Researchers to Be Trained Through Turkey Strategic Technology Human Resources Program
Under the new program launched by YÖK, 550 researchers will be selected in the first year and employed as research assistants at 23 research universities.
In the first year of the Turkey Strategic Technology Human Resources Program, implemented by the Council of Higher Education, a total of 550 researchers will be trained in the fields of informatics, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and hardware. The program will bring together doctoral education and academic employment under a single model.
Objective and Scope of the Program
According to the statement made by the Council of Higher Education, a total of 550 researchers will be trained in the fields of Information Technologies, Hardware and Computer Systems, Cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Systems during the first year of the program. By the end of the five-year program, it is aimed to integrate approximately 3,000 young researchers into Turkey's science and technology ecosystem.
Within the scope of the model, 550 doctoral students will be selected via a central examination. Young researchers who will study at twenty-three research universities will also be employed as research assistants, thereby supporting knowledge production and academic human resources simultaneously.
Application Process and Conditions
Candidates will submit their applications electronically between September 8 and 22 via YÖK's Application System for Doctoral Programs in Priority Areas. During the application process, candidates will be granted a total of five preference rights from a maximum of two different fields among the announced programs.
Graduates from various disciplines that admit students based on success rankings, such as mathematics, statistics, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, law, and architecture, in addition to relevant engineering fields, will also be able to apply for the quotas.
Central Examination and Evaluation
The central written examination will be held on November 28, and candidates who score below 70 points in the exam will be considered unsuccessful. Fifty percent of the exam will consist of the common basic module, and fifty percent of the subject module.
Candidates' final success scores will be calculated by taking into account thirty percent of the central written exam score, twenty-five percent of the undergraduate graduation grade, twenty-five percent of the ALES score, and twenty percent of the foreign language exam score.
Statements by YÖK President Özvar
YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar stated that with the Turkey Strategic Technology Human Resources Program, they will carry young people to the center of scientific production in the critical technologies of the future. Özvar emphasized that qualified human resources capable of designing and developing technology in global competition are the determining factor.
Stating that the success achieved in the defense industry is based on trained manpower, Özvar noted that they aim to carry this transformation into artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and chip technologies, thereby training the scientists of coming years today.