WP2 Turkey: Country Report - İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi | AB Enstitüsü

Social Impact of Emigration and Rural-Urban Migration in Central and Eastern Europe
VT/2010/001
underlined the current developing research and development capacities of Turkey, some of
the largest Turkish industrial organizations and enterprises have informed the researchers on
new R&D opportunities available in their corporations. Furthermore, the researchers who
have attended the workshop stated that they have had good impressions about the current
level of Turkey’s research potential and the amount of R&D funds allocated to researchers in
Turkey (Tuğba Arslan Kantarcıoğlu, Personal interview, 25 April 2011).
Seda Göksu, who is also working at the National Contact Point of the Seventy Framework
Programs (FP7) of the European Commission in TÜBİTAK, stated that the Program 2232 of
TÜBİTAK (BIDEP, Support Office for Scientists) and Marie Currie Research Programs
(Figure 7) are two of these programs designed to attract researchers of Turkish origin to
carry on their work in Turkey (Personal online interview, 10 March 2011). Tuğba Arslan,
Marie Curie Desk at TÜBİTAK, has also pointed out that Turkey is very efficiently using the
Framework Programs (FP6 and 7) as well as the Marie Curie Programs to attract Turkishorigin
scientists residing in Europe to carry on their work in Turkey. TÜBİTAK organized
several information meetings abroad to update the Turkish-origin scholars about the recent
opportunities and developments emerging in the Turkish Research Space. 29
After these meetings held in 2011, it is reported that 31 researchers residing in the USA have
contacted with TÜBİTAK EU FP7 National Coordination Office in order to deliver their
questions on application procedure. The application numbers show that there were 78
researchers who have applied to this grant making Turkey the most successful country in the
applications with respect to incoming researchers from 3 rd countries. Furthermore, Turkey
ranked the second in EU FP7 Marie Curie Career Integration Grant Applications with 82
researchers in total. Marie Curie fellows of Turkish origin coming from abroad to work in the
Turkish higher education institutions are often employed by top universities as well as by
some prestigious private enterprises (Personal interview with Tuğba Arslan, 25 April 2011).
Turkish Academy of Sciences has also recently become active in designing programs within
the framework of newly established Young Turkish Academy to attract Turkish-origin
researchers abroad (http://www.tuba.gov.tr). Higher Education Council of Turkey (YÖK) has
also produced reports about the ways to attract graduates of Turkish origin to come back to
Turkey (YÖK, 2007). Growing number of Foundation Universities is also creating an
attractive ground not only for Turkish-origin scholars and researchers but also foreigners to
come and pursue their professional career in Turkey. As the medium of education of most of
these universities as well as some of public universities is English, it becomes more
attractive for international researchers and scholars to invest in their career in Turkey.
However, despite the fact that there is a growing trend of return of Turkish emigrants and
their descendants recently, Turkey has not set up any other particular scheme to support the
returnees and their families to reintegrate into the society. The “Target Turkey” program
initiated by the TÜBİTAK has so far attracted hundreds of skilled Turkish scientists residing
abroad, especially in the USA and Canada, to return to Turkey.
In the mean time, the Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related Communities is also
generating schemes to attract highly skilled to come to Turkey. Referring to the Central
Exam for Turkic Republics and Overseas Turks since 1992 (TCS), Metin Atmaca from the
Presidency underlines that they have recently established Foreign Students Office to attract
highly skilled students to come to Turkey in order to enjoy higher education opportunities:
“We no longer want Turkey to lose her brains, we want Turkey to recruit bright brains”
(Personal interview, 12 April 2011). The Presidency for Turks Abroad and Related
Communities is also now overtaking the Central Higher Education Exam for Turkish
Emigrants’ Children, which has been applied since 1992 (YÇS) to select successful Turkishorigin
students to come and enrol in Turkish higher education institutions in the fields of
engineering, medicine, and other disciplines. Now the Presidency is trying to increase the
29 Just to name a few of the meetings recently held abroad: 1. Helmholtz Association in Berlin (16
February 2011); 2. ENEA in Rome (23 February 2011); 3. TÜBİTAK & Turbo in Ankara (11 March
2011); 4. DTU in Lyngby, Denmark (22 March 2011); and 5. CEA in Paris (6 Nisan 2011). Similar
meetings were also held in the USA in collaboration with Harvard University and MIT.
Final Country Report Turkey 28