The 28th Supreme Council for Science and Technology Meeting was Held
The 28th Supreme Council for Science and Technology (SCST) meeting was held on January 6, 2014 under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in the House of Provinces, Gölbaşı, Ankara.
The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Deputies Bülent Arınç, Ali Babacan, Numan Kurtulmuş; the Minister of Science, Industry and Technology Fikri Işık, the Minister of Family and Social Policies Ayşenur İslam, the Minister of Justice Bekir Bozdağ, the Minister of European Union Relations Volkan Bozkır, the Minister of Economy Nihat Zeybekçi, the Minister of Youth and Sports Akif Çağatay Kılıç, the Minister of Finance Mehmet Şimşek, the Minister of Forestry and Water Works Veysel Eroğlu, the Minister of Health Dr. Mehmet Müezzinoğlu, the Minister of the Environment and Urbanization İdris Güllüce, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Taner Yıldız, the Minister of Food, Agriculture and Livestock Dr. M. Mehdi Eker, the Minister of Internal Affairs Efkan Ala, the Minister of Education Prof. Dr. Nabi Avcı, the Minister of Transportation, Maritime and Communication Lütfi Elvan, Deputy Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler, AK Party Deputy General Chairman Ekrem Erdem, YÖK (Higher Education Board) President Yekta Saraç, TBMM (Turkish General Assembly) National Education, Culture and Youth Commission Chairman Emrullah İşler, TBMM Chairman of Industry, Commerce, Energy, Natural Resources, Information and Technology Commission Halil Mazıcıoğlu; TBMM Health, Family, Employment and Social Services Commission Chairman Prof. Dr. Necdet Ünüvar, TÜBA Chairman Prof. Dr. Ahmet Cevat Acar, TÜBİTAK Chairman Prof. Dr. Yücel Altunbaşak, TOBB (The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey) Chairman Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu as well as the authorities of other concerned institutions and organizations.
In the opening of the 28th Supreme Council for Science and Technology meeting, Prime Minister Prof. Dr. Ahmet Davutoğlu said "We are going through a period in which the chance to serve as a leader in information and technology has been presented to us as an historical opportunity. In this era where new technologies are paving the way for us, we have been presented with a historical opportunity to be a leader in information and technology".
Emphasizing that one of the main factors in establishing civilizations was the ability of humans to be knowledgeable in founding past civilizations and in their development process, the ability to develop reasoning and the capacity to produce science and technology from knowledge; Başbakan Davutoğlu pointed out that even the concept of civilization itself is shaped by the paradigm of existence, knowledge and value; and added:
"Every change represents the passage to a new stage in the history of humans with a new existence philosophy, a new knowledge philosophy and a new values system. When we consider it from this perspective one of the basic issues we are faced with today is for our country to be able to increase its competitive edge against other countries with its ability to transform existing knowledge into science."
The use of knowledge in the advancement of states...
Explaining that humanity has been through three important paradigmatic changes in the past, Davutoğlu continued as follows:
"The societies, communities, people and countries that possessed a production capacity and took on leadership during these processes gained guiding leadership qualities in late periods. Those who could not keep up with these developments remained behind the times, were forced to be condemned to the knowledge and technology produced by others and settle for the reality of only being the passer on of this knowledge and technology. In our history, when we take a look at the rise of states and especially the transformation of the Ottoman Empire as the last ancient example, the period that took place with the conquering of Istanbul must be examined carefully in terms of moving towards a new political ground representing a transformation from nomads to a state and from there a new world order.
With that conquest a new city did not just transform from a military victory to the capital of a new country, but at the same time all ancient knowledge began flowing to Istanbul directly after the conquest. İstanbul became a large hub of science where the existing ancient knowledge flowed rather than just a political center. When we consider that cannon technology used during the conquest, led to Ali Kuşcu being brought from Samarkand to Istanbul and later the science of that period being used in daily life, we can see how the use of knowledge plays an effective role in the rise of governments in terms of technology."
We have experienced a technology that is set to adapt and to be followed
"In our history the rise of our governments have been possible with our ability to create political order where that knowledge paradigm and morals unite" said Davutoğlu, and continued as follows:
"In that sense we are the final center of ancient times. The land of Anatolia always maintained its quality of being a center where this ancient culture is blended and developed by the Harran University and the nature of Harran being a center for knowledge throughout history. In later periods, in the passage to the knowledge paradigm that developed with the industrial revolution from the ancient science approach at the second important stage; we were unable to have the resources to follow technological progress with the same speed and because we had experience in obtaining the results of the industrial revolution more directly from its causes we first brought the results, the consumer results and the industrial revolution to our country. Then later we made an effort to bring the technology to our country and the difference between us was that compared to countries which utilized the scientific paradigm that came with the industrial revolution, our power declined and, in terms of international competition, we experienced more adapting and following technology rather than being a leader of technology in the past 200 years."
Başbakan Davutoğlu explained that after the 1990s, when communication technology came into the picture, a period in which faster adjustment occurred in terms of implementing technology based on knowledge and information, and added:
"However we have not completely transformed from being a society that uses technology quickly, that adapts quickly but in the end is still a user and consumer society rather than a technology producer. We are going through a period in which the chance to serve as a leader in information and technology has been presented to us as an historical opportunity. As I had emphasized in the R&D opening of a composite technology center, we have a responsibility to acclimate to new technologies, nanotechnology, composite technology and other new technologies faster than we did to the industrial or communication revolution, to observe these technologies first hand and guide new generations to a capacity that can produce new technologies by associating these technological changes with their causes not their results. In this context the main duty of the Supreme Council for Science and Technology is not concerned with the question of how we can bring a created technology to our country but how we can develop an infrastructure in our country to ensure technological production with a new scientific mindset."
We must start a period of new movement
Pointing out that the economic movements achieved in the last 12 years have been followed with envy as a success story, Davutoğlu continued as follows:
"We are now in the position of starting a new movement which will bring both a qualitative and quantitative transformation along where our human resources combine with technology. In order to succeed in this we must elevate the level of education in our human resources, construct a newer mentality with wider horizons and prepare our students for the future not just to have a profession but also with the ideals to possess an infrastructure powerful enough to transform the entire paradigm of knowledge. The greatest resource of countries and governments is human resources in the end.
All other resources can be depleted. All natural gas and other underground resources have a reserve life. There is an approximate number of years in which they are predicted to run out. The only resource that is never depleted throughout history, although sometimes wasted and sometimes lost in great numbers during wars, is human resources. There is a direct correlation between people and history. A time and place without people loses its meaning."
"Therefore we have a responsibility to use our geography effectively and, more importantly, to train a human element that is capable of constructing an independent and honorable future in this geography with its accumulation of knowledge" said Davutoğlu and continued:
"In this context we have covered important ground over the past 12 years. Whether it is the increase in the number of our universities or the over three times as many scientific publications achieved in our universities, the improvement in the university infrastructures is a very good sign. Whenever I visit the universities that have been established in all of our provinces, I take pride in the campus conditions that are provided in those universities. But what’s even more important than the conditions of these campuses, beyond the physical conditions, is to utilize human resources in the most efficient way and give priority to producing new academicians."
A new academic approach needs to bloom
Davutoğlu, who pointed out that one of the most important issues on the agenda of the meeting was to increase the quality and quantity of human resources with doctorates, said:
"Because our population is still one in which the general average has not completed middle school or high school, as has been discussed frequently in the Council of Ministers, we need to change this average to university graduate level as quickly as possible. Once we have community of university graduates, new academic processes and a new academic approach should bloom through the mean of education. This is why the first step we took after undertaking the duty of Prime Ministry was to prepare an infrastructure that would draw the best minds to the scientific field with the new order we brought to the personal rights of our academicians and young academicians. We are set on continuing the support we give to academic life. However academic education activities do not occur in empty space. They are shaped in an ecosystem. The public sector, private sector, universities and industry all form a setting together and science and technology are created and consumed in this setting."
Davutoğlu also drew attention to the fact that cooperation between industry and universities needs to be encouraged by emphasizing R&D work. Explaining that they are trying to increase the interaction between the public and private sector and universities with the contributions of the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology and TÜBİTAK Davutoğlu said "As we emphasized in the composite technology center of excellence opening, techno-parks will become a place where universities and industries will unite".
Previous decisions were reviewed and the following new decisions were made at the 28th SCST meeting:
1. Conducting Work to Develop the R&D Strategies of Universities [2015/101]
In this context, it has been decided that R&D strategies which take into account both capacity and needs in terms of human resources and infrastructure that universities have; and the local skills and necessities in addition to the scientific and technological tendencies of the world must be prepared and work must be done towards implementing these strategies.
2. Conducting Work to Increase the Quantity and Quality of Human Resources Possessing Doctorate Degrees [2015/102]
To increase the quantity and quality of human resources possessing doctorate degrees it has been decided that;
a. A new assistance program will be formed for universities to train human resources possessing doctorate degrees in priority fields,
b. An incentive system focused on quality will be created for doctorate thesis advisors,
c. Support will be provided to private sector R&D centers that employ personnel with doctorates, to companies in Technological Development Zones and to private sector companies that successfully achieve R&D assistance from TÜBİTAK,
d. An analysis will be performed to determine the need for human resources with doctorate degrees.
3. Developing Support for and Commissioning an International Incubation Center [2015/103]
In this context it has been decided that support mechanisms for an international incubation center must be developed and implemented in order for technological products for which R&D activities take place in our country to take a place in the international market and for local technology focused start-up companies to take a place in the advanced entrepreneurial ecosystems.
