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Prof.Dr.Sûha SEVÜK (President of METU)
It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the foundation ceremony of the first building of the METU Technopolis, one of the biggest projects of our university.
The preparations for this Technopolis which started 10 years ago have accelerated in recent years and today we are here to lay the foundations of this project. There are several reasons why our country has no other Technopolises, the most important ones being the slowness in technological development in the country together with the lack of importance attached to science, technology and R&D. The beginnings of the Silicon Valley phenomenon in the United States date back to the very first research park established by Stanford university in 1956. Science parks, centers and technopolises in Europe started in the 70s while those in the Far East did so in the 80s. These institutions support the establishment and growth of companies and thus ensure technological development and competitive economic power in the international arena.
So what will METU Technopolis mean for us? First of all, it will bring university support in any knowledge-based activity, the chief one being consultancy in market analysis and business planning. In addition, the laboratories and infrastructure of the university will be used to support technological development and to offer R&D companies high-quality social and cultural facilities. As the METU community, we expect this project to bring about university-industry collaboration, more research, economic assets, and graduates who offer employment rather than seek it. Our university started the Technopolis preparations in 1987. Initially, we examined model institutions from around the world, and both introduced and debated the notion of a Technopolis within and outside the university.
In 1992, we set up METU KOSGEB Technology Development Center, known as TEKMER. In its 5th year, more than 25 companies are in operation at TEKMER, which provides services for small and young companies developing a new product-oriented technology. Some of the companies at TEKMER started off with 2 people and ended up as strong companies providing employment for more than 200 engineers and technicians, with an endorsement of 5-10 million US Dollars, and exporting products and technology to both Europe and Asia. In 1995, we accelerated the METU Technopolis preparations when it was obvious that TEKMER had reached its aim and the next stage was therefore needed. While an international company was commissioned with the task of determining the feasibility of a Technopolis in Ankara, METU Technopolis urban design was made with the sponsorship of DPT. The Technopolis Regulation was issued with the cooperation of the University, TUBITAK, and the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, which was followed by the signing of the contract with METU-HALICI SOFTWARE, the first building in the METU Technopolis. I would like to thank Mr Emrehan Halıcı, chairperson of HALICI Executive Board, for the trust he has in METU and I congratulate him on his courage for being a pioneer.
Finally, I would like to give you some information about the METU Technopolis which will be located on a land of 80 hectares with 200,000 metersquares of indoors area. When it is complete, it will be a science park accommodating over 4,000 researchers.
Apart from software, other potential technologies and sectors will include electronics, telecommunications, defence, chemistry, biotechnology, automotive, machinery, food and textile industries.
People of this country; workers, employers, farmers, university staff all work very hard. We believe that their efforts will be much more worthwhile if the tense social atmosphere and the political instability in the country is overcome. I firmly believe that this depression will come to an end very soon within the constraints of democracy. We are honoured to be laying the foundation for the very first Technopolis in Turkey today.
Emrehan HALICI
Today is a significant day, a very big step towards becoming an Information Society in the Information Age. This project is a serious and concrete effort for university-industry collaboration. METU is once again being a pioneer by establishing the very first Technopolis in the country. I would like to voice my gratitude to Professor Suha SEVUK, the hard-working and far-sighted president of METU, other respected professors of the university, the maintenance managers and the architect of our project Ms Semra Teber.
At first glance, METU-HALICI Software may not look like a particularly profitable investment on its own. However, it gives us an opportunity to pay back our debts to this invaluable university that graduated me and many of my colleagues because as the gap between university and industry decreases, efficiency and productivity rises. When the scientifically and technologically-minded people are supported by institutions, there is increased information-sharing and cooperation. There is no more waste of human power, time or money.
Mr President, we owe you the recent initiatives given to Software and R&D, the recent works of art law and the giant software projects that Turkey has been pursuing abroad, particularly in the Turkic Republics. You have accepted us, the representatives of the sector, many times and have honoured our meetings as well and talked to us about a new world order emphasizing the importance of information and the individual. You have directed us to take developed countries as a role model and to establish relationships with them, to become hard-workers and to make new investments with an initiative spirit. And we are gladly following your advice. Please continue giving us new targets to meet in the future.
As you all know, software is an environmentally-friendly industry. There is no waste and no contamination and our colleagues love and respect the nature. Here at METU-HALICI Software, we aim for our employees to enjoy the beautiful natural environment of the university in addition to making use of the many other facilities available on campus. We also aim to connect the university with industry; namely, we aim to connect the man power, the scientific atmosphere, the curious, thoughtful and investigative teaching of the university with planning, production, marketing and finance. Me and my colleagues are all very excited at the moment. I am indebted to many people including my father, my family, colleagues and friends; however, I would like to save my thanks for the opening day which I hope to also share with you. Ladies and gentleman, thanks for your interest and support.
SÜLEYMAN DEMİREL (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti 9.Cumhurbaşkanı)
My fellow citizens, I would like to thank everyone who has helped make Middle East Technical University the institution that it is today in the past 41 years. I invite Professor Erdal INONU, the president of the university 30 years ago, to share with us his feelings today.
ERDAL İNÖNÜ (ODTÜ Eski Rektörü)
Dear President, dear President of METU, dear guests, dear students and colleagues, this is a great surprise for me. Indeed, I had just been thinking that 30 years ago when we first came to this campus, it was barren land. I remember my father looking around him during a ceremony and say: "You have succeeded in barren land!". Our president then, the late Mr Kurdas, was working very hard to turn this land into a forest. I was a lecturer at the time and a researcher, and I saw his efforts as a waste of time. So did many of my colleagues. But time has proved Mr Kurdas right and it is his 30 year old efforts that allows Mr Halici to offer such an environment to software developers today. The thing to do now is to produce knowledge and to contribute first hand to the global realm of science. We must from now on play in the Premiere League of the world. We have the youth and the potential to materialize this. Now I want to set a bold target for everyone present here today: We expect you to take us to unparalleled places in the world in the software sector.
I thank Mr President again for kindly inviting me to give this speech and I wish the best of luck to all my colleagues here.
SÜLEYMAN DEMİREL
From barren land to a green forest . . . this is the metaphor for everything our Republic has been striving for. Green symbolizes productivity and hope. And these were our dreams in our struggle for civilization. We have come a long way in 73 years and this has strengthened our hopes for the future and our trust in the state and democracy.
Of course, the road we travelled from ignorance to knowledge has been a struggle and this effort has always existed ever since the beginning of civilizations. Civilizations develop continually and refresh themselves regularly; one can easily fall behind unless conscious effort is made. However, easy as it is to fall behind, it is not as easy to "stay" behind. The first step in keeping up with the times is to advance scientifically and technologically. This is why Middle East Technical University is striving hard for excellence. They have educated many fruitful people in the past 41 years and have also contributed to educating university staff. I know how this university came into existence and I have witnessed many stages in its development. Universities are important to me and I encourage their competition in spreading science, technology, culture, arts and sports to the farmost corners of the country. I invite everyone to reconsider Professor Sevuk's speech. I have been emphasizing for years the need for universities to connect with the public and this will finally be possible through the technical university-industry collaboration.
We are currently establishing two new high technology institutes, one in Izmir and the other in Gebze. The foundation ceremony of the Technopolis in Gebze will take place on the 26th. Likewise, Istanbul Technical University and Izmir University are setting up Technopolises. These are 20th century inventions, and so is software. In this regard, Turkey is no longer behind modern times, as we had been with electricity and the telephone before.
The Technopolis here at METU will make every Turk proud and I hope that the number of Technopolises rises in the future. Just imagine 4,000 young technicians, engineers and scientists working in this environment for production and advancement. What a development this is! We have managed to transform this university, once built in completely deprived barren land. Now we will be going farther and this advancement should not be conditional. It is true that social tensions and political instability are serious hindrances for development but we should remember that Turkey's development should not be conditional on overcoming these difficulties. Remember that we have overcome many serious obstacles along the way and have faith that we will do it again. Turkey's technological development will help us tackle these obstacles more easily and we are all willing to do it.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to congratulate Mr Emrehan Halici and his father, my valuable friend and former senator, Mr Feyzi Halici. Mr Emrehan Halici has been very successful in the field of technology and has also been a great help to us at different times. I want to congratulate the university as well for educating individuals like Mr Halici. I set him and his project as a model for today's youth. You can do the same thing! Just keep on working hard...
I salute you all. Thank you.
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