The ICTürkiye2025 International Brokerage Event, held in İstanbul on 10 April 2025, was organized to promote sustainable and strategic collaborations between Europe and Türkiye in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT). Hosted by TÜBİTAK, the event was implemented within the framework of the “Technical Assistance for Türkiye in Horizon Europe” project within the scope of the Competitive Sectors Programme implemented by the Ministry of Industry and Technology and within the framework of financial cooperation between the European Union and the Republic of Türkiye. More than 400 representatives from research institutions, industry, public institutions, civil society organizations and companies of different sizes from Horizon Europe member countries and Türkiye attended to the event.
The event began with the opening speeches by TÜBİTAK Vice President İsmail Doğan, Head of Cooperation in Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye Maria Luisa Wyganowski and Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Muhammet Kasım Gönüllü, who made evaluations on the importance of digital transformation and Türkiye’s vision for cooperation with Europe. Digital transformation, technological partnerships and research policies compatible with Europe were the focus of their speeches.
TÜBITAK Vice President İsmail Doğan drew attention to the European Union Framework Programs and said: “In the Horizon Europe Programme, 1,071 Turkish participants took part in 654 projects and received €332.8 million in funding. The number of Turkish coordinators reached 50; this is a strong indicator of Türkiye’s rising status in the European research environment.
Emphasizing Europe’s new innovation agenda and its critical role in shaping the future of innovation and economic growth, Wyganowski, Head of Cooperation in Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye, stated the strategic importance of the event by saying, “The ICTürkiye2025 event provides an important opportunity to advance cooperation between the European Union and Türkiye.”
Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Muhammet Kasım Gönüllü said, “Türkiye aims to be not only a consumer of critical technologies but also a designer, developer and exporter. In this regard, our strategic collaborations with the European Union are of great importance,” emphasizing how Türkiye integrates its technology and innovation policies with EU programmes.
Following the opening speeches, parallel workshops were held under the titles of Digital and Smart Health, Twin Green and Digital Transition of Industry, Digital, Chips and 6G and Smart Mobility, which are the priority themes of digital transformation. In these thematic sessions, participants from Europe and Türkiye discussed the research and innovation they aim to develop within the scope of the Horizon Europe Programme.
The afternoon workshops “Digital Europe – Funding Opportunities”, “Cascade Funding” and “Financial Aspects of Horizon Europe” provided participants with comprehensive information on how to access EU-supported R&D funds. One-on-one meetings and networking sessions throughout the day provided a basis for direct cooperation between researchers, entrepreneurs, public representatives and civil society actors from different countries of the world that are part of the Horizon Europe Programme with Türkiye. Over 1,000 one-on-one meetings were held within the scope of the event, laying the foundation for concrete partnerships between stakeholders.
International Brokerage events are of great importance in terms of increasing Türkiye’s influence in Horizon Europe. With these events, representatives of the Turkish Research Area (TARAL) can establish direct connections with their stakeholders in Europe, develop cross-border research collaborations and make Türkiye’s R&D potential more visible in Europe.
İsmail Doğan highlighted the importance of event such as: “ICTürkiye2025 is not just a gathering—it is a platform for ideation and exchange. Today, we will delve into digital priorities that align with both Europe’s strategic vision and Türkiye’s aspirations to be a dynamic and visible player on the global innovation stage.”
The event ended with a reception, and participants found many new collaboration established concrete project partnerships for the future, and took important steps towards the maturation of innovative ideas.
This event, blended with the historical and cultural richness of İstanbul, strengthened Türkiye’s active participation in the Horizon Europe Program, as well as providing a concrete platform for the development of scientific and technological partnerships with Europe focused on digital transformation. ICTürkiye2025 was an important turning point in the development of strategic cooperation between Europe and Türkiye focused on R&D and innovation.
Due to the great interest shown in the event and to encourage further collaboration, the duration of one-on-one meetings has been extended. In addition, stakeholders who cannot physically attend the event will be able to participate in long-term networking and collaboration development activities if they complete their profiles on the “b2match” platform in line with the event theme. Due to the dynamic nature of the event, you can visit the event page to be informed about updates and access the presentations made in the workshop sessions. The presentations made at the event will be made available on the event page after the necessary permissions are obtained.
Event Page: https://www.b2match.com/e/icturkiye-2025-international-brokerage