The management company of METUTECH is Teknopark Inc. founded in 1991. Shareholders of Teknopark Inc. are The Middle East Technical University Development Foundation, Ankara Chamber of Industry, Bleda Co, EBİ Co, Ortadoğu Yazılım Co., and Middle East Technical University.
History and Objectives
The studies on METUTECH project were started in 1987 to support the formation and development of high-tech using-producing firms to ensure the development of technology, and to maximize the university-industry cooperation. In addition to that making contributions to the studies that aim to enable the transmission of the results of university research into economic values and to contribute the improvement of international competitive power of the country by way of increasing the economic and technological level were also targeted.
Key objectives of METUTECH are as follows:
To enhance international collaboration, and networking
To encourage and support entrepreneurship and innovation
To assist in regional RTD and to be one of the elements of sustained regional development.
To instigate and maintain the collaboration between industry-university
To assist in transforming the university’s research infrastructure and information accumulation into economic value through spin-offs.
To prepare a suitable environment for technology transfer and foreign direct investment.
To create employment for qualified human resources.
To promote university based start-ups and spin-offs.
Progress to Date
Fundamentally, METUTECH’s existing company profile is based on software development and electronics industry. METUTECH, which has reached an enormity of 2451 personnel, 2073 of which are the researchers (86% of the total staff are university graduates, and 20% of which have Ms, Ma, or PhD degrees.) in 157 firms 90% of which are SMEs and including multinationals such as SBS, MAN, Siemens on the 60.000 sq m closed area, is the biggest and the most successful science park of Turkey. To promote entrepreneurship, innovation; the incubation centre of METUTECH serves 38 start-ups and micro sized companies; most of which are the spin offs from METU.
Premises
The first step in the development of METUTECH is the construction of an incubation centre with 4840 m² enclosed area, namely METU-SMIDO Technology Development Centre.
METU-Halıcı Software House, the first building constructed through Build-Operate-Transfer model has an enclosed space of 4.850 m², 3.700 m² of which form the office spaces. The building comprising 25 m² office spaces and 900 m² independent blocks also contains sections such as meeting halls and classrooms.
The first service building, METU-Twins Building, comprises of 4.800 m² office space within an enclosed area of 7.000 m². In Twins Building in which two-office space options are available, 42 m² and 450 m², respectively, units having 450-m² areas were designed to be independent. The two-story building provides services for 33 companies with a restaurant servicing approximately 120 people and conference hall for 100 people.
METU-Silver Blocks has an enclosed space of 8.650 m². Office spaces starting from 540 m² can be extended by flexible designs. There is a restaurant servicing 120 people in the building.
Silicon Blocks has an enclosed space of approximately 11.000 m² with a restaurant, a café-bar and a number of meeting rooms with various facilities.
Besides, the firm itself is constructing The R&D Building of Milsoft AŞ, which has 6600 m² enclosed area.
The largest project of the period 2004-2005 is SATGEB, which is a cluster of aero space industry. The firms in the cluster have agreements for collaboration with Aero Space Engineering Department of Middle East Technical University. SATGEB constructed on 40000 m² area is composed of four R&D Buildings and a common building. “The Common Building” (2000 m²) is designed with the aim of providing the common services for 800 personnel like cafeteria, kitchen, VIP Room and administrative offices.
Construction of Science and Technology Museum with its open and enclosed exhibition areas is completed in 2004. Subsequently, in the first year of the development stages, with the completion of existing constructions, total enclosed area in METUTECH has increased from 25000 m² to 60000 m² with the exception of the incubation centre in OSTİM.
Silicon Blocks has an enclosed space of approximately 11.000 m² with a restaurant, a café-bar and a number of meeting rooms with various facilities.
In 2005, new investments are going to be made in the context of providing office spaces for R&D studies. Regarding these investments, architectural projects for new R&D buildings with approximately 14.000 m² office spaces have been prepared, and the construction of these buildings is planned to be started in April-completed by the end of this year.
Technology Transfer
IRC-Anatolia: IRC-Anatolia was established in 2004. The aim of the consortium is to build and develop an organizational infrastructure under the roof of IRC Anatolia, for promoting the transfer of research results and technologies in line with the needs expressed by the industrial structure of Southeast, Middle, and East Anatolia regions in Turkey.
IRC-Anatolia covers almost half of Turkey from the central region to the Blacksea borders, and from the Mediterranean shores to the southeast region. In brief, IRC Anatolia, the main purpose of which is to develop mutually profitable business alliances, and to help SMEs to find suitable technology partners or suppliers, is the bridge between European RTD programmes (Research and Technological Development) and the Anatolian region.
After establishment of IRC Anatolia and successful implementation of IRC Network policies and objectives in the region, its expected to improve the region’s technological and competition level through in-ward/out-ward technology transfers and marketing; strengthen the scientific and technological bases of industry and research community; engage in EU networks and communicate with key players, users, and policy makers; and carry out more research and technological development activities in order to utilize potential outcomes of technology transfer.
Advice and Assistance
Services provided by METUTECH give out opportunities which enable companies to be a part of the global market in a competitive manner by holding their shares in the production of innovative and high value added products. These services provided by METUTECH can be categorised under three different program types; that are, training programs, consultancy services, and value added services. Training programs comprise of the 75 % of the total amount of value added services, whereas consultancy services on international marketing, technology transfer, IPR (Intellectual Property Rights), international legal advising, and funding comprise of the 15 % of these services. Other areas of services include events, travel, catering, and etc.
Site Management Arrangements
Site management services provided by METUTECH include facility management, data and telecommunication services, security, landscaping, and management services, etc.
University Facilities
METU, as the leading research university since 1950’s, have had close cooperation and a lot of business works with many institutions in different sectors. The experienced work force of METU, 2500 academics, 20.000 students, and also powerful research infrastructure of 15 research centres and almost 150 university laboratories can facilitate the establishment of strong cooperation between METUTECH and firms.
Financial Services
Incentives for the development of R&D activities provided by the Technology Development Regions Law, and funding opportunities provided by institutions as TEKMER, TIDEB, and TTGV as well are the financial services offered in METUTECH.
Other Facilities
The personnel of the tenant firms benefit from social and cultural activities provided by METU and used by the personnel and students of METU – banking, shopping centre, restaurants, culture and convention centre, library, closed and open swimming pool, dry-cleaning, gymnasium, etc.
User Clause
The primary criterion for selecting the persons, institutions and firms that will participate in METUTECH depends on their contribution to the METUTECH’s vision of being one of the leading technology development regions by providing products and services high value that rest on high technology in which firms and entrepreneurs exist in a competitive environment, through benefiting from METU’s research capacity and information pool.
In the selection of the companies wishing to act in METUTECH, sectors were determined taking the industrial profile of Ankara into account along with the resources of the university and the competitive advantages it possesses. In this sense, ICT, electronics, aerospace, environment, bio-technology, nano-technology, advanced materials are the privileged sectors for METUTECH.
The main criterion is that a contribution is granted to the METUTECH vision, goals and party expectations. In the scope of METUTECH, there are four main groups of tenant classification regarding their qualifications: Companies that are considerably large in scale that can create R&D and technology production (mature companies); start-ups (with the priority of those that qualify that are qualified as spin-offs and entrepreneurs); public and private research centres, NPO’s and NGO’s; and persons and companies that provide the parties with supporting products and services.
The profile preferred within these companies should be innovative-technology based, and inclined to cooperate with the other parties, primarily with the university. Being involved in research and development activities, and possessing reasonable amount of managerial, financial, and human resources are preliminary qualifications that are expected from METUTECH. These companies should also possess the qualifications of being respectful to the environment, human rights and social justice.
METUTECH Companies
More than 90% of the firms residing in METUTECH are small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), and 60% of these firms are specialised on ICT, 25 % on electronics and 15 % on other sectors like aerospace, environment, bio-technology, nano-technology, advanced materials, etc.
