― 15 Ekim 2025
The “Intellectual Property Management - IP Clinic Project for SMEs,” jointly developed by TÜRKPATENT and WIPO, was introduced at a launch event held on October 15, 2025, at the TÜRKPATENT Conference Hall.
The “Intellectual Property Management - IP Clinic Project for SMEs,” jointly developed by the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office (TÜRKPATENT) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), was introduced at a launch event held on October 15, 2025, at the TÜRKPATENT Conference Hall.
The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Muhammet Kasım GÖNÜLLÜ, TÜRKPATENT President Prof. Dr. M. Zeki DURAK, WIPO TDC Director Prof. Dr. Habip ASAN, and KOSGEB President Ahmet Serdar İBRAHİMCİOĞLU.
During his speech, Deputy Minister GÖNÜLLÜ stated:
“Within the scope of this project, 20 companies carefully selected from innovative and export-oriented sectors will learn not only how to protect their intellectual property assets but also how to commercialize them to add value to their businesses.”
GÖNÜLLÜ emphasized that the main goal of this cooperation is to ensure that innovative and export-focused SMEs benefit effectively from intellectual property (IP) rights and to encourage them to strategically integrate these rights into their business models.
He underlined that in today’s competitive global economy, success depends not only on production but also on protecting and commercializing the value produced. GÖNÜLLÜ noted that Türkiye ranks 6th in the world for trademark applications, 2nd for design applications, and 12th for patent applications.
Pointing out that there are currently 1,362 R&D centers and 342 design centers operating nationwide, GÖNÜLLÜ said:
“To date, tens of thousands of R&D projects have been completed, resulting in thousands of patent applications and registrations. As of today, there are 113 active technoparks in Türkiye, hosting more than 12,000 companies and employing over 123,000 people. A total of 87,470 R&D projects have been implemented in these technoparks, generating total sales exceeding 3 trillion Turkish liras and exports reaching 15.2 billion U.S. dollars.”
He also mentioned that before the COVID-19 pandemic, Türkiye’s average annual venture capital investment was around 66 million dollars, while in the past five years, this figure has increased to 1 billion dollars per year.
Highlighting the role of international collaborations such as the IP Clinic in enhancing entrepreneurs’ global vision and competitiveness, GÖNÜLLÜ reiterated:
“Within the scope of this project, 20 companies carefully selected from innovative and export-oriented sectors will learn not only how to protect their intellectual property assets but also how to commercialize them to add value to their businesses.”
“Numbers Matter, but Commercialization Matters Even More”
TÜRKPATENT President Prof. Dr. M. Zeki DURAK stated that, according to data from the European Patent Office (EPO) and the EU Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), startups with patent registrations attract up to 10 times more investment than those without.
He added that patent-holding startups are 53% more likely to secure venture capital and 21% more likely to achieve high growth.
DURAK emphasized that TÜRKPATENT will continue to strengthen the intellectual property capacity of SMEs and said:
“Numbers are important, but commercialization is even more important. We already have many inventions with commercial potential, and their number continues to increase.”
WIPO TDC Director Prof. Dr. Habip ASAN expressed his pleasure at attending the project’s launch, noting that Türkiye ranks among the top 10 countries in the world for patent applications. He underlined that the project will enhance SMEs’ awareness of intellectual property and contribute to the innovation ecosystem.
KOSGEB President Ahmet Serdar İBRAHİMCİOĞLU stated that the program is extremely valuable for SMEs. He added that they are developing a new support program for centers that will provide training and conduct activities on patents and intellectual property rights within the scope of the project.
İBRAHİMCİOĞLU concluded by noting that more than 2,000 SMEs have already received support for their intellectual property-related activities.
