Türkiye’s investment in research and development (R&D) has reached an unprecedented 377.5 billion Turkish Lira (TRY) in 2023, a rise of 178.9 billion TRY from the previous year, according to a report released by the Turkish Statistical Institute on Tuesday.

The Gross Domestic Expenditure on Research and Development (GERD) accounted for 1.42% of Türkiye’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which was recorded at 26.5 trillion TRY. This marks an increase from the GERD-to-GDP ratio of 1.32% in 2022.

Financial and non-financial corporations dominated R&D spending in 2023, contributing 65.1% of total GERD. Higher education institutions followed with a 30% share, while government and non-profit sectors combined accounted for 4.9%. Personnel expenditures emerged as the largest R&D spending category, representing 52.5% of the total.

In terms of funding sources, corporations also played a leading role, funding 52.6% of the total R&D expenditure. They were followed by the government at 33.1%, higher education at 12.7%, foreign funds at 1.6%, and other national sources at 0.03%.

Employment in the R&D sector also saw significant growth, with 290,850 full-time equivalent (FTE) R&D personnel employed in 2023. Of these, corporations employed the majority, accounting for 65.4% of the R&D workforce, followed by higher education with 31.4% and the government and non-profit sectors with 3.1%.

Women comprised 34.1% of the R&D workforce, totaling 99,195 FTE personnel. Female representation varied across sectors, with higher education showing the highest rate at 47.7%, followed by government and non-profit sectors at 29.6%, and corporations at 27.8%.

Regarding the educational background of Türkiye’s R&D personnel, 38.3% held a bachelor’s degree, while 31.0% had a doctoral or equivalent qualification. Master’s degree holders accounted for 21.4%, and those with short-cycle tertiary education made up 4.9%. Only 4.4% had an upper secondary education or lower.

When considering FTE R&D personnel by education level, bachelor’s degree holders were the largest group at 47.4%, followed by those with doctoral-level qualifications at 21.9%, and master’s level at 19.8%.

Regionally, Ankara led the country in R&D expenditure, accounting for 29.7% of total spending, closely followed by Istanbul at 28.9% and the TR42 region (which includes Kocaeli, Sakarya, Düzce, Bolu, and Yalova) at 10.6%.

In terms of R&D personnel, Istanbul ranked first with 31.7% of the national R&D workforce, followed by Ankara with 19.4% and the TR42 region with 8.1%.

Among corporate R&D expenditures totaling 246 billion TRY, 53.2% was conducted within specialized R&D centers. Notably, 88.3% of this spending in R&D centers came from large enterprises with 250 or more employees.

The manufacturing industry played a central role in R&D, with 47.5% of the 139.5 billion TRY spent in this sector going towards high-tech activities. Medium-high technology enterprises accounted for 40% of manufacturing R&D spending, with medium-low and low-tech activities representing 8.5% and 4.0%, respectively.

In terms of researcher employment within manufacturing, medium-high technology enterprises led with 32,778 researchers, while high-tech enterprises employed 19,865 researchers. When measured in FTE, medium-high technology enterprises remained dominant, employing 30,144 FTE researchers.

The latest figures demonstrate Türkiye’s commitment to expanding its R&D capabilities, with a marked increase in spending, workforce, and high-tech manufacturing activities. With corporations leading both in R&D investment and funding, and a significant regional concentration in Ankara and Istanbul, Türkiye continues to strengthen its position in innovation-driven economic growth. (ILKHA)