Life Sciences Innovation Ecosystems in Turkey

1. Işıl Güney, Ph.D.
Ulysses Advisory Group
Life Sciences Innovation Ecosystem In Turkey

2. Contents
I: Components of an Innovation Ecosystem
II: Life Sciences Innovation Ecosystem in Turkey
III: How UAG Can Contribute to Innovation in Turkey

3. Components of an Innovation Ecosystem
Part I

4. Innovation – The Basic Elements
Innovation
Government Policy
Basic and translational research;
Development of human talent,
entrepreneurship and competition;
Immigration policy; Patent policy;
Start-up support; Fund and follow-
up projects with clear deliverables;
Incentivize R&D investment; Stable
and consistent policies overall
Financial Capital
Public funds;
Philanthropic
funds; Angel funds;
Venture capital
financing
Human Capital
Quality of education
and access to training
resources; Intellectual
fulfillment and financial
incentives; Opportunity
for career development
Technology &
Knowhow
Internal build up
and/or import
from outside

5. Life Sciences Innovation Ecosystem in Turkey
Part II

6. Turkey – population 75 million
18th largest economy in the world
Production driven, low-medium tech
Objective: Transform into a knowledge-based economy for smart growth
2023 Targets
Become one of ten largest economies of the world
Become a leading country in R&D; raise R&D expenditure from 0.8% to 3% of GDP
Health declared priority area
Medicines export: 595m TL; import:5b TL (2012)
Develop first Turkish drug by 2023
Government Incentives
From R&D infrastructure all the way to product marketing, attractive incentives from
government agencies, including MoDev, MoSIT, MoEcon, TUBITAK, KOSGEB, TUSEB (2017).

7. Life Science Innovation Ecosystem in Turkey
GOVERNMENT POLICY
Strengths
Increased R&D Funding (TUBITAK 1964-2003 cumulative 1.8b TL; 2015 3,2b TL)
Support Programs (Entrepreneurship; Start-up, incentivizing R&D investment)
Support of Establishment of TTOs
Support for Establishment of Funds
Room for Improvement
Continuing efforts already in place; Stability and consistency in policy (innovation and market
entry have very long timelines); long-term investment for development of human talent; Patent
policy (Bolar exemption); follow-up and follow-on funding

8. Life Science Innovation Ecosystem in Turkey
FINANCIAL CAPITAL
Fund of Funds
Turkey Investment Fund (TIF) 250m TL
Turkish Growth and Innovation Fund (TGIF) 200m Eur
Seed Funds (relatively easy to find)
EIF-supported DCP and ACT -> commercializing applied research from universities
Not enough VC funds- limiting step in startup and scaleup
There is no life-science dedicated fund in Turkey- we think this is necessary
This is a niche area that requires immense knowhow and expertise

9. Life Science Innovation Ecosystem in Turkey
HUMAN CAPITAL
Brain Drain
Large number of successful Turkish PhDs opting to work abroad
Thousands of Turkish students leave Turkey to receive education; many do not return
TUBITAK providing grants to researchers who come back

10. Life Science Innovation Ecosystem in Turkey
HUMAN CAPITAL

11. Life Science Innovation Ecosystem in Turkey
TECHNOLOGY & KNOWHOW
Internal Build-Up
Organic growth and Buildup (slow)
Clusters and consortia as platforms of collaboration: INOVITA, ITAM, ISEK
Import
Returning Scientists (not nearly enough)
TUBITAK-NIH support for R&D collaborations
Horizon 2020- supporting international collaborations

12. Life Science Innovation Ecosystem in Turkey
TECHNOLOGY & KNOWHOW
GAPS
Good ideas in academia but so far no major success stories for innovation in life sciences
Technology Transfer- efforts in place but lack of knowhow
Commercialization- From bench to the market: Business development; IP management; go-to-market
strategy; company formation and team-building; strategic partnerships; financing and exit strategy

13. How UAG can contribute to innovation in Turkey
Part III

14. Why we are interested in Turkey
Sector Potential
Strong engineering base, strong scientific diaspora, entrepreneurial drive, government support,
much room for growth within an emerging economy
Market Potential
Geography: Links to Europe, Middle East and Turkic countries
Science
We come across interesting technologies- good work should not go to waste
Our experience tells as it can be done
We have contributed to success stories in similar contexts

15. The Gaps UAG Can Fill in Turkey
Innovation
Government Policy
Policy advice and development
focusing on best practices
around the globe;
Creation of public-private
partnerships (discovery research
to product)
Financial Capital
Fundraising (seed through IPO);
Fund management;
Mergers and Acquisitions
Human Capital
Talent management;
Interim hands-on
management during
start-up or critical
organizational transitions
Technology & Knowhow
Commercialization: from bench to
market;
Technology Transfer and Licensing;
R&D portfolio management