAYP)” in 2011, between The
Undersecretariat for Defence Industries
of Turkey with ODTU and Aselsan,
Roketsan, Tusaş, FNSS, Milsoft and
Havelsan, for the students who are
working in defence sectorcompanies
and making graduate studies at the
Middle East Technical University at the
same time.
Within the context of this programme,
the future or ongoing graduate studies
of thestudents/researchers who are
of the system can be cheap and small
just like a chip. ODTU MEMS Facility
has a 6000m2 closed area, 1000m2 of
which is 100-1000 class and 300m2
of the same facility is 10000 class
special clean rooms. The capability of
waferprocessing, which are 4,6 and 8
inches in diameters, is present in the
clean rooms with the accuracy of 0.35
lithography.
• Uncooled infrared detectors
for night vision, precise MEMS
accelometers and tachometersfor smart
missiles and stabilization processes,
RF MEMS devices (switches, phase
shifters, antennas etc.) for high
performance communication systems,
Bio MEMS sensors for early detection
of health, MEMS energy generators
for portable electronic systems and
ultrasonic sensors for health sector
are constituting the activity area of
the center. The center is working
interactively with the defence, health,
automotive and white goods sectors.
With thestandard production processes,
production ismade for the companies.
Researchers are given trainings about
clean room usage and microelectronic
and MEMS design and production
processes. Assigning a significant
success since its establishment, MEMS
is continuing with the goal of becoming
a pioneer in its field.
METU BİOMATEN
(Biomaterials and
Tissue Engineering
Excellence Center)
As a result of the project applications
with the support of DPT in the year
2010, “Biomaterials and Tissue
Engineering Excellence Center” is
established as well as a research and
an application center, which carries
the same name with METU senate
and the Council of Higher Education.
The centers, which are named as
“BIOMATEN” in short, are planned
to undertake the complementary
functions of each other. Amongst the
shareholders of the research and
application center, the faculty members
of the Biological Sciences, Chemical,
Mechanical, Metallurgical and Materials
Engineering, Engineering Sciences and
Biotechnology Departments and GATA,
OSTIM Medical Cluster, Health Industry
Employers’ Association who are giving
consultancy services to the center can
be counted.
The center of excellence which
is supported by DPT, has a broader
base of researchers, is incorporating
researchers from Hacettepe, Yeditepe,
Kocaeli, İTÜ, Çukurova and Acıbadem
Universities as well as its members from
ODTU. Also, faculty members of the
internationally known universities like
Harvard, MIT, Drexel and Tufts (USA),
Johannes Gutenberg (Germany),
Montpellier (France) and London
(England) are giving consultancy to
the center. Furthermore, Biomaterials
and Tissue Engineering Association,
founded in 2008, as one of the civil
society organizations, is giving support
to the center.
The objectives of BIOMATEN are
to; become a national and international
reference and consultation point, build
know-how transfer mechanisms to
university students and researchers,
to institutions within the decision and
support mechanisms of the government
and also to medical sector employees,
as well as supporting the medical sector
by means of the production of value
added products and take the necessary
procedures for the characterization and
certification for medical products.
Over the next three years,
BIOMATEN is aiming to see its first
products being conducted in clinical
testing and come onto the market, and
it will play an important role in the field of
medical products for the potential of our
country to lead in the right way.
METU GÜNAM (METU Solar
Energy Research Center)
GÜNAM, is an excellence center
founded with the aim of developing the
photovoltaic technology, making the
production of solar cells domestically
and researching the industry applicable
production methods. The center was
officially established in the beginning of
2009 with the support provided by the
Ministry of Development. Clean room
installation and necessary equipment
infrastructure were mostly completed
between the years 2009 and 2010,
and the first solar cell prototype was
manufactured. GÜNAM has a clean
area of 150 m2 which consists of 1000
and 10000 classes. It also continues
its studies in coating and metallization
laboratories. The main purpose of the
center is to develop products about solar
cell technologies, compete worldwide
and share the results with the industrial
institutions, as to contribute the
development of our country. GÜNAM,
both in Turkey and its surroundings, is
the only center to make the production in
the industrial size and quality, amongst
its counterparts. The aim of the center
is not to make commercial applications,
is to perform special application
projects. Currently, developing existing
photovoltaic technologies locally,
increasing productivity, improving
production techniques applicable to
the industry and in interaction with
sectors like materials industry, crystal
manufacturing industry, glass industry,
solar panel production industry, coating
industry, R&D services are given.
Some considerable studies of the
center are; silicon based solar cells,
thin film solar cells, polymer based
solar cells, dye sensitized solar cells
and nanotechnology applications in
solar cells. And to illustrate some of its
example projects; construction of a solar
cell prototype in industrial standards
from polycrtstalline silicon wafers which
are 156x156mm in size, production
of a thin film solar cell which is made
of amorphous silicon, the research
and development of dyesensitized
cells, nanowire applications in solar
cells and Turkey’s first academic
level conference, the Photovoltaic
Conference (SolarTR-1) can be
counted. In GUNAM, the electrical
characterization of semi conductors
– used in photovoltaic technologies,
their optical characterization and also
performance measurements of solar
cells can be made. Furthermore, by
conducting mutual projects between
the center and the private sector, “knowhow”
transfer and quality measurements
of different solar cells can be made.
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