TÜBİTAK clean‑tech commercialisation call

TÜBİTAK has opened a new clean-technology support call in Turkey aimed at moving accelerator graduates closer to market, with pre-registration due May 4. (tubitak.gov.tr) The April 7 call sits under TÜBİTAK’s 1601 Capacity Building for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support Programme. It targets “interface organisations” that will help start-ups from the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme and the Inclusive Green Transition Accelerator prepare scaling and commercialisation projects. (tubitak.gov.tr) TÜBİTAK said project-based pre-registrations must be completed by May 4, 2026 at 23:59 Turkey time, and full applications through the PRODİS system will be accepted until May 8, 2026 at 23:59. The support period for approved work is 12 months. (tubitak.gov.tr) Clean technology is the broad category for products that cut waste, energy use, emissions, or water consumption in sectors like power, buildings, transport, and materials. TÜBİTAK’s call is not direct prize money for start-ups; it pays intermediary groups that work hands-on with founders to shape projects for later funding rounds. (gcip.tech, tubitak.gov.tr) That design links this call to two larger TÜBİTAK funding tracks. The agency said the technical assistance is meant to help eligible start-ups prepare proposals for the 1707 order-based research and development programme and the 1832 green transformation in industry call. (tubitak.gov.tr, tubitak.gov.tr, tubitak.gov.tr) The 1707 programme funds small and medium-sized enterprises that turn customer-defined needs into commercial research and development outputs, and its second 2026 call window opens on May 4 and runs to July 17. The 1832 programme backs green transformation projects in the technology-readiness range from early validation to near-market deployment, using finance tied to the Türkiye Green Industry Project. (tubitak.gov.tr, tubitak.gov.tr, tubitak.gov.tr) Turkey’s clean-tech pipeline has been building through the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme for years. The country page for the programme says Turkey joined in 2016, received nearly 900 applications in the first phase from 2013 to 2018, and accelerated 139 clean-technology initiatives. (gcip.tech) The current phase runs from 2022 to 2027 and adds technology validation and investment-readiness work to the earlier accelerator model. TÜBİTAK and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization run the programme with Turkish ministries and other partners, while the Inclusive Green Transition Accelerator is carried out with the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. (gcip.tech, tubitak.gov.tr) TÜBİTAK used the 2025 accelerator to recruit ventures in energy efficiency, renewable energy, waste, water, buildings, transport, and advanced materials, and offered awards of 600,000 Turkish lira for first place, 450,000 lira for second, and 300,000 lira for third. That earlier step shows where the new call fits: after acceleration, before bigger commercialisation and industry-scale funding. (tubitak.gov.tr) The immediate deadline is now May 4 for pre-registration, with May 8 for full applications. The next test is whether Turkey’s interface organisations can turn past accelerator cohorts into projects strong enough for the 1707 and 1832 funding queues. (tubitak.gov.tr, tubitak.gov.tr, tubitak.gov.tr)