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R&D Greenhouse Launched with GÜBRETAŞ-GTU Collaboration
Within the collabroation of GÜBRETAŞ the leading company of conscious cultivation and dissemination of agricultural R&D activities and Turkey’s leading research university known with its national and international academic achievements Gebze Technical University (GTU) a very important investment is made in scope of private sector-university cooperation.
– Established by the protocol signed between the two institutions in 2019 with the coordination of GÜBRETAŞ R&D Center and GTÜ Biotechnology Institute, R&D Greenhouse aims to be the center of important research and development activities expected to add value for the future of agricultural sector.
With its 69 years of corporate experience, GÜBRETAŞ not only produces value-added products for farmers, but also works for R&D projects that will create added value and expand conscious agricultural. GÜBRETAŞ draws attention to the importance of knowledge in agriculture in all its works and events, also supports these efforts with R&D activities which is considerated very significant recently by the company.
GÜBRETAŞ continues to take important steps regarding the R&D studies that it has accelerated since 2017. The company, conducting collaborated studies with various educational institutions within the scope of private sector-university cooperation, signed a 10-year cooperation protocol agreement with Gebze Technical University (GTÜ), one of the fastest growing research universities in our country. One of the first steps of this agreement, signed by GÜBRETAŞ, the leading company of the fertilizer industry with the university, was the Venlo type glass R&D Greenhouse.
With the frame of the protocol signed between GÜBRETAŞ and GTÜ, it is planned to test projects and prototype products to be developed with the Biotechnology Institute in the R&D Greenhouse established within the university campus and also in the open land to be allocated. The installation of a 500 m2 greenhouse built within this framework was jointly welcomed.
The Biotechnology Institute’s R&D Greenhouse, was established in the Gebze campus of the university with the cooperation of GÜBRETAŞ and Gebze Technical University (GTÜ), was opened with a ceremony. Chairman of GÜBRETAŞ Board of Directors Dr. Fahrettin Poyraz and General Manager İbrahim Yumaklı as well as GTÜ Rector Prof. Dr. Muhammed Hasan Aslan and academicians and TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, Kocaeli Deputy İlyas Şeker, Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality Deputy Mayor Yaşar Çakmak, Gebze Mayor Zinnur Büyükgöz and guests attended to the ceremony.
GTU RECTOR ASLAN: “A GREAT EXAMPLE OF COOPERATION”
Providing information about Gebze Technical University and Biotechnology Institute in the opening speech of the event, Rector Prof. Dr. M. Hasan Aslan said, “Our R&D greenhouse will be opened today, is a great example of industrial collaboration actualized with the valuable contributions of GÜBRETAŞ. The cooperation protocol signed last year between our university and GÜBRETAŞ and cooperation between our university have resulted this R & D Greenhouse as first step that makes all of us proud and delighted. With both the R&D Greenhouse and the Industrial R&D Laboratories, which are being built in the Biotechnology Institute Building will be completed in the near future, we will be able to provide the knowledge and experience of our university and institute for the service of the industry of our region and our country and to cooperate in order to develop competitive products worldwide. it is our big goal”.
GÜBRETAŞ GM YUMAKLI: “GÜBRETAŞ ‘MISSION IS TO BE A PIONEER IN EVERY FIELD RELATED TO AGRICULTURE”
GÜBRETAŞ General Manager İbrahim Yumaklı, started his speech by referring to the mission of the company, said, “GÜBRETAŞ, was established as the first company of the sector in 1952 during the Adnan Menderes period, with the decision of the Council of Ministers, has always acted with the mission of being a pioneer. Our motivation is primarily to produce qualified products for high agricultural fertility and deliver them to the farmers, as well as to produce solutions to the problems in agriculture with the good farming techniques and R&D activities that we are leading of. For this purpose, we do many field studies, yet we accept that the academic extention of R&D studies is indispensable ”.
Informing about academic collaborations and R&D activities that have gained momentum since 2017, General Manager Yumaklı mentioned, “Our search for innovative methods brought us together with Gebze Technical University in 2018. As a result of negotiations, we signed a protocol in 2019. R&D Greenhouse is only a part of this protocol. As a very important issue, our biggest problem is, unfortunately, we do not have human resources to search the international literature. Therefore, the content of the R&D greenhouse we will open is not just a greenhouse; We aim to create the human resource will follow international terminology and research together with other projects we carry out in cooperation with Gebze Technical University. We implement all our work without condemning the protocol to files. We continue to collaborate for this purpose, ”he said.
GÜBRETAŞ CHAIRMAN FAHRETTİN POYRAZ: “THE REAL POWER IS CREATING A NEW VALUE”
Starting his speech by emphasizing the necessity of consuming to produce, GÜBRETAŞ Chairman of the Board Directors Dr. Fahrettin Poyraz stated that theoretical knowledge should be supported with practical applications in this information age and said, “The channels should be open at the point of consuming knowledge. GÜBRETAŞ, the most important subsidiary company of Agricultural Credit Cooperatives, the largest farmers’ family of Turkey’s and Gebze Technical University performed this project,precisely in order to serve this purpose, creating a new value. As the pioneer organization of TUrkish agriculture we have been requiring to do new studies for plant nutrition products. This required us to make new cooperations with universities. It is not necessary only to increase plant nutrition and protection products in terms of diversity, but also to apply it in an environment such as greenhouse and model production fields until we reach the best result. The real power is generating a new idea and value. At the same time, we should show our ability by keeping the channels open. The university and professors are interested in our projects with great enthusiasm. This also gives us hope ”.
INCREASE IN R&D BUDGET IN SPITE OF PANDEMIA
Following the opening speeches, President of TÜBİTAK Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal made a presentation titled “Together and Achieving Together in R&D and Innovation Ecosystem”. Prof. Dr. Mandal noted despite the pandemic shock in the entire world, R&D budget in Turkey began to increase. Mentioning R&D and innovation processes, Mandal said, “Transformation; It should be feedback-oriented, open, systemically challenging, collaborative and interdisciplinary, systematic, co-development and collaborative and innovative. The new TÜBİTAK strategic approach highlights two key concepts as qualified knowledge and qualified people. It puts forward a more powerful, goal-oriented, high value-added, social and economic benefit approach to achieve together with new cooperation models focused on co-development and impact. He continued his speech by focusing on R&D and innovation outputs and effects, and the transformation of outputs into social and economic benefits in line with national targets ”.
Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal lastly stated that within the scope of research support programs, 573.4 million TL support has been provided for a total of 994 projects in the last 10 years at fixed prices of 2020.
SAMPLE R&D GREENHOUSE OPENED
After the speeches, the opening ribbon was cut in front of the R&D Greenhouse with the participation of GÜBRETAŞ and Gebze Technical University administrators as well as protocol guests. Later, the participants examined the greenhouse were informed about the studies to be made here by the Deputy Director of Biotechnology Institute, Kutman. The event ended after plaques were given and photos were taken for memory of the day.
In the R&D greenhouse established with the cooperation of GÜBRETAŞ and GTÜ and which will serve within the Biotechnology Institute both for agriculture and biotechnology; studies such as agrochemicals, especially on new generation, environmentally friendly and highly effective fertilizers, microbial fertilizers and biostimulants, and agrochemicals, plant protection products, biofortification and functional product research, plant biotechnology, plant physiology and seed technologies. and soilless agriculture and medicinal and aromatic plant research are planned.
THE R&D GREENHOUSE WILL BE REMARKABLE
The Venlo type glass greenhouse has been installed, draws attention with its modern air conditioning automation, LED lighting and design that allows both soil and soilless agriculture work.
R&D Greenhouse Biotechnology Institute differs from commercial greenhouses with features such as precise climate control, watering can be done with pure water to prevent contamination, the day length can be controlled owing to the lighting system, and thus 4-season experimental plants can be grown at the highest level accepted in the internationally.