TÜBİTAK Marmara Technology Park

TÜBİTAK Marmara Technology Park (MARTEK) is a technology development zone located in the Gebze district of Kocaeli, operating under the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBİTAK). Established in 2003, MARTEK holds dual status as both a Technology Development Zone (TEKGEB) and a Technology Free Zone (TEKSEB), making it the only technology park in Türkiye with this distinction.^【1】

The foundations of MARTEK were laid in 1992 within the TÜBİTAK Gebze Campus as the TÜBİTAK Technology Development Center. In 1998, it was officially declared Türkiye’s first technology park established by law under the name TÜBİTAK Marmara Technology Park (MARTEK). It attained TEKGEB status in 2003 and gained TEKSEB status in 2004. This structure enables not only research and development activities but also the serial production and commercialization of developed technologies.

MARTEK covers a total area of 619,692.56 m², of which 259,692.56 m² is designated as TEKGEB and 360,000 m² as TEKSEB. Marmara Technology Park Inc. was established through a partnership between TÜBİTAK (96%), the Turkish Technology Development Foundation (TTGV) (1%), the Kocaeli Chamber of Industry (KSO) (1%), the Sakarya Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SATSO) (1%), and the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (İSO) (1%).

Activities and Innovation Ecosystem

MARTEK hosts companies focused on research and development and innovation. In 2022, the 175 companies within MARTEK employed approximately 3,500 R&D and support staff and achieved exports worth $65 million to 70 countries. In the same year, the domestic turnover of these companies reached 2 billion Turkish Lira.

Companies operating under the Marmara Technology Park umbrella can benefit from the following incentives: for TEKGEB, income and corporate tax exemptions, VAT exemption for software developers, tax exemption on personnel salaries, 50% reduction in employer contributions to the Social Security Institution, customs duty exemption, and for TEKSEB, VAT exemption, 100% exemption from corporate and income taxes, customs duty and Resource Usage Support Fund (KKDF) exemption, and support for low-cost energy use.

Idea Incubation Center

The Idea Incubation Center, operating under the Marmara Technology Park umbrella, provides startups at the idea stage through pre-seed investment phase with training, events, patent support, performance assistance, access to investors, free consulting, and laboratory support.

TUGİP

TUGİP was established under the INNOFOOD project, supported by the European Union and the Republic of Türkiye within the Competitive Sectors Program, led by the TÜBİTAK MAM Food Institute.

The Food Innovation Center, housed within MARTEK, includes pilot production lines and an Advanced Food Innovation Laboratory designed to meet Türkiye’s R&D and innovation needs in the food and beverage sector. These facilities support the development of new products and processes in areas such as dairy products, fermented foods, herbal teas, animal-based fibers, and organic food preservation. Approximately 40 food sector startups operating under the Marmara Technology Park umbrella receive incubation services from this center.^【2】