Türkiye rolls out AI action plan with grants, $10B infrastructure target

Türkiye is moving ahead with the implementation of its national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy, launching new funding programs, expanding international research partnerships and seeking to mobilize at least $10 billion in investment to strengthen its AI ecosystem.

The rollout follows President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's announcement of the Türkiye AI Action Plan last month.

The Ministry of Industry and Technology, together with the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TUBITAK), universities and research institutions, is coordinating new initiatives to accelerate the commercialization of AI technologies and expand collaboration between academia, industry and the public sector.

Among the first steps, TUBITAK has opened applications for its 2026 AI Ecosystem Call, which will support consortium-based projects bringing together companies, technology providers, universities, public research centers and TUBITAK's AI Institute.

The program will provide grants of up to 10 million Turkish liras (about $250,000) per project for AI applications in sectors including smart manufacturing, agriculture, financial technologies, e-commerce, climate change and education. Applications will remain open until Sept. 18.

A separate funding program will support AI solutions developed for public institutions in areas such as finance, smart manufacturing, education and agriculture, with research projects eligible for support for up to 48 months.

Türkiye is also expanding international cooperation on AI. Under the CONCERT Japan framework, the country has joined researchers from 10 European countries, including Germany and France, and Japan to develop AI-powered robotics and autonomous systems for real-world applications.

AI investments will also be supported through the government's HIT-30 High Technology Investment Program, which allocates $1.6 billion for AI projects as part of a broader effort to accelerate digital transformation across strategic sectors, including industry, healthcare, finance and defense.

The action plan also calls for mobilizing at least $10 billion—primarily from the private sector—for data centers, cloud computing and AI infrastructure.

It also includes Terminal Istanbul, a planned hub intended to bring together AI entrepreneurs and global investors.

The plan envisions creating regulatory sandboxes in at least five sectors to test emerging AI technologies, establishing a national AI growth fund to finance future projects, and creating a national AI council to oversee implementation.

The government has said the strategy is expected to generate more than 1 trillion Turkish liras in added economic value while strengthening Türkiye's role in international AI governance.