Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank inaugurated the Designhub Istanbul Design, Education and Application Center. Noting that the project developed by Kadir Has University was supported by approximately 1,5 million liras through the Istanbul Development Agency, Varank said, "This center will become one of the important centers that feeds the creative industries ecosystem in Istanbul with the education-workshop-incubation model." said.
Designhub-Ist Design, Education and Application Center, which was implemented by the Dean of Kadir Has University Art and Design Faculty with the support of Istanbul Development Agency (ISTKA), was opened. Speaking at the opening of the center, which is supported under the Creative Industries Financial Support Program of ISTKA, Varank mentioned the digital world and works of art such as metaverse and NFT, and said that the value of these digital works continues to exceed million dollars. Talking about the export success of the Turkish TV series and film industry, and the game and software industry producing unicorns, Varank stated that the concept of "creative industries" is being heard more often.
ECONOMIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL INDEPENDENCE
Emphasizing that these industries, whose raw material is ideas and develop on the basis of talent, have a transformative power on the national economies, Varank said, “For this, we need to create a facilitating and growth ecosystem that will allow the development of these industries. As the Ministry of Industry and Technology, we are growing and deepening our R&D, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, which strengthens our economic and technological independence.” he said.
15 BILLION TL SUPPORT
Stating that they support the R&D, design, investment, production and branding activities of businesses in every corner of the country, Varank stated that they have provided nearly 26 billion liras of support to more than 24 thousand projects through 15 development agencies. Pointing to the weight of Istanbul, a world metropolis, in the Turkish economy, Varank said that the megacity is the flagship of the country in terms of integration with the global economy.
SUPPORT FOR 129 PROJECTS
Referring to the efforts made to increase the weight of the creative industries in Istanbul, Varank said, “We launched the Creative Industries Development Financial Support Program to meet the financing, human resources and physical infrastructure needs. Within the scope of the program, we have provided support of approximately 129 million TL to 132 projects so far. Today, we are officially opening the Designhub Istanbul Design, Education and Application Center, which is one of these projects. We provided support of approximately 1,5 million liras to this project developed by Kadir Has University through ISTKA. This center will become one of the important centers feeding the creative industries ecosystem in Istanbul with the education-workshop-incubation model. Our Center; It will provide an environment of interaction for academics, design centers, entrepreneurs and students under the umbrella of architectural design.” said.
THE KEY TO BRING OUT
Stating that they continue to support projects that will strengthen Istanbul's place in the design and creativity ecosystem, Varank gave information on the subject. Emphasizing that design is “the key to coming to the fore” in a market with similar products in terms of price, quality and performance, Varank noted that it is possible to differentiate with design.
DESIGN CLUSTER
Giving information about the Design Cluster they implemented in the IT Valley, Varank said, “With the initiative of the design cluster, we now bring together architects, designers and artists under one roof, and bring design firms and technology firms together. Also, our doors are wide open to students here.” he said.
COMPETITIVE SECTORS PROGRAM
Stating that international resources should be used at the maximum level in order to implement the policies they developed more effectively, Varank said, “At the beginning of these is the Competitive Sectors Program, which we co-finance with the EU. To date, we have provided 88 million Euros of support to 780 projects.” said.
AN IMPORTANT CENTER IN TURKEY
Varank stated that with the Creative Industries Platform of Kadir Has University, which they will support in this context, the university will become an important center in the field of creative industries not only in Istanbul but also in all of Turkey.
CALLED
Stating that there is an opportunity to find funds for projects with EU programs in terms of international financing, Varank said, “Foreign funds are important. We are talking about huge possibilities. I want to make a call here; Please, both our professors and students should closely follow the calls to be opened in the Horizon Europe program to be carried out in the 2021-2027 period, make applications, and establish consortia. Thus, they have the opportunity to receive support and financing from the most advanced research infrastructures and the most competent actors.” used the phrases.
ENTREPRENEUR FRIENDLY
Varank emphasized that they are trying to create an entrepreneur-friendly climate in order to make Istanbul a regional and global entrepreneurship center, and that they have great potential in technology-based entrepreneurship.
NEW ECOSYSTEM
Kadir Has University Rector Prof. Dr. Sondan Durukanoğlu Feyiz, pointing to the features of Designhub-Ist, said, “The main goal of this center is; To help establish new institutional, technological and sustainable ecosystems by creating a model for platforms that will bring together the public, private sector and academic institutions.” said.
UNMATCHED MODEL
Kadir Has University Board of Trustees Chairman Can Has stated that with this project supported by the Istanbul Development Agency, an unprecedented model has been created in almost all areas of the design industry, especially interior architecture.
R&D SOURCED
The main objective of the Designhub-Ist Design, Training and Application Center is; It was determined as a support to increase the added value with innovation and R&D-based studies in the field of design and in businesses that continue their activities as design centers in Turkey, especially in Istanbul.
DESIGN AWARENESS
Other goals of the project include "raising design awareness in enterprises", "establishing a physical laboratory with the necessary equipment for measurement and analysis in order to develop R&D projects in design fields", "online and face-to-face training seminars on project and product development in the field of design for enterprises". There are objectives such as "providing training on design and project management processes, organizing panels and workshops", "granting certificates to businesses operating in the field of design".
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