📌 What Will You Find in This Guide?
If you run a company that carries out R&D or plans to, simply submitting an application is not enough to get the maximum benefit from TÜBİTAK's 1501 and 1507 grant programs. A well-prepared project, a realistic budget, strong technical content, and a commercialization strategy substantially increase the odds of success.
- ✔ The scope of the 1501 and 1507 programs
- ✔ The core differences between the two programs
- ✔ Who can apply?
- ✔ 2026 evaluation changes
- ✔ Supported expenses
- ✔ Tax advantages
- ✔ Strategies for a successful application
📑 Table of Contents
1. What Are TÜBİTAK 1501 and 1507?
The TÜBİTAK 1501 and TÜBİTAK 1507 programs are non-repayable R&D grant programs run by TEYDEB. Both programs provide financing to businesses developing technology, but they differ from each other in terms of target audience and project scale.
📌 Shared Purpose
- ✔ Supporting R&D activities
- ✔ Encouraging technology development
- ✔ Increasing high-value-added production
- ✔ Creating export potential
- ✔ Raising competitiveness
TÜBİTAK 1501
- ✔ Industrial R&D Projects Grant Program
- ✔ No budget ceiling
- ✔ Project duration up to 36 months
- ✔ 75% grant for SMEs / 60% grant for large companies
- ✔ Unlimited number of applications
TÜBİTAK 1507
- ✔ SME R&D Starter Grant Program
- ✔ Budget ceiling of TL 3.5 million
- ✔ Project duration up to 18 months
- ✔ Fixed 75% grant support
- ✔ Up to 5 projects per company over its lifetime
| Feature | TÜBİTAK 1501 | TÜBİTAK 1507 |
|---|---|---|
| Support Budget Limit | No Upper Limit | TL 3.5 Million |
| Project Duration | Max. 36 Months | Max. 18 Months |
| Target Audience | All SMEs and Large-Scale Companies | SMEs Only (First 5 Projects) |
| Support Rate | 75% for SMEs - 60% for Large Companies | 75% Fixed |
💡 Expert Commentary
For SMEs new to R&D activity, the TÜBİTAK 1507 Program is a faster and ideal starting opportunity in terms of procedure. However, if your budget need exceeds TL 3.5 million, or if you have used up your 5-project quota, you should move forward directly with the TÜBİTAK 1501 Program.
2. Who Can Apply, Who Cannot?
To apply to the TÜBİTAK 1501 and 1507 programs, companies must be capital companies established in Turkey. Alongside this, the submitted project genuinely qualifying as R&D is one of the most important evaluation criteria.
✅ Structures That Can Apply
- ✔ Limited Companies
- ✔ Joint Stock Companies
- ✔ Technopark / TDZ Companies
- ✔ Foreign-Partnered Companies Established in Turkey
- ✔ Software and IT Companies
- ✔ Manufacturing Industry Companies
- ✔ Defense Industry Companies
- ✔ Biotechnology and Medical Companies
❌ Structures That Cannot Apply
- ❌ Sole Proprietorships / Individual Businesses
- ❌ Associations and Foundations
- ❌ Universities (Cannot apply alone, can be a partner)
- ❌ Foreign firms with no legal entity (branch/company) in Turkey
🌍 Can Foreign-Partnered Companies Apply?
Yes. This is one of the most commonly misunderstood points. A company being foreign-capital is not, on its own, an obstacle to receiving TÜBİTAK support.
For example, a German-partnered software company, a US-funded startup, or a UK-capital technology company can apply, provided the necessary conditions are met, as long as it has a legal entity established in Turkey (a Limited or Joint Stock Company).
Determining Factors in an Application
- Being a capital company established in Turkey
- The project genuinely qualifying as R&D
- Containing elements of technical uncertainty and innovation
- Producing an innovative solution and a prototype
- Having commercialization and marketability potential
3. How Did the Evaluation System Change in 2026?
With the 2026 calls, some important updates were made to the evaluation system. Now, not just technical adequacy, but also the project's economic outputs, sustainability, and the company's past performance directly affect the score.
📈 Commercialization and Performance Tracking
Whether previously supported projects actually turned into commercial success now critically affects the evaluation score.
- Did it turn into a product and generate commercial sales?
- Did it convert into exports or create a foreign-exchange-earning effect?
- Was a patent/utility model registered or licensed?
- Was the transition to serial production achieved?
| Priority Areas & Focus | Evaluation Advantage |
|---|---|
| Technological Leap in Industry & Deep Tech | + Priority Score / Privilege |
| Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence Technologies | + Priority Score / Privilege |
| Green Deal and Sustainability-Focused Projects | + Priority Score / Privilege |
⚠️ New Call and Application Limit
Within the same call period, a company may, as a rule, submit a maximum of two applications in total across the TÜBİTAK 1501 and 1507 programs. However, multi-partner and order-based R&D projects can be held as an exception to this limitation.
4. How Do Reviewers Evaluate Your Project?
TÜBİTAK reviewers evaluate projects not only from a technical standpoint but also in terms of feasibility, economic contribution, and commercialization potential. For a successful application, all three of these areas need to be built up together, strongly.
R&D Quality
- Is there technical uncertainty?
- Is the level of innovation sufficient?
- Is there a counterpart in the literature?
Feasibility
- Is the team adequate?
- Are the work packages planned correctly?
- Is the budget realistic?
Economic Benefit
- Who is the target market?
- Is there export potential?
- Is the commercialization plan strong?
🚫 The Most Common Mistakes
- Describing the project as routine software development or copying a commercial product, instead of R&D
- Failing to clarify the technical uncertainty and the challenges to be overcome
- Preparing an unrealistic budget that does not match market realities
- Leaving the commercialization and marketing plan superficial
- Designing work packages that are disconnected in terms of timing and competency
5. Which Expenses Are Supported?
Many expense items incurred within R&D activities deemed eligible by TÜBİTAK are included within the scope of grant support.
👨💻 Personnel Expenses
- Software developers and engineers
- Data scientists and system architects
- Test and quality specialists
- Technical personnel on the project team
🖥️ Machinery and Equipment
- Dedicated servers to be used in the project
- Laboratory and measurement equipment
- Prototype development hardware
- Testing and analysis devices
💻 Software Licenses & Services
- CAD/CAM and simulation tools
- Development and analysis software
- Consulting and prototype production services
- Testing and calibration service procurement
✈️ Materials, Travel, and Patents
- Raw materials consumed in prototype production
- Technical visits and project travel
- Patent registration and intellectual property expenses
- Certified Public Accountant (YMM) report fees
⚠️ Expenses Not Covered by the Support
- Routine marketing, advertising, and sales activities
- Standard website development with no R&D content
- Installation and customization of off-the-shelf commercial software
- Investment and raw material expenses at the serial production stage
6. Application Process and Call Calendar
Applications are carried out entirely electronically and with an e-signature through PRODİS (the TEYDEB Project Evaluation and Monitoring System).
1. Project Idea & Design
2. Technical & Budget File
3. PRODİS Application
4. Reviewer & Committee Evaluation
📅 An Important Note on Call Periods
The TÜBİTAK 1501 and 1507 programs generally open for calls twice a year. Call calendars, pre-registration deadlines, and project submission dates are announced through the official TÜBİTAK TEYDEB portal. Since the project preparation process takes at least 1-2 months, it is recommended to prepare the technical design without waiting for the call announcement.
7. Tax Advantages and Combined Use With Other Incentives
- Special Fund Account: Grants received from TÜBİTAK are held in a special fund account on the balance sheet and are not taxed as commercial income.
- Double Support Ban: The same expense item cannot be funded twice, both by a TÜBİTAK grant and by another public institution (such as KOSGEB).
- Technopark and R&D Center Integration: Projects carried out in technoparks or R&D centers can be combined simultaneously with income/corporate tax exemptions, social security premium incentives, and stamp duty exemptions.
8. Common Traits of a Successful Application
9. Frequently Asked Questions
Can a newly established company apply?
Yes. Being a newly established (startup) company is not on its own an obstacle. It is enough for the company to be a capital company and for the project to have strong R&D content.
Can a company with no revenue or turnover apply?
Yes. In TÜBİTAK's evaluation, the nature of the project, the competency of the team, and commercialization potential take precedence over the company's past turnover.
Is the support repayable?
No. The TÜBİTAK 1501 and 1507 programs are non-repayable grant support. The specified rates (75% or 60%) of your approved expenses are paid into your account.
Is it mandatory to get consulting support?
No, it is not mandatory. However, getting professional consulting support to write the project in line with TÜBİTAK terminology, structure the budget correctly, and manage the reviewer process increases the odds of success.
10. Conclusion
The TÜBİTAK 1501 and 1507 grant programs are among Turkey's most important sources of non-repayable R&D financing for companies developing technology. A successful application is not merely a matter of filling out a technical form. The project's R&D depth needs to be designed as a whole, together with the budget structure, work packages, and commercialization strategy.