Mustafa Varank

A Turkish university has started to work on developing a native DNA vaccine for coronavirus, the institution's head said on March 27.

In a statement, Necdet Budak, head of Ege University in İzmir province, said that since a licensed vaccine for COVID-19 was not yet available, many countries initiated research on the subject.

Turkey has launched the mass production of respirators with 1,000 products on the manufacturing line for the Health Ministry to use, along with 5,000 others ordered, Science and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank said on March 26. 

The Turkish government is providing support to institutes and researchers in the country working to find vaccines, the industry and technology minister said on March 17.

"We fund and coordinate the studies through TÜBİTAK [the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey]," Mustafa Varank said during an R&D meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Turkey sees the year 2020 as an investment year, the industry and technology minister said on Feb. 27.

Investment incentive data supports the country's investment expectations, Mustafa Varank noted in an event in Turkey's western Kütahya province.

"We broke a record with the number of investment incentive certificates both in December 2019 and January 2020," he said.

Turkey's first indigenous electric train is set to be tested and launched on May 29, the nation's industry and technology minister said on Feb. 21. 

Visiting a Turkish Wagon Industry (TUVASAS) plant in the northwestern province of Sakarya, Mustafa Varank said the trains will be able to reach speeds of up 160 kilometers per hour.

Turkey's fourth polar expedition team arrived in Antarctica to conduct scientific research, the Turkish minister of industry and technology announced on Feb. 18.

The team, which departed from Istanbul on Feb. 9, will carry out studies for a month on Horseshoe Island, where a temporary Turkish Science Base was deployed, Mustafa Varank said in a press release issued by the ministry.

Turkey expects a strong acceleration in foreign direct investments this year, the country's technology and industry minister said on Feb. 17.

Turkey expects to see new investments in petrochemicals, transportation technology, integrated mining, defense, and electronics in 2020, Mustafa Varank told the U.K. Technology Conference in the metropolis of Istanbul.

Turkey's industrial production increased by 3.6 percent year-on-year in December 2019, data from the Turkish Statistics Institute (TÜİK) showed on Feb. 13.

In the month, all the three main sub-indices -- mining and quarrying, manufacturing, and the electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning -- rose by 9.8 percent, 9.1 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively.

A Turkish research team is set to depart for 4th National Antarctic Science Expedition from Istanbul on Feb. 9, the industry and technology minister said on Jan. 29.

"Scientists who will carry out 15 projects in various fields such as earth and marine sciences, biology, chemistry, aerospace, and social sciences, are joining the journey," Mustafa Varank said.

Turkey has leaped forward in the field of industrial property seeing a year-on-year rise in trademark, patent, utility model and design applications, the industry and technology minister said on Jan. 22.