The Turkish government has taken steps to expand scientific R&D in the country by instilling a more competitive environment at universities, and establishing more research centers and staffing positions to reach the goal of making Turkey one of the 10 largest economies in the world by 2023. The country recently launched competitive research programs at universities, with the winners receiving funding for their projects and higher academic positions. Through submitting internationally relevant and competitive research, universities competed to earn the title of a “research university,” with the winning institutions allowed to create new courses and staffing positions with the approval of the Turkish Council of Higher Education.

The government has also established new research centers such as the Istanbul-based Health Institutes of Turkey, which consist of six institutes focusing on translational research. It has already opened up 300 research positions so far this year. Certain university institutes will also receive steady funding and be converted into research institutes, where they will be able to control their operations and budgets.

Source: Nature