Frequently Asked Questions

Dear Researchers,

This section contains frequently asked questions and answers about the period before submitting a project application.

To choose the appropriate support program, you can access the support programs here.

• I know very little about the support provided by funding organizations. How can I obtain support directly?

For any questions you may have, you can reach the relevant members of our team, according to the type of support you wish to obtain and your faculty, here.

• I have completed my PhD and have not yet received support from any TÜBİTAK project.  Where should I start?

→ If your project idea will not last longer than 24 months and its budget will not exceed 60,000 TL, you can try the 3001 – Starting R&D Projects Funding Program, which TÜBİTAK has opened specifically for academics and researchers who have never applied for a project before.

→ If the duration and budget of your project exceed these limits (and it has also been less than 7 years since you completed your PhD and you have not yet become an associate professor), you may consider the 3501 – Career Development Program. Support of 225,000 TL for 36 months can be obtained from this program. Alternatively, you can apply directly to the 1001 – Scientific and Technological Research Projects Funding Program. In this case, projects of up to 36 months and 360,000 TL will be supported.

• Can an academic who has previously worked as a researcher in a project (e.g., 1001) apply to 3001 or 3501?

Yes, they can be the principal investigator in 3001 or 3501. However, those who have previously served as Principal Investigator in another ARDEB project cannot receive support from the 3001 program. 3501 is also a type of support that can only be used once.

• I am a master's/PhD student and have a project idea that could become a commercial product/service. Which funds can I benefit from?

You can benefit from the 1005 – National New Ideas and Products Research Support Program. Besides developing a prototype, you can also consider the 1512 – Techno-Entrepreneurship Support Program to start a business based on this idea.

CONDITIONS AND LIMITS FOR TAKING PART IN PROJECTS

• I have reached my limits for participating in TÜBİTAK projects (3 PI, 2 PI+2R, 1 PI+4R, 6R). I would like to obtain support for the project of my undergraduate/master's/PhD student who is conducting research. Which fund should I apply to?

The 1002 Rapid Support program allows you to add +1 PI role to your current limits. There is no project incentive payment (PTİ) or institutional share in 1002. However, it provides scholarship support for your student and supports the simple purchases required for the research (12 months, 30,000 TL). If you wish, you can also include a researcher in your project, provided that they hold a PhD.

• Should I list an expert whose support I will receive in the project as a consultant or as a researcher?

In this regard, the expert's contribution to the project is taken into account. Persons whose contribution to the project is below 10% cannot serve as researchers. Such persons must be listed as consultants. A researcher's contribution to the project can be between 10% and 50%.

• Is there a limit on the number of researchers in an ARDEB project?

There is no explicitly stated numerical limit. However, there is a requirement that a researcher's contribution to the project must be at least 10%. Therefore, a research team of at most 10 people, including the principal investigator, is possible. In this case, however, it should be remembered that the PTİ paid by the project will be shared among the researchers according to their contribution rates (The PTİ granted to a project is at most twice the amount given to the Principal Investigator. Half of this amount goes to the Principal Investigator, and the other half is distributed to the researchers according to their contribution rates).

• Is there a limit on the number of consultants in an ARDEB project?

Rather than a numerical limit, there is a limit based on appropriateness. It is as follows: the number of consultants in a project is limited by the number of areas requiring special expertise in that project and the project duration. In practice, one or two consultants are usually listed.

• In an ARDEB project, can we list a person working at another institution (e.g., a specialist physician at a university hospital or an expert from a public institution) as a researcher?

Yes, they can be listed. However, the qualifications required vary depending on the institution where the person works. While university staff must hold a doctoral degree to be a researcher or consultant, a four-year bachelor's degree is sufficient for persons working in public or private institutions.

• Can I list a person from abroad as a researcher in my ARDEB project?

Persons living abroad (even if they are Turkish citizens) cannot serve as researchers in ARDEB projects. For projects requiring such collaboration, we can use the Bilateral Cooperation Programs.

• Can a "resident physician" working at a University Hospital who has not yet completed their specialty training be a Principal Investigator?  (For applications made outside the university, a four-year bachelor's degree was sufficient for the Principal Investigator. Can a resident physician be counted in this category?)

For public employees, a four-year bachelor's degree is sufficient to be a Principal Investigator. However, this does not apply to staff working at university hospitals or at training and research hospitals affiliated with the Ministry of Health that are recognized as providing specialty training.

→ Physicians at these institutions must complete their specialty training to be a principal investigator.

→ The only exception to this rule is the 1002 Rapid Support Program.

→ Resident physicians receiving medical specialty training may apply to the 1002 program, for example for their own thesis work.

• In an ARDEB project, can I list a student from another institution as a scholarship holder?

Yes. There is no requirement to be at the same institution. "Students" continuing their undergraduate and graduate (Master's and PhD) studies at higher education institutions in Türkiye (or in the TRNC for projects submitted from the TRNC), "Research Assistants" with student status, and postdoctoral researchers may take part in the project team as scholarship holders.

• There are experienced researchers from abroad whom we would like to invite to our country. What kind of support can we find?

For this type of support, the 2221 and 2236 programs, which are academic mobility programs, can be reviewed. Please contact our BİDEB Support specialist.

• Can a principal investigator/researcher who has reached their ARDEB quota be a principal investigator in international projects?

Yes, there are no restrictions in international projects (H2020, ERC, etc.). However, as an internal limit of EU-funded projects, the time an academic working on multiple projects declares to devote to those projects must not exceed 100%.

• I am currently receiving support from the 1002 Rapid Support Program as principal investigator. Can I apply for another 1002 grant?

No. To take part in a second "Rapid Support" project, the ongoing Rapid Support project in which you are the principal investigator must be concluded (i.e., completed with its final report accepted).

• I work at a university and am a PhD student. Can I be a researcher in a project?

PhD students who are permanent university staff may serve as principal investigators/researchers in 1002 Rapid Support projects. However, university staff must hold a PhD to be a researcher in other programs.

• The 3501 Career Development Program requires that the applicant not yet hold the title of associate professor. If I become an associate professor after submitting a 3501 application in the March/September calls (before signing the contract, if the project is accepted), can I continue as principal investigator?

The requirement of not holding the associate professor title applies as of the application deadline. Therefore, changes in title after the deadline will not prevent the application or the execution of the project.

• Can a person who applies to any BİDEB program also take part in ARDEB projects?

Yes, they can. However, there are some restrictions between different programs. For this, you can review the BİDEB/ARDEB Participation Conditions Table.

→ For the limits on participating in ARDEB projects, you can click here.

• If an architect working at a public institution is to be assigned as support staff in a project, how is their payment calculated?

Public employees may take part in ARDEB projects as Principal Investigator or Researcher and can receive PTİ like university staff (Principal Investigator 2,000 TL, Researcher 1,000 TL). On the other hand, it should be noted that having more than one principal investigator in a project is only possible for multi-stakeholder programs such as 1007 and 1003.

BUDGET QUESTIONS

• Is there a limit on scholarship budgets in ARDEB projects?

As of 2015, the previous requirement that "total scholarship payments should not exceed 4,800 TL" has been abolished. There is currently no limit on the total scholarship budget (call-based support programs such as 1003 may have budget limits, which are specified separately in the call text of the relevant program). However, for a successful application, care should be taken that the number of scholarship holders is consistent with the job description, required expertise and effort needed. This consistency should be explained on the additional page in the budget annex of the project application forms, where the qualifications of the scholarship holders and their roles in the project are described.

• While a PhD student, I took part in a project (1001, 1003, etc.) as a PhD scholarship holder. What should I do if I complete my PhD before the project ends? Will my scholarship continue as long as my role in the project continues?

You can continue your role in the project as a postdoctoral scholarship holder. The principal investigator must add you to the form as a postdoctoral scholarship holder. Your scholarship continues throughout the project. In such cases, a budget increase cannot be requested to raise the scholarship amount; however, if there are sufficient funds in the budget, the scholarship amount can be increased through an application to ARDEB.

• A researcher we added to our project will take part for a certain period, for example 12 months of a 36-month project. How is the researcher's PTİ calculated?

▶︎ Researchers' PTİ is calculated based on two parameters:

1) Their contribution rate in the project (which can be between 10% and 50%).

2) The duration of their responsibility in the project's work packages. After our project is accepted, the TÜBİTAK-MADES group determines the total PTİ amount based on the researchers' contribution rates and periods of duty, and the contract specifies this amount and how much PTİ will be paid in each period.

INTELLECTUAL  and INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

• In a publicly funded project we applied for through our university, we have a 5-person research team plus scholarship holders. What procedure should we follow if an invention arising from the project belongs to, or has been contributed to by, a scholarship student?

The Principal Investigator is responsible for notifying inventions in a project, without delay and in writing, to the public institution providing the public support/funding (e.g., TÜBİTAK, if that institution is TÜBİTAK)  and simultaneously to the Technology Transfer Office (TTO), the authorized unit at our University.

→ This notification is made using the Invention Disclosure Form, and everyone who contributed to the invention (including scholarship holders, if they are considered to have contributed) is listed on this form according to their contribution rates. The principal investigator and the entire project team are obliged to comply with the principle of confidentiality regarding the invention.

• What happens if patentable information etc. emerges during the preparation phase of a project and is not notified to the institution providing public support (e.g., TÜBİTAK, if that institution is TÜBİTAK) using the Invention Disclosure Form?

The responsibility for notifying inventions lies with the Principal Investigator. If an invention emerges but is not notified, all intellectual property rights in the project are automatically deemed transferred to the institution providing public support (e.g., TÜBİTAK) 3 months after the end of the project period.

→ This is also clearly stated in the project contracts. Following the notification to the supporting institution, initiating the patent process for the invention is also the responsibility of the Principal Investigator. If no patent application is filed, all rights are again deemed transferred to the institution providing public support (e.g., TÜBİTAK).

→ To initiate the patent process, the Principal Investigator must make the same notification to the University simultaneously with the notification to the institution providing public support (e.g., TÜBİTAK, if that institution is TÜBİTAK) and follow the process with the TTO.

• I have a project idea, and at the end of the project there will be some outputs that I plan to patent and that may be commercialized. When I receive support for my project, to whom and in what proportion will this intellectual property belong?

According to the Ankara Medipol University Directive on the Management of Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights, registration is carried out with the University as the "Applicant" and the project team specified in the Invention Disclosure Form as the "inventors". Such inventions are called service inventions. If service inventions are commercialized, the net income obtained is shared, with 65% going to the University and 35% to the inventors (alternatively, at the inventors' preference, they may be rewarded with an invention incentive award instead of income sharing). If the University releases the invention, the inventors may register it in their own names by covering the registration costs themselves.