Ege University Science and Technology Centre:

EBILTEM

Funds from the Ege University Foundation together with national and international support programmes are utilised within the annual budget in conjunction with funding provided through international bilateral agreements and the support of scientific associations and organisations. Strengthening interdepartmental ties encourages interdisciplinary collaboration for joint projects and shared equipment, initiating and supporting international and industrial co-operation and securing funds for different projects of regional and industrial priority. Additionally, EBİLTEM promotes and facilitates technology transfer to the industrial sector in the Aegean Region.

Centre’s activities and services

• Support, guidance and coordination of research projects
• Establishing industrial liaisons and contacts
• Providing professional services such as chemical analyses, consultancy and organisational services
• Organising activities such as workshops, seminars and conferences for training and exchange of ideas in various multidisciplinary areas
• Providing funds and facilities for technical equipment that cannot be repaired in their respective departments due to lack of funds or unavailability of services
• Coordinating various support programmes and allocating them to the University personnel for different activities, such as research projects, conference organisations, participation in scientific meetings etc.

EBİLTEM has an excellent database of technical experts. It welcomes all types of applications from industry, ranging from troubleshooting to long term consultancy and analytical services to R&D projects. EBILTEM arranges meetings between the representatives of companies which require assistance and experts from the university. The project or the industrial problem is discussed in detail at these meetings. If the discussion results in a collaboration, a protocol and confidentiality agreement is signed between the parties. This approach, in neutral territory, has facilitated the establishment of a much needed trust between the two sectors, enabling smooth execution of projects with multidisciplinary character and also providing a good match with the problem and the expert.

EBİLTEM also gives financial support to projects provided that at least 50% of the budget is secured from other sources. Currently, approximately 90 collaborative projects co-sponsored by companies are being coordinated in such a manner and the ratio of outside support to university support has increased 10-fold, from 0.4 to 4 in five years. These efforts have resulted in a spin-off company for the commercial production of Microalgae (Spirulina). This model where the University is actually creating revenue through research developments is very unique in Turkey.

EBİLTEM has agreements signed with national/regional organisations which are key players in the Turkish Research and Innovation platform, such as: the Turkish Patent Institute, KOSGEB, TUBITAK, Izmir Teknopark A.Ş. and the Aegean Region Free-Trade Zone. It also collaborates closely with the European Union Business Centre in Izmir. These collaborations enable EBILTEM to give in-house services on topics such as IPR, FP6 programmes and financial support mechanisms. In addition, it has ongoing collaborations with a number of foreign RTD organisations to conduct joint research and training projects and is pursuing cooperative activities in the fields of:

EBİLTEM has been active within this framework for the last seven years, organizing annual project exhibitions, national brokerage events and forming a database for industrially applicable projects developed by regional research institutions. This provides a platform for university-industry collaborations and national technology transfers.

EBİLTEM also has experience, although limited, in collaborative work with international organisations, such as FAO, UNESCO, WHO and some private foreign consultancy firms. EBILTEM is the coordinator of the FP6 information dissemination activities in the Aegean Region as a Regional Contact Point within the NCP Network, thus it has close ties with 14 regional universities and firms. In its speedy development since 1998, EBILTEM, has initiated a spin-off company, coordinated over 150 research contracts or collaborative industrial consultancies, assisted R&D projects with regional industries and signed 16 protocols / memorandums of understanding with regional institutions. It has also organised two national brokerage events in 2002 and 2003, which have led to the initiation of 25 university-industry collaborations. Its performance clearly demonstrates its suitability as a host for IRC-EGE.