BUS602: Marketing Management

Recent economic performance has created an optimistic environment and. Turkey is being considered as the fastest growing economy with an annual average growth rate of 6.7% in Europe and among the OECD countries based on its recent economic performance.

The Turkish government is paying special attention to the development of various technology development zones (TDZ) in the country. Technology Development Zones Law defines TDZs as "Sites integrating academic, economic, and social structures at or near the campuses of research universities; advanced technology institutes; R&D centers or institutes; or a technopark involved in these same areas of work. These sites act as a place where new technology based firms produce new products or services using the latest technology based on R&D. At present there are 59 trade development zones out of which 44 are operational.

Located in the capital city of Ankara, the Middle East Technical University (METU) has more than 23,000 students, 1400 of which are foreign students from 68 countries. The University offers 40 undergraduate programs within five faculties. METU pioneered the science and technology park movement in Turkey in the 1980's. As a result, the first technopark in Turkey was founded in 1991 as a joint stock company by Middle East Technical University Development Foundation. Today, it is the biggest science park in Turkey. The METUTECH is located in the university campus on 40 ha construction area. METUTACH hosts around 150 technology based firms. The existing company profile of METUTECH companies is based on ITC, software, defense and electronics etc. METUTECH provides incubation support services in the area of international marketing, IPR, strategy, and legal issues.

METUTECH was formed in order to support the formation and development of companies which were using high-technology, ensure the development of technology and also enhance collaboration between university and industry. Besides, it was aimed to contribute to studies that aim to facilitate the transfer of university research results into economic values and enhance the country's competitive position in the international arena through uplifting its economic and technological level. The objectives of METUTECHNPARK are to promote international collaboration, networking, support innovation, and entrepreneurship and to create a suitable environment for technology transfer, and to promote university based startups and spinoffs.

There are 150 companies working in the METUTECHNPARK, 75% of which are small-medium sized companies. Export values of METUTECH is increasing year by year, with 2.9 million dollars in 2002, it reached 198.1 million dollars by 2010. METU-Technopark is considered a successful model for promoting technological innovation, technological entrepreneurship, commercialization, and technology transfer.