The TAGES CEO, Leyla Arsan, and the EU Consultant of TAGES, Selen Akçalı, have evaluated the European ICT Conference on Research and Technological Development organized in Istanbul on the 29th and 30th of January, 2006, to BT Haber, weekly magazine published in Turkey on ICT.
Leyla Arsan underlined the fact that the Conference had a positive effect on the EU and Turkey relations, and that it was the first time that so many international researcher and SMEs have become together carrying scientific and technological purposes. ’29 countries from Europe and 450 participants: It is an enormous number for a project event. The best part of it is that 87 project ideas have been presented, mostly from Turkish institutions. This makes us proud. People who have presented these project ideas became together, and started to work in order to develop projects. It is amazing that first works to prepare projects to the FP7 started in Turkey.’
Arsan stressed also that the organization committee of the Conference has been praised by the European Commission representatives, which had a positive effect on negotiations. ‘This kind of successes have important roles on the EU relations. Because, the European Commission sees directly the work done, the consequences of the money it has allocated, more importantly, the Commission sees its contribution to the EU and the potential in Turkey. We have used a chance to introduce our country with organising the Conference here, in Turkey’.
Arsan pointed out that the Conference is organized in collaboration with Turkish Informatics Foundation (TBV), The Scientific Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and TAGES constituting a successful example of collaboration between private, public and non-governmental sectors.
Selen Akçalı, the EU Consultant of TAGES, evaluated the Conference as successful in the means of collaboration opportunities created between the Conference participants. ‘The Conference is realized with full attendance during two days; many SMEs found partners to their project ideas and developed new ideas. Besides the collaboration created between SMEs, collaboration between participant universities and SMEs had been created and project consortiums started to build up.’ According to Akçalı, the high attendance level to the Conference indicates that Turkish ICT SMEs have begun to habituate to project culture after the adaptation period they had during the 6thFramework Programme. For this reason, higher participation ratio of Turkish ICT SMEs is expected to the 7th Framework Programme.
You can read the full articles in Turkish by following the links below:
Konferansın ardından-Selen Akçalı-pdf
Konferansın ardından-Leyla Arsan-pdf
