The Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) held the MUST Meetings, organized for the sixth time this year, at the MÜSİAD Head Office. Türkiye's leading industrialists came together at the event, organized with the participation of Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır. At the event, a comprehensive report that will shed light on Türkiye's industry and technology policies was also introduced to the public.
At the 6th MÜSİAD Industry and Technology Meeting, held with the participation of Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Türkiye's production capacity, industrial transformation, high-technology investments and roadmap for the coming period were addressed. The program, organized at the MÜSİAD Head Office, continued with the addresses of MÜSİAD Industrial Policies and Investment Commission Chairman Dr. Abdullah Eriş, İTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, MÜSİAD President Burhan Özdemir and Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır.
“Türkiye's Industry and Technology Report” will give the business world a strategic perspective
Speaking at the opening of the program, MÜSİAD Industrial Policies and Investment Commission Chairman Dr. Abdullah Eriş stated that the consultation meetings held since 2022 have turned into an important platform carrying field experience into policy design, and said that the report addresses Türkiye's industrial infrastructure, technological competencies, green transformation requirements and strategic sectors in a multidimensional manner.
Eriş emphasized that the MUST Industry and Technology Index proposed by MÜSİAD will be an important tool for monitoring the transformation in industry from the private sector's perspective.
In his speech, Eriş stated that Türkiye's industrial transformation is a multidimensional process and that the areas of production, employment, technology, green transformation and qualified human resources will be strengthened simultaneously.
Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal: “This report is a concrete output of university–industry cooperation”
İstanbul Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal emphasized in his speech that the work carried out with MÜSİAD is an exemplary cooperation for Türkiye's industry and technology ecosystem. Mandal stated that the coming together of academic circles, industrialists and MÜSİAD's field experience around the same table during the preparation of the report created a strong synergy.
Stating that Türkiye's attainment of sustainable competitiveness in high-technology production is possible only through policies that are science-based, data-driven and shaped by collective wisdom, Mandal drew attention to the importance of integrating universities' accumulated knowledge with needs in the field.
Saying that as İTÜ they are pleased to contribute to MÜSİAD's report work, Mandal stated that the new period in which academia–industry cooperation will deepen further will provide Türkiye with a strong strategic advantage.
“Türkiye is right in the middle of a new era based on a production economy”
MÜSİAD President Burhan Özdemir stated that the report offers a comprehensive roadmap for Türkiye's industrial journey and used the following expressions:
“The year 2026 is a critical threshold at which structural transformations will be decisive for the Turkish economy. Economic policies that advance while preserving the production-employment cycle keep the private sector's appetite for investment alive. Green transformation, digitalization and advanced manufacturing form the main axis of both competitiveness and sustainable development. As MÜSİAD, we will continue to be not merely a follower of this process, but an active stakeholder, a producer of solutions and a guide.”
Özdemir expressed that with the Measurement-Evaluation and Monitoring Centre to be established in the coming period, they will support data-based policies.
Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “Türkiye is a rising production base in the global industrial ecosystem”
Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır shared in his speech, with detailed data, the transformation Türkiye has achieved in industry over the last 23 years. Minister Kacır stated that product exports, which stood at USD 36 billion 23 years ago, have today reached USD 270 billion; that the added value of the manufacturing industry has risen from USD 41 billion to USD 241 billion; that Türkiye is Europe's leader in many production areas such as commercial vehicles, solar panels, textiles, cement, steel and white goods; that the private sector is steering technology-focused transformation with more than 1,700 R&D and design centres; and that R&D expenditures have increased 16.5-fold in 23 years to USD 19.9 billion.
Minister Kacır emphasized that new-generation supports such as the HIT-30 Program, the Investment Commitment Advance Loan, the Hamle Program and the Employment Protection Program will continue to strengthen high-technology production, green transformation and employment.
Stating that within the scope of the Industrial Areas Master Plan four new industrial corridors will be created, namely Samsun–Mersin, Mersin–Şırnak, Sivas–Iğdır and Trabzon–Şırnak, Kacır said that production will be spread across Anatolia in a balanced manner through mega industrial zones.
Field assessments were gathered at the industrialists' meeting
In the afternoon part of the program, the MUST-Industrialists Meeting was held with the participation of Minister Kacır. At the session, sector representatives shared their current assessments regarding production, investment, export, green transformation and technology needs; the proposals to be compiled into a report by MÜSİAD were addressed.
“Türkiye's Industry and Technology Report” is of reference quality for policymakers
It was emphasized that the report analyses Türkiye's transformation requirements with a holistic approach within a broad framework, from the historical development of industrial policies to strategic sectors, from high technology to human resources, and from green transformation to disaster resilience.
MÜSİAD drew attention to the fact that the report will contribute to the policy design of both the private sector and the public sector.
To access Türkiye's Industry and Technology Report prepared by MÜSİAD, click here.
