Chemical Technology Center to Become Operational

Chemistry Technology Center Begins Operations The Chemistry Technology Center (KTM), designed by the Istanbul Chemical Substances and Products Exporters Association (İKMİB), the umbrella organization for Turkish chemical sector exports, and to be realized with the support of the Istanbul Development Agency (İSTKA), is being prepared to commence operations in 2022. The KTM, which will operate on the foundations of technology, innovation and sustainability with the objective of creating a new ecosystem that will take the chemical industry and sector exports to the next level, will serve in Bilişim Vadisi, Turkey's largest thematic technology park. Within the scope of test and analysis services that the Chemistry Technology Center will provide to exporters, annual savings of USD 12.3 million will be achieved.   İKMİB, initiating the 'Chemistry Technology Center' project, which will be a first in Turkey with the vision of developing high-tech and value-added domestic products, is preparing to establish a new generation chemistry ecosystem with this center. Assuming the role of an advanced R&D center, the Chemistry Technology Center will serve in a 4-story building in Bilişim Vadisi, with approximately 7,000 square meters of space, including 1,700 square meters of entrepreneurship incubator center infrastructure specially prepared for entrepreneurs, test and analysis laboratories, and a digital library serving as a meeting point for the entire start-up ecosystem in chemistry and related sectors. A total of 209 different tests will be conducted within the Chemistry Technology Center established by İKMİB, and 100 tests will be accredited. Currently, 39 tests performed abroad will be conducted through national means thanks to KTM. With the center operating at full capacity, it is planned to provide services with an annual test capacity of 1,201,883 tests. Additionally, within the scope of test and analysis services, the KTM is expected to contribute USD 12.3 million annually to the current account deficit at optimum capacity. A cooperation protocol was signed between the Chemistry Research Technology and Innovation Center Inc. (KATİM), which is planned to begin operations this year in the heart of three important industrial cities such as Bursa, Kocaeli and Istanbul, where high-tech manufacturing takes place, and in Bilişim Vadisi, Turkey's technology and innovation hub, and Bilişim Vadisi. The signing ceremony held in Bilişim Vadisi was attended by Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank, Deputy Minister of Trade Özgür Volkan Ağar, Governor of Kocaeli Seddar Yavuz, Chairman of the Board of Management of İKMİB Adil Pelister, General Director of Bilişim Vadisi A. Serdar İbrahimcioğlu, as well as representatives from NGOs and the sector.  

Mustafa Varank: "Chemistry Technology Center is one of the investments that will make major contributions to the sector"

Speaking at the Chemistry Technology Center - Bilişim Vadisi Signing Ceremony, Minister of Industry and Technology Mustafa Varank stated: "The opening of Bilişim Vadisi was conducted by our President in 2019. This valley, which is one of the most concrete steps of our National Technology Initiative vision, has achieved tremendous development since that day. Currently, more than 270 R&D companies operating in critical areas from mobility to information and communication technologies, from software to design, are located here. Each of these companies is pioneering work that will strengthen our country's economic and technological independence through the projects they undertake. TOGG continues its R&D activities here with approximately one thousand engineers. One and a half months ago, we laid the foundation for Bilişim Vadisi Izmir. Once that is completed, it will host many domestic and foreign technology entrepreneurs. Today we have gathered for another project that befits the valley's objectives and vision. We will sign the documents to establish the Chemistry Technology Center, which began under the leadership of İKMİB and has reached this point as a result of a comprehensive needs analysis, in Bilişim Vadisi. This center will fill an important gap in accelerating the test-analysis processes needed by the sector and reducing our country's dependence on foreign sources in this area. Our exporters currently have to obtain services from abroad for nearly 50 tests and analyses. Hopefully, when this center begins operations, the 209 tests needed by the sector will be performed here using domestic and national means in accordance with international standards. Our manufacturers will save time while also reducing their costs. This place is being designed as a qualified R&D center that will provide comprehensive training and consulting services to the sector. Therefore, it will make important contributions to the development of technical and human capacity in the sector. Another critical feature of the center is that an incubator will be established within it. In this center, which will be one of the best examples of public, industry and university cooperation, innovative start-ups that will develop chemistry technologies will emerge. I congratulate everyone who has contributed to this project, which is strategic in every respect. Together with the dynamism the center will bring to the sector, I firmly believe that our already record-breaking chemical product exports will increase rapidly. It is very important that we bring this center to life as soon as possible. Together with Bilişim Vadisi, we are providing all the support we can to accelerate this work. We will not collect rent for 1 year, may it be blessed and auspicious. I would like to emphasize that the Chemistry Technology Center is one of the investments that will make major contributions to the sector."  

Adil Pelister: "Turkey grows with chemistry"

  Speaking at the signing ceremony, Chairman of the Board of Management of İKMİB Adil Pelister stated: "The signing ceremony between İKMİB and Bilişim Vadisi is the first step in bringing the Chemistry Technology Center project to life. With the lease agreement we will sign between Kimya Araştırma Teknoloji ve İnovasyon Merkezi (KATİM) Inc., which is the operator of our Chemistry Technology Center, and the management of Bilişim Vadisi, we are also taking our place in this most important technology development and application region of our country. Our primary objective is to bring our chemistry sector, which serves as a raw material, semi-product and product source for its 16 sub-sectors as well as another 27 sectors, to the highest levels as seen in all developed countries. We see the contribution of the chemistry sector from food to textiles, from automotive to communications, from defense industry to space technologies, agriculture, pharmaceuticals and medical fields. The phrase we have adopted as our motto, 'Turkey grows with chemistry,' believe me, is not exaggerated at all. To the extent that we expand the chemistry sector and develop its technologies, we believe we will accelerate the growth trend of all our other sectors."

Pelister: "KTM will play a major role in our chemistry sector's transition and adaptation processes to the green economy"

  Stating that the Chemistry Technology Center will keep millions of dollars annually within the country through its internationally accredited test and analysis laboratories, Pelister said: "On the other hand, through our Sustainability Center, it will play a very major role, particularly for our SMEs and our chemistry sector's transition and adaptation processes to the green economy. Again, by establishing our digital library, we will make all sectoral scientific publications available to our users and the scientific world. Through our entrepreneurship incubator center, we will contribute to enabling our young scientists and academics, especially within the scope of industry-university cooperation, to realize their new discoveries and technologies in the chemistry field. We will also implement our joint fund-finding models in this area in the short term. While doing all these, we will also be open to developing joint projects and models with the management of our Bilişim Vadisi. We are already in first place in sectoral exports. Hopefully, we will continue to work with all our might to make this permanent. We will also exceed our 2030 chemistry sector export target of USD 50 billion. With this enthusiasm and determination, we may reach this target much sooner. On the other hand, we welcome with appreciation the 'Chemistry Industry Technical Committee' established by our Ministry of Industry and Technology, which we view as the cornerstone for the establishment of a Turkish Chemistry Agency, and as İKMİB, we want to emphasize that we will participate with all our efforts in the work of this committee."  

Serdar İbrahimcioğlu: "The incubator is also coming to life with this cooperation"

General Director of Bilişim Vadisi A. Serdar İbrahimcioğlu: "Actually, today we are not just signing a cooperation protocol; we are bringing together two fundamental strengths of the region, automotive and chemistry, in a common center, in what we call the station of digitalization, Turkey's innovation and technology hub. In this way, we are also bringing together the chemistry sector with the mobility field, which is one of our 6 vertical sectors. While we know that the chemistry sector is one of the strong fields, with the approximately 300 software companies currently in Bilişim Vadisi, we are also implementing a cooperation that can support this. This center is not just a center that will work on chemistry technologies; it will also be able to develop Turkey's entrepreneurship ecosystem and provide infrastructure to chemistry entrepreneurs so they can do better work in Turkey. Actually, we have brought together a common incubator operating model that will serve chemistry entrepreneurs."

Innovations to be Brought by the Chemistry Technology Center:

KTM will possess a national software that can compete with the two most important laboratories in the world regarding Laboratory Management Systems software. With the Istanbul Chemistry Equipment Inventory, a minimum of 70 percent of devices within institutions and open for external use will be registered. KTM will establish a Chemistry Cooperation Consortium with 10 organizations that comply with joint working rules and have compatible basic test methodology. In this way, at least 30 devices that are idle or underutilized will be brought into the ecosystem. Additionally, one of the issues the sector struggles most with in practice, the problem of accessing consultants and obtaining healthy consulting services, will be solved with KTM guarantee.