TURKIYE BILIMSEL VE TEKNOLOJIK ARASTIRMA KURUMU

Their core work

TUBITAK is Turkey's national science and technology research council — the country's primary public body for funding, coordinating, and conducting scientific research. In H2020, TUBITAK primarily acts as a national funding agency participating in ERA-NET Cofund actions, aligning Turkish research programmes with European transnational calls across health, energy, environment, and food domains. Beyond funding coordination, TUBITAK operates its own research laboratories and supports capacity building for Turkey's integration into the European Research Area, including running NCP networks and researcher mobility programmes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2014–2018), TUBITAK focused heavily on building its European research integration infrastructure — NCP networks, capacity building, and launching ERA-NET cofund actions across established domains like sustainable development and energy technologies. By 2019–2022, the emphasis shifted toward deeper thematic engagement: semiconductor technologies (microcontrollers, FD-SOI), security, solar thermal energy, and FET Flagships appeared prominently, alongside a stronger focus on widening participation and supporting Turkish start-ups. The trajectory shows TUBITAK moving from institutional network-building toward more technology-specific research investments.

TUBITAK is transitioning from a pure research coordination role toward targeted technology investments in semiconductors, security, and renewable energy — signalling Turkey's ambition to move up the R&D value chain.

How they like to work

TUBITAK is almost exclusively a participant (96 of 102 projects), which reflects its role as a national funding agency joining European frameworks rather than leading individual research projects. With 1,178 unique partners across 82 countries, it operates as a major network hub — one of the most widely connected organizations in H2020. This breadth means partnering with TUBITAK gives access to a vast web of contacts, but their role is typically institutional (co-funding, coordination support) rather than hands-on research delivery.

With 1,178 unique consortium partners across 82 countries, TUBITAK has one of the broadest collaboration networks in H2020, spanning Europe, the Mediterranean, Black Sea region, and Latin America. Their geographic reach reflects Turkey's bridging position between European and neighbouring research ecosystems.

What sets them apart

TUBITAK is Turkey's gateway to European research — any consortium wanting Turkish participation, co-funding, or access to Turkish research infrastructure will likely interact with them. Their unmatched breadth across 48 ERA-NET Cofunds means they understand how to align national funding programmes with European calls better than almost any other non-EU partner. For consortium builders, TUBITAK offers both institutional credibility and a bridge to Turkey's growing technology ecosystem, particularly valuable for projects requiring geographic diversity or Mediterranean/Black Sea coverage.

Highlights from their portfolio

• M-ERA.NET 2
  Largest single-project funding at EUR 813,670 — materials research ERA-NET showing TUBITAK's serious investment in advanced manufacturing.
• FutureTrust
  EUR 535,000 RIA on trust services for global transactions — one of their few deep technical R&D engagements beyond the ERA-NET funding role.
• MycoKey
  Hands-on research participation in mycotoxin management across the food chain — demonstrates TUBITAK's laboratory research capabilities beyond pure funding coordination.