"Commercialization of future technologies": Nanostart on delegation in Turkey
The first official German-Turkish workshop was held in Istanbul on September 8. The German delegation was made up of high-ranking nanotechnology experts, including Marco Beckmann, CEO of Nanostart AG. >>
The purpose of the workshop was to explore possibilities for collaboration between Turkish partners from industry and German nanotechnology players and institutions and to pave the way for future German-Turkish cooperation.
At the workshop, Dr. Karl-Heinz Haas, spokesperson for the Fraunhofer Nanotechnology Alliance, gave an overview of the current situation of nanotechnology at the Fraunhofer Institutes and in Germany as a whole. He highlighted the possibilities for cooperation between Turkish industry and the Fraunhofer Society as its R&D partner.
German chemicals giant Bayer AG was represented by Dr. Péter Krueger, head of its “Nanotechnology Working Group”. Dr. Krueger gave an overview of German nanotechnology from the viewpoint of a global market leader and presented the initiative to promote industrial application of carbon nanotubes to the workshop participants.
Finally, Marco Beckmann, CEO of Nanostart AG, explained the need for secure financing and pointed out what international investors who invest in a nanotechnology company look for.
The session was chaired by Mehmet Kirca from the Enterprise Europe Network of Sabanci University, Istanbul, a renowned expert on the Turkish and European nanotech scene (see also the brief interview in this newsletter).
With firm government backing, Turkey now has 16 nanotech research centers, and the trend is rising. According to the Turkish government’s 2023 strategic report, the key application areas for nanotechnology are textiles, industrial chemicals, construction and automotive engineering.
Germany is already one of Turkey’s key trading partners. With estimated growth of 5.5% in 2011, Turkey is one of Europe’s fastest-growing economies.
Guests invited to the workshop included Sabanci Holding and the Association of Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (AIFD), which was set up in 2003 and consists of the 39 most innovative research pharmaceutical companies active in Turkey.
The workshop was organized by Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), the foreign trade and inward investment agency of the Federal Republic of Germany, and Tüsiad, the leading association of Turkish industrialists and one of the most important business federations in Turkey.
GTAI and Tüsiad held a joint press conference prior to the workshop in which Ümit Boyner, President of Tüsiad, stressed the importance of collaboration with technology leaders like Germany in the leading-edge technology sector.
