The Regulation on the Identification and Certification of Technology and Innovation-Oriented Enterprises, to be administered by the Ministry of Industry, was published in the Official Gazette No. 32945 dated July 3, 2025. Accordingly, companies that meet the criteria set out in the regulation and submit an application will be granted the Tech Startup Badge (Teknogirişim Rozeti).

So what exactly is this Tech Startup Badge? As is known, while the Ministry of Industry and Technology generally provides support through KOSGEB and TÜBİTAK, it gives priority to businesses located in Technology Development Zones, R&D zones, and TEKMER (Technology Development Center) facilities. Likewise, defining it as "a system in which technology and innovation-oriented enterprises with scalable business models are identified and certified," the Ministry grants this badge to businesses in these zones for a period of 3 years. Another criterion for identifying the businesses that will benefit on a priority basis from the many opportunities and advantages offered over these 3 years is that they must be SMEs holding an SME Qualification Certificate, operating as a sole proprietorship or a company, and must not have been established more than 15 years ago; in short, once the law entered into force, businesses established in 2011 or later will be able to benefit from this opportunity.

So how do you apply for this badge? Since the institution granting the Tech Startup Badge is the National Technology Directorate of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, applications are submitted through the website teknogirisim.sanayi.gov.tr using the e-Government (e-Devlet) credentials of the partner who is the authorized signatory and responsible officer of the applicant company. The application then goes through an evaluation process and is either approved or granted a 90-day period for revision. The important point here is the direct certification conditions. Being admitted to a TDZ (Technology Development Zone), being admitted to a KOSGEB TEKMER, or having received support under the TÜBİTAK 1512 or TÜBİTAK 1812 programs — or having an ongoing support process — are among the direct certification conditions. If you do not fall within the scope of direct certification, the evaluation considers, in addition to the economic and social impact of the project you submit to the institution, whether your venture contributes to scaling alongside its growth performance, and whether the outputs of your R&D capacity have innovative and original aspects. Projects of businesses already located in a Technopark zone are evaluated within this scope. Accordingly, it is of great importance that the projects you submit are prepared along these lines.

After receiving your badge, in accordance with the regulation, you are required to report the innovations and changes taking place in your business throughout the 3-year period, within the timeframes specified in the regulation, so that your information always remains up to date. In addition, if the National Technology Directorate requests documents and information at certain intervals, these requests must be responded to just as promptly. In order to benefit from the collaboration and investor opportunities the badge will provide, it will be in your best interest to actively follow teknogirisim.sanayi.gov.tr.