Among TÜBİTAK’s green transition calls, 1832 gets most of the attention. Inside the same World Bank project there is a second door aimed at groups of firms rather than single companies: the 1833 SAYEM Green Transition Call. Applications for the 2026-1 call closed on 15 June. According to TÜBİTAK’s call timetable, evaluation and announcement of results run from 16 June to 30 October. With results approaching, it is a good moment to understand how this mechanism works.
This is not a direct application guide. Leading a platform is a job for large companies with an R&D track record. Our question is different: if you are a mid-sized manufacturer or a supplier SME, how do you take part in such a platform as a partner, and what do you get out of it? The figures come from TÜBİTAK’s March 2026 call briefing document. Confirm the call text and the terms of later rounds against TÜBİTAK’s current announcements.
The difference between 1832 and 1833
Both belong to TÜBİTAK’s 1801 programme, the repayable and grant-based R&D support under the World Bank’s Türkiye Green Industry Project. The difference is who applies:
| 1832 Green Transition in Industry | 1833 SAYEM Green Transition | |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant | One company, or a joint application | A platform with one lead and at least 3 partners |
| Focus | The company’s own green R&D project | Joint product development by universities, public bodies and industry |
| Lead requirement | None | Large or medium-sized company with R&D experience |
| Duration | Project duration | Up to 36 months |
SAYEM aims to set up a specialised R&D and innovation platform that develops a green product or product group together. The platform draws up a “productisation roadmap”, and several productisation projects run under it.
How a platform is put together
According to the call document:
- A platform has 1 lead and at least 3 partners, with a maximum of 10 organisations including the lead.
- Before applying, the platform fills in an eligibility form on PRODİS. TÜBİTAK does not accept or reject at this stage; it only gives recommendations.
- The target product must be at technology readiness level 5 or above at application, preferably 6, and the work runs up to level 9, meaning commercialisation.
- Topics must match the top-level headings of the project’s R&D and innovation topic list.
- Organisations with a defence-industry NACE code cannot receive support under World Bank rules.
Partners other than the lead include companies with an R&D or Design Centre certificate, universities, SME-scale capital companies, and organisations that could be potential customers or users of the target product. The document says that SMEs representing the supplier base, and user organisations, are viewed favourably.
This is the real opportunity for a manufacturer. Developers of a green technology usually need a factory to test it in. An SME that offers its line as a pilot site can become the platform’s field partner.
What an SME gains as a partner
- Your own costs are supported: personnel, travel, consultancy, service purchases, equipment, software and materials count as supported expenses under the call.
- You become the first user of the product. You get a chance to shape an energy, resource-efficiency or emission-reduction technology to your own conditions while it is being developed.
- Working with universities and R&D centres gives you technical capacity that is hard to build alone.
- Evaluation includes bonus points: between 1 and 5 points can be added for young ventures, firms new to R&D, businesses in less-developed regions or the earthquake zone, and organisations owned or managed by women.
Consultancy and service purchases between organisations in the same platform are not supported, so you cannot draw support by invoicing each other.
How the repayable support works
Per the document, companies receive interest-free repayable support in Turkish lira. For an SME:
| Item | SME | Large company |
|---|---|---|
| Own equity contribution | 20% | 30% |
| Repayable support rate | 80% | 70% |
| Share of the repayable amount paid back to TÜBİTAK | 40% | 50% |
| Share of the repayable amount converted to grant | 60% | 50% |
For SMEs in the earthquake zone the equity contribution is 10% and the repayable rate 90%. Repayment starts one year after project completion, in two six-month instalments per year, and the term is planned to be at most 4 years. Capital companies provide collateral equal to the repayable amount. Budget ceilings are also in the document: 18 million TL for an SME, 70 million TL for a large company, and 350 million TL for the platform as a whole.
There is also a bank reference letter confirming that collateral can be provided if the programme is supported. Each organisation’s three-year average total assets or net sales must exceed its repayable financing. As a partner SME, this financial check applies to you too.
What to prepare to be a partner
The call is closed, so you cannot apply today. To prepare for later rounds, or to approach another platform:
- Collect energy, water, waste and emissions data from your plant. The first condition for being an attractive pilot site is a line that can be measured.
- Be clear about which green technology you are ready to trial: waste heat recovery, energy monitoring, process efficiency, material recycling.
- Talk to your bank early about financial eligibility and collateral.
- The environmental and social impact declaration screens for climate, environmental and social risks, so keep your internal process documents ready.
- Build an infrastructure that collects production data. If machine, meter and ERP data do not come together, both the application and later verification of green indicators become difficult.
The last point is what most plants lack. İkiz Eksen’s measure, software and compliance chain works at exactly this spot. On the digital transition side we connect machine and meter data to the ERP; on the green transition side we produce emission and efficiency indicators from that data. Experience from more than 100 ERP projects at Qera and a Microsoft Azure infrastructure let us run this turnkey across Türkiye. If you want to assess together which of your lines suits a pilot, get in touch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply to 1833 SAYEM alone?
No. The application is made on behalf of a platform, which must have at least one lead and three partners. For single-company green R&D projects, programmes such as 1832 make more sense.
Can an SME lead a platform?
According to the call document the lead must be a large or medium-sized organisation and meet at least one further condition, such as holding an R&D Centre certificate, being a Technopark company, or having completed enough TÜBİTAK projects. SME-scale capital companies can take part as partners.
Is the support a grant or a loan?
A mix. Support is interest-free and repayable; for an SME, 60% of the repayable amount converts to a grant and 40% is paid back to TÜBİTAK. Universities and research institutions can receive full grants from TÜBİTAK’s budget.
When will results be announced?
The call timetable gives 16 June to 30 October 2026 for evaluation and announcement. Dates can change, so follow TÜBİTAK’s announcements.
Is this programme linked to CBAM and emission obligations?
Not directly. It supports R&D and productisation. But since the supported topics fall under green transition, monitoring your production’s emission and efficiency performance on the same data infrastructure as your CBAM preparation serves both.