TÜBİTAK and KOSGEB support for AI projects: comparing 1501, 1507, 1707 and 1711

Short answer: The right support programme for an AI project in Türkiye depends on who does the R&D. If your own team does it, TÜBİTAK 1507 or 1501; if you order it from an SME supplier, TÜBİTAK 1707; if you form a consortium with an AI SME and a university, TÜBİTAK 1711. If you are a manufacturing SME investing in off-the-shelf software and hardware, the KOSGEB SME Digital Transformation Support Programme. The KOSGEB programme often searched for as the "AI loan" is aimed not at industrial companies but at start-ups holding the Technology Start-up Badge (Teknogirişim Rozeti).

This post compares the programmes by structure rather than by amount: who applies, who pays whom, and which kind of project fits. The information below was compiled from the official programme pages and call texts as of 5 November 2026. Rates and limits can change from call to call, so always check the current call text before applying. At Piksel Bayt we have received TÜBİTAK 1507 and 1707 support for our own R&D projects; they are listed on our announcements page.

First question: who does the R&D?

Your own team does it. An innovative project carried out by your company's own engineers. TÜBİTAK 1507 (SME R&D Start-up) covers a company's first five projects; 1501 (Industrial R&D) covers projects with larger budgets.

You order it from an SME. The need is yours, the development happens at an SME supplier. TÜBİTAK 1707 is built for exactly this scenario: the customer organisation applies, the SME supplier carries out the R&D, and the customer covers part of the cost.

You solve it with a consortium. You want to address your AI need together with an AI SME and a university or public research centre. The TÜBİTAK 1711 AI Ecosystem Call makes this structure mandatory.

You are investing, not doing R&D. You are bringing ready-made software or hardware into your production process. That is not an R&D project; manufacturing SMEs should look at the KOSGEB SME Digital Transformation Support Programme.

Comparison

Programme	Who applies	Support structure	Limit and duration
TÜBİTAK 1507	SMEs, for the company's first five projects	75% grant	Project budget up to TRY 3.5 million, up to 18 months
TÜBİTAK 1501	In the 2026 calls, capital companies of SME size	75% grant for the first five projects, 60% thereafter	TÜBİTAK contribution up to TRY 20 million per project; up to 24 months, 36 with extension
TÜBİTAK 1707	The customer organisation (SME or large); the supplier must be an SME	TÜBİTAK 40% grant, customer at least 40%, supplier at most 20%	Up to TRY 10 million, up to 24 months
TÜBİTAK 1711	Customer + at least one AI SME + at least one university or public research centre	TÜBİTAK support goes to the technology providers; the customer pays the providers a share (below)	Up to TRY 10 million, up to 24 months
KOSGEB SME Digital Transformation	Small and medium-sized enterprises in manufacturing (NACE C), excluding micro enterprises	Not a grant: loan interest support for new machinery, equipment, software and hardware	Loans from TRY 1 to 20 million, term up to 36 months

TÜBİTAK 1707: the customer who places the order

What sets 1707 apart is that the application comes from the customer. The customer can be an SME or a large company; the supplier has to be an SME. The customer covers at least 40% of the cost and the supplier at most 20%; TÜBİTAK provides a 40% grant. The programme expects the product developed to order to be commercialised.

There are three application periods in 2026; the third closes on 13 November 2026. The structure is a natural match when an industrial company wants a visual inspection or process model developed specifically for its own line.

TÜBİTAK 1711: a mandatory consortium

In 1711, the technology provider side must include at least one AI SME and at least one university research laboratory or centre, or a public research centre; an application without a consortium is not evaluated. The Artificial Intelligence Institute under TÜBİTAK BİLGEM takes part in the consortium as a catalyst. A meeting with the Institute and a Letter of Intent are mandatory before applying.

The payment structure depends on the size of the customer:

• If the customer is large: The customer pays the technology provider 20% of the provider's declared costs; TÜBİTAK grants 60% to the provider.
• If the customer is an SME: The customer pays 10%; TÜBİTAK grants 70% to the provider.
• For the customer's own staff: TÜBİTAK supports 60% of the costs of the customer's personnel working on the project, for up to 18 person-months.

1711 opens with one call a year; the 2026 call was open from 15 June to 2 October. The 2026 themes were Smart Manufacturing Systems; Smart Agriculture, Food and Livestock; Financial Technologies; Climate Change and Sustainability; and Smart Education Technologies. Because forming a consortium takes time, preparation needs to start months before the call.

Two KOSGEB programmes that are often confused

The SME Digital Transformation Support Programme targets small and medium-sized enterprises in manufacturing. Applicants need an approved digital transformation maturity assessment report from an authorised consultant, and the investment follows the strategy in that report. The programme directive explicitly lists AI in its definition of digital transformation. The support is loan interest support, not a grant.

The AI Loan Programme targets start-ups holding the Technology Start-up Badge. It is an interest-free, commission-free loan covering compute, storage, data processing, AI platform and model/API services bought from providers on KOSGEB's list. The upper limit is TRY 5 million; applications are open until 31 December 2026. It is designed not for an industrial company's AI project budget but for the infrastructure costs of a start-up that builds AI.

The SME voucher in the Action Plan

Türkiye's AI Action Plan (2026-2030) mentions an AI voucher programme for SMEs and targets at least 1,000 vouchers in the first 12 months. According to the plan text, the vouchers will cover the preparation, pilot and productisation stages, and items such as software subscriptions, cloud computing, data services and conformity testing. As of November 2026, no implementing rules or call for this programme have been published.

Tax aspect of buying software from a technopark

Deliveries and services of certain types of software produced exclusively in technology development zones (system management, data management, business applications, sectoral, internet, gaming, mobile and military command and control application software) are exempt from VAT. Because the exemption is tied to the zone's income tax exemption, it currently applies until 31 December 2028. Assess how this applies to your own project with your financial adviser.

What to have ready before applying

All the programmes ask you to show that the project is an R&D project with a measurable goal. In AI projects, the parts that are most often weak are:

• Problem definition: What will be solved, under which conditions, and with what accuracy.
• Novelty and uncertainty: Why an existing solution is not enough and where the technical risk lies.
• Data: Whether the data exists, and if not, how it will be collected.
• Success criterion: Which number the project will be measured by at the end.

These are the outputs of a feasibility study anyway; it is also the first step of our product development process.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between 1501 and 1507? 1507 is for a company's first five projects, aimed at smaller and shorter projects (up to TRY 3.5 million, 18 months). 1501 is for larger projects (TÜBİTAK contribution up to TRY 20 million); the 2026 calls were open to SMEs.

We want a supplier to build our AI project. Which programme fits? If the supplier is an SME, TÜBİTAK 1707, and you apply. If you want to form a consortium with an AI SME and a university, 1711.

Can an industrial company use the KOSGEB AI Loan? The programme targets start-ups holding the Technology Start-up Badge. Manufacturing SMEs should look at the SME Digital Transformation Support Programme.

When do the 2027 calls open? As of November 2026 the 2027 schedule has not been announced. TÜBİTAK's open calls page shows the current schedule.

Sources

• TÜBİTAK 1501 Industrial R&D Projects Support Programme (Turkish) and 2026-2 call text
• TÜBİTAK 1507 SME R&D Start-up Support Programme (Turkish) and 2026-2 call text
• TÜBİTAK 1707 SME Support Call for Order-Based R&D Projects (Turkish) and 2026-3 call document
• TÜBİTAK 1711 AI Ecosystem Call (Turkish) and 2026 call text
• TÜBİTAK open calls (Turkish)
• KOSGEB SME Digital Transformation Support Programme Directive (Turkish)
• KOSGEB AI Loan Programme (Turkish)
• Türkiye AI Action Plan 2026-2030 (Turkish)
• Value Added Tax Law No. 3065 (Turkish)