If you have an idea, you have power, but unless you protect it, it can serve the ideas of others. When you study at university in Turkey, you need to focus not only on your studies, but also on protecting the ideas you develop. This is where “patent and intellectual property” systems come into play. Especially for international students studying in fields such as engineering, software and design, these supports are critical for both academic and entrepreneurial success.
Turkey’s government agencies, technoparks and universities provide students with various support programs for managing patents and intellectual property rights. In this article, we will take a step-by-step look at the most used support programs and the opportunities they offer to students.
What Intellectual Property Means and Why It Matters for Students
Simply put, “intellectual property” is a system that legally owns your intellectual labor. Have you developed a mobile application? Have you thought of a machine design? Or maybe your thesis proposes a solution that will be the first in the sector… The way to protect all these ideas is to know patent and intellectual property rights.
Why Protection of Your Ideas is Necessary
Turkey has come to the forefront in recent years with its R&D and innovation-oriented educational structures. For students who want to excel in this field, idea protection is not only an academic requirement, but also a financial and career opportunity. For example, a patent in the commercialization process can earn you investment support or a start-up grant.
How Patent and Intellectual Property Rights Work in Turkey
The main institution regulating intellectual property rights in Turkey is TURKPATENT. While national applications are carried out through this institution, it works in connection with platforms such as WIPO and EPO for international applications. Applications can be made online via e-Government and some fees can be reduced if you certify that you are a student.
These issues are also directly related to Support for Entrepreneurship and Business Development in Turkey. Going to an investor without protecting your Patents and Intellectual Property could mean coming back empty handed.
1602 – TUBITAK Patent Support Program: What Does It Offer to Students?
TUBITAK’s 1602 program is a patent support system developed specifically for students and academics. The main goal of the program is to protect innovative ideas and pave the way for their commercialization. Both individual and team studies are supported, especially for graduate students.
Research and Investigation Report Supports
Before applying for a patent, you need to investigate whether your idea is original. At this stage, TUBITAK provides you with approximately 105 USD support for the “Research Report” and “Investigation Report”. These reports are documents that show whether your idea was previously owned by someone else.
Supports for Patent Attorney Costs
The patent process is a bit technical, so you may often need to work with a patent attorney. TUBITAK also comes into play in this regard. It provides support up to approximately 158 USD for the proxy service. The subsidy can be up to 50% of the attorney’s fee.
Incentives Offered When a Patent is Obtained
The best news is that if your patent application is accepted and you get a certificate, TUBITAK gives you extra support. You can think of it as an achievement award. This is an incentive of around 210 USD.
| Type of Support | Amount (USD) |
|---|---|
| Research and Examination Report | 105 |
| Patent Attorney Fee Support | 158 |
| Patent Purchase Incentive | 210 |
These grants are valuable not only for patenting, but also for learning and gaining experience in the intellectual property process. Moreover, this process can be directly linked to other scientific activities such as Academic Publication and Thesis Support in Turkey.
KOSGEB Industrial Property Incentives: Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Students
If you have a product idea and want to realize it, you need to protect not only your idea but also your identity. KOSGEB (Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization) offers serious opportunities to student entrepreneurs in this field.
Brand Registration Certificate Support
One of the supports offered by KOSGEB is for the purchase of brand registration certificate. This support covers both domestic and foreign documents. Support is provided up to approximately 158 USD for a domestic document and 263 USD for an international document. These documents prove that your trademark belongs only to you and prevent unfair use.
Commercialization Stages and Support Amounts
Let’s say you developed a business idea during your university years. KOSGEB can support you in the process of turning that idea into a product and bringing it to the market. In particular, the support provided for intellectual registration documents (patent, utility model, trademark, industrial design) is very effective in turning your project into a commercial value.
KOSGEB supports are generally provided for the following steps:
- Patent or utility model application
- Trademark and design registration
- Receipt of registration documents
- Moving the application abroad
The total support that can be received in all these processes can be up to 500 USD.
These supports are available not only for company founders but also for individual applications. Of course, knowing “patent and intellectual property” rights is the basis for these applications.
How Universities’ Patent and Intellectual Property Offices Help
Each university has a “Technology Transfer Office” (TTO) or “Intellectual Property Unit”, which is at the center of student support in this area. Especially universities in big cities are very active in this regard.
Exemplary Supports of Antalya Teknokent TTO
Antalya Teknokent TTO offers students consultancy, financial support and reporting assistance in patent and utility model processes. In particular, they have guiding projects on “patent production from thesis outputs.”
Some titles of support offered:
- Consulting on project applications
- Intellectual property preliminary analysis reports
- Matching with BAP and TUBITAK projects
- Licensing and commercialization support
The aim of this system is to enable university students to turn their scientific work into intellectual products, not just publications. The number of such supports is increasing in Turkey and every university has this information on its website.
Is it possible to obtain patents from thesis and BAP projects?
Yes, and this is highly encouraged. Original ideas, especially in master’s and doctoral level research, are protected within the framework of “patents and intellectual property”, bringing both academic and commercial success. TTOs can provide free services to students in this regard.
Shape Your Future with Support in Turkey
Acquiring patents and intellectual property can seem daunting at first, but support programs make the process easier and less costly. Turkey has really improved itself in this area with its comprehensive “patent and intellectual property” support for international students.
If you have an idea, protecting it in the right way can put you one step ahead. Remember: your ideas are valuable, but protected ideas are even more valuable.
Now is the right time to start. RoadToStudy for more information on application processes, consultancy services and current support programs.