Research funding and grants: where to look

National programmes (Türkiye)

This guide names programmes whose official pages I checked. It does not list deadlines or amounts, because they change; check the official page for current calls.

• TÜBİTAK ARDEB 1001, Scientific and Technological Research Projects Support Programme. According to TÜBİTAK's page, it supports projects that aim to produce new knowledge, make scientific interpretations or solve technological problems. The project leader must hold a doctorate or equivalent and be permanent staff of the institution where the project runs; foundations, associations, cooperatives, sole proprietorships and ordinary partnerships cannot apply. The page lists a maximum project duration of 36 months and a support ceiling (excluding scholarships), and says that projects aimed at building infrastructure are not supported. The page also lists application windows by period. Read the current call and the application guide before planning.
• TÜSEB (Türkiye Health Institutes Presidency). TÜSEB runs health-research support programmes, including the "A Group Urgent R&D Project Support Programme". I could not open the TÜSEB site itself in checking this guide, so use it directly for the programmes open now.
• KOSGEB. It serves small and medium-sized enterprises, not individual academics. Its site lists programmes such as entrepreneur support, capacity development, global competitiveness and technology centre support. Relevant if your research is being turned into a company.
• TÜBİTAK BiGG Investment (1812). An investment-based entrepreneurship programme for entrepreneurs who have completed the earlier stage run through implementing organisations. Its calls have fixed calendars; see the Health start-up guide.

European programmes

The European Commission states that Türkiye became a fully associated member of Horizon Europe in January 2021. Association does not change the competitive nature of the calls.

• European Research Council (ERC). Its site describes an independent Scientific Council and an executive agency. It lists grant types such as Starting and Consolidator Grants; the Consolidator Grant is described as being for researchers with 5 to 15 years of experience after the PhD. Check the work programme for the exact eligibility rules.
• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA). Part of Horizon Europe, described as the EU's flagship programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training, with actions such as Doctoral Networks, Postdoctoral Fellowships, Staff Exchanges and COFUND. The programme supports mobility across countries, sectors and disciplines.
• European Innovation Council (EIC). Supports deep-tech innovation through instruments named Pathfinder, Transition and Accelerator. Details and eligibility are on the individual funding pages.

TÜBİTAK also publishes Horizon Europe-related announcements on its own site; look there for national information on European calls.

University research funds (BAP)

Most Turkish universities run a Scientific Research Projects (BAP) unit that funds projects of their own staff. The rules are set by each university. For example, one university's published BAP principles describe project types such as thesis, early-career, postdoctoral, quick-support and international collaboration projects, together with budget limits, a cap on the number of projects a researcher can lead, and reporting and publication duties. Those rules apply only to that university. Read the directive of your own institution, which is usually the quickest route for a first grant and for the preliminary data that stronger national or European applications need.

Writing a strong application

• Read the call text and the applicant guide first, and match your project to the programme's stated purpose.
• State a clear question, a feasible method and the reason the team is able to do it.
• Use only verified data and sources for background and preliminary results; do not invent or round up figures.
• Plan the ethics approval and, for human data, the handling of personal data under Turkish law.
• Plan how results will be published and made open, because many funders set open access conditions; see the open access funding guide.
• Check the budget rules, the eligibility of every team member and the required forms well before the deadline.

Always check the official page

Programme names, rules, budgets and dates change. Treat this guide as a map of where to look, never as the call itself. Open the official pages (tubitak.gov.tr, tuseb.gov.tr, kosgeb.gov.tr, erc.europa.eu, eic.ec.europa.eu, marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu) and your own university's BAP office for the calls that are open now. Listing a programme here is not an endorsement.

Sources

• TÜBİTAK 1001 programme page: https://www.tubitak.gov.tr/tr/destekler/akademik/ulusal-destek-programlari/icerik-1001-bilimsel-ve-teknolojik-arastirma-projelerini-destekleme-programi
• TÜSEB A Group Urgent R&D programme news: https://www.tuseb.gov.tr/tr/haberler/a-grubu-acil-ar-ge-proje-destek-programi-yeni-bilesenleri-20221012
• KOSGEB: https://www.kosgeb.gov.tr
• TÜBİTAK BiGG Investment 2026-2 call announcement: https://tubitak.gov.tr/tr/duyuru/turkiyenin-ilk-yatirim-tabanli-girisimcilik-destek-programi-olan-bigg-yatirim-programinin-2026-2-cagrisi-acildi
• European Commission, Türkiye and Horizon Europe: https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-2020-2024/europe-world/international-cooperation/association-horizon-europe/turkiye_en
• European Research Council: https://erc.europa.eu
• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions: https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/about-msca
• European Innovation Council: https://eic.ec.europa.eu/index_en
• Example of a university BAP directive (METU): https://pdo2.metu.edu.tr/tr/system/files/BAP/bap_esaslar_2022.pdf