REPORT BY THE ANKARA CHAMBER OF INDUSTRY:
“UNIVERSITY–INDUSTRY INTERACTION: THE QUEST FOR DEPTH AND TRANSFORMATION IN TÜRKİYE”
ASO PRESIDENT SEYİT ARDIÇ:
“WE MUST TRANSFORM UNIVERSITIES INTO TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS OF INDUSTRY”
The report titled “University–Industry Interaction: The Quest for Depth and Transformation in Türkiye,” prepared by the Ankara Chamber of Industry (ASO), reveals that Türkiye has largely resolved the issue of access to higher education, and that the primary challenge now lies in quality, depth, and integration with industry. ASO President Seyit Ardıç emphasized the need to transform quantitative success in higher education into a qualitative leap, stating: “We must transform universities into technology partners of industry.”
Through the reports it publishes, the Ankara Chamber of Industry (ASO) continues to accelerate the adaptation of Turkish industry to change by presenting not only analyses of the current landscape but also forward-looking perspectives and policy recommendations. The report titled “University–Industry Interaction: The Quest for Depth and Transformation in Türkiye” emphasizes that universities should evolve into technology partners of industry through advanced research, qualified human resources, and commercialized innovation. The university–industry connection is no longer viewed merely as a point of contact between educational institutions and production facilities; rather, it is regarded as a strategic backbone that will determine Türkiye’s competitiveness, productivity growth, and technology generation capacity.
“THE NEW ERA: FROM ACCESS TO DEPTH”
The report underlines that Türkiye has achieved a significant expansion in access to higher education over the past 30 years, enabling millions of young people to attend university; however, this quantitative expansion has not been matched by sufficient qualitative outcomes. Therefore, the new era must focus on a “transition from access to depth.”
It is emphasized that global competition today is no longer based solely on production capacity, but also on the ability to generate knowledge, talent, and technology. For Türkiye, the issue is not merely improving the education system, but also overcoming the middle-technology trap, strengthening high value-added production, and ensuring that the country remains competitive in the global technology race.
The report comparatively analyzes Türkiye’s higher education system alongside countries such as South Korea, Germany, and the United States, focusing on key indicators including advanced research capacity, qualified human resource development, the volume of joint industry projects, and commercialization performance. The findings demonstrate that while Türkiye has made considerable progress in expanding access to higher education, a substantial transformation is still required in terms of depth and technology production aligned with industrial needs.
HEAVY HIGHER EDUCATION BURDEN, LOW RESEARCH DEPTH
The study emphasizes that universities should not merely function as educational institutions, but rather as strategic structures that generate knowledge, advanced skills, innovation, and competitiveness.
According to the report, Türkiye demonstrates strong access performance in higher education with approximately 7.1 million students and a graduation rate of 45 percent. However, the student-to-academic ratio of 32.1 — compared to 7.1 in Germany and 13.1 in the United States — indicates limitations in fundamental research capacity. This situation suggests that Türkiye’s higher education system appears “broad but diluted.”
DEPTH AND TALENT GAP IN R&D
While the proportion of master’s and doctoral graduates in Türkiye remains around 3–4 percent, this figure reaches 20 percent in South Korea and 18 percent in Germany. The annual number of doctoral graduates in Türkiye is approximately 10,500, compared to around 30,000 in Germany and 75,000 in the United States, highlighting the disparity in advanced research capacity.
The report also draws attention to imbalances in field distribution. Approximately 50 percent of doctoral graduates in Türkiye are from social sciences, whereas engineering and natural sciences account for only around 20 percent. In contrast, technical fields represent 60–70 percent in developed countries. This imbalance demonstrates the mismatch between the competencies demanded by industry and the qualifications produced by universities.
The fact that 72 percent of employers are unable to find employees with the required qualifications indicates that the issue is not merely unemployment, but also a shortage of talent and skills. Therefore, the report stresses that deepening capacity should involve increasing the number of doctoral graduates, expanding the share of STEM disciplines within doctoral programs, increasing private-sector R&D participation, and transforming universities from knowledge-producing institutions into entrepreneurship-generating structures.
DEMOGRAPHIC RISK: TIME IS RUNNING OUT
The report emphasizes that Türkiye risks losing its demographic advantage derived from its young population as the population begins to age. According to OECD projections, the demographic opportunity window is expected to begin closing after 2030.
It is highlighted that within the next decade, nearly 7 million current university students must be equipped not only with employability skills but also with competencies in designing and managing technology, which will be critical for achieving a productivity leap in industry.
The report warns: “Otherwise, Türkiye may become a country that ages before becoming prosperous.” It further stresses that the move toward depth in higher education is not a postponable educational reform, but rather an industrial and competitiveness policy that is racing against time.
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS FROM ASO
The report also presents concrete and actionable policy recommendations to enable Türkiye to transform its success in access to higher education into a qualitative breakthrough. The main recommendations include:
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Strengthening advanced research capacity
Advanced research infrastructure should be enhanced within universities, particularly by increasing specialization at the master’s and doctoral levels in engineering and technology fields. Industry-linked doctoral models should be expanded, and thesis studies should focus on solving real sectoral problems. Within this framework, the “ASO 500 – Industrial Doctorate Mobilization” initiative stands out as a concrete instrument aimed at expanding doctoral capacity focused directly on industrial needs.
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Transitioning from “intermediate staff” to “advanced technical specialists”
With the technological transformation taking place in industry, the traditional “intermediate staff” profile should be replaced by specialists equipped with advanced technical knowledge. University curricula should be aligned with the skills demanded by industry, while applied education models and short-term competency programs should be expanded. If university curricula and research capacities fail to keep pace with this transformation, Türkiye risks becoming trapped in the “middle-technology trap.” In this regard, the “ASO Next-Gen Talent Academy” offers an important model through applied and certified short-term programs designed to accelerate this transition.
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Institutionalizing university–industry cooperation
Sustainable and scalable cooperation mechanisms should be established between universities and industry, moving beyond project-based interactions. Joint R&D, co-financing mechanisms, and long-term collaborations should be strengthened. To ensure that these relationships are maintained through permanent platforms rather than temporary contacts, the report proposes an Ankara-based institutional coordination structure supported by regular meetings, annual reporting, action plans, and pilot implementations.
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Accelerating commercialization and technology production
The transformation of university-generated knowledge into economic value should be strengthened by supporting patenting, licensing, and entrepreneurship activities. Universities should establish systems where knowledge flows not only into academic publications but also into patents, licenses, spin-offs, and commercial products.
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Performance-oriented and selective resource allocation
Instead of distributing resources equally among all universities, a model should be adopted that supports institutions with strong research and technology production capacities based on performance criteria and their potential to create transformation.
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Implementing an Ankara-centered ecosystem model
A coordinated platform built upon Ankara’s strong industrial and academic infrastructure should institutionalize and systematize university–industry–public sector cooperation. The proposed “Ankara Higher Education and Industrial Transformation Platform” aims not merely to establish coordination, but also to create an implementation model that can expand across Türkiye from Ankara. The model simultaneously highlights ASO’s roles as a policy entrepreneur, ecosystem designer, and capacity builder.
ASO PRESIDENT ARDIÇ:
“UNIVERSITIES ARE THE NATURAL COMPANIONS OF OUR INDUSTRY 4.0 JOURNEY”
Evaluating the report, ASO President Seyit Ardıç stated that the university–industry relationship must now move to a new stage, emphasizing that the real difference in global competition lies in the depth of production.
“Our industry has embarked on an Industry 4.0 journey centered on artificial intelligence, automation, data, advanced materials, and biotechnology. Our universities are the natural companions and supporters of this journey. However, we must also state clearly that a system remaining at University 2.0 may struggle to provide the necessary support for the Industry 4.0 process. The technology required by industry is produced through doctoral education, advanced research infrastructure, jointly funded public–industry projects, and commercialized innovation. Universities capable of establishing this chain will produce not only graduates, but also the future itself.
Today, the issue is not merely an education system issue; it is also about ensuring that Türkiye remains strong in the global technology race and expands its own knowledge and technology capacity.”
“WE MUST TRANSFORM UNIVERSITIES INTO TECHNOLOGY PARTNERS OF INDUSTRY”
Pointing out that Türkiye has enabled millions of young people to access university education over the last 30 years, President Ardıç stressed that a new phase must now begin:
“We now face a far more critical mission: transforming quantitative success in higher education into a qualitative leap. A system in which depth is measured not by the number of graduates but by competence, not by publications but by technology, and not by quantity but by competitiveness, will generate significant gains for Türkiye. We must transform universities into technology partners of industry. Because what Türkiye needs is not universities that merely produce diplomas, but universities that conduct research, develop products, generate patents, create entrepreneurial ventures, and contribute to industrial transformation.”
President Ardıç stated that ASO’s report proposes a new university vision for Türkiye: “Universities that are fewer in number but stronger, focused yet global, producing knowledge while simultaneously creating value. This vision will come to life through a strong ‘Triple Helix’ approach — a traditional structure that has recently regained prominence — where universities, industry, and the public sector act together.”
He also emphasized that Ankara offers a strong pilot environment for this transformation and that ASO is prepared to assume not only a supportive role, but also a guiding, designing, and accelerating role throughout the process.
President Ardıç concluded by stating that the report provides a data-driven initial framework for deepening higher education–industry relations, adding:
“It is aimed that the findings and recommendations presented will be further refined through thematic workshops, pilot implementations, and feedback mechanisms carried out together with stakeholders.”