TUBITAK 1507 SME R&D Support 2026

TUBITAK 1507 provides grant funding covering up to 75% of approved R&D project costs for Turkish SMEs and startup companies. Eligible expenses include personnel costs, consumable materials, equipment, software, consultancy services, and travel related to the R&D project. The programme is specifically designed for SMEs that are new to formal R&D activities, providing a streamlined application process with mentoring support throughout the project lifecycle.

TUBITAK 1507 projects can typically run for up to 18 months, with the possibility of extensions under certain conditions. Grant recipients must submit periodic technical and financial reports demonstrating progress against the approved project plan. TUBITAK assigns a monitoring committee that evaluates reports and conducts site visits. Final payments are contingent on successful completion of project milestones and proper financial documentation of all claimed expenditures.

TUBITAK 1507 targets SMEs conducting initial R&D, unlike the broader 1501 for experienced performers. Enhanced support rates acknowledge steeper learning curves. Simplified documentation reduces barriers for companies without grant-writing expertise. Mentorship connects recipients with research institutions, building organizational R&D competency beyond the funded project scope.

Expert panels of academics and specialists assess whether projects involve systematic investigation of technological uncertainties. They distinguish qualifying development from routine engineering or quality assurance. Projects must articulate challenges not solvable from existing knowledge. Methodologies should be capable of yielding publishable or patentable outcomes supporting genuine industrial innovation.

TUBITAK technical panels assess defense sector proposals examining technology substitution feasibility for imported components including avionics circuit board assemblies, composite airframe structural elements, and electro-optical targeting system subassemblies. Indigenous development timelines must demonstrate achievable qualification testing schedules compatible with prime contractor integration milestones. Environmental qualification testing encompassing altitude simulation, salt fog corrosion resistance, and electromagnetic pulse survivability represents mandatory demonstration requirements. Supply chain sovereignty documentation identifying critical raw material sourcing, specialized manufacturing process dependencies, and workforce security clearance availability substantiates national defense industrial base contribution narratives.

TUBITAK incentivizes university partnership arrangements where academic researchers contribute specialized analytical instrumentation access, computational simulation capabilities, and domain expertise while SME partners provide commercial requirement specifications, prototype fabrication facilities, and market validation resources. Technology transfer offices at Istanbul Technical University, Middle East Technical University, and Bogazici University maintain standardized intellectual property licensing frameworks accommodating collaborative project outputs. Publication rights negotiation balancing academic dissemination objectives against commercial confidentiality requirements requires explicit contractual provision. Graduate student researcher employment within SME project teams facilitates knowledge transfer and workforce pipeline development simultaneously.