Post by thracian08 on Nov 5, 2010 10:57:56 GMT -5
Turkey’s first Silicon Valley to be established near Ýstanbul
Minister of Industry and Trade Nihat Ergün has said that Turkey's first “Silicon Valley” will be based between Kocaeli and Ýstanbul. According to information that Ergün disclosed exclusively to Today's Zaman, ahead of the World Productivity Congress and European Productivity Conference 2010 in Antalya, the valley will be established over an area of over 1100 acres in Turkey's most industrialized region. Ergün said the plan will be brought to fruition soon once works are completed by his ministry.
When the Turkish equivalent of Silicon Valley is established, some of the 180 projects developed as part of state-sponsored technology initiatives are expected to completed and implemented there. One such initiative attracting much attention is a project that will enable consumers to purchase metro, bus, ferry and flight tickets directly from their cell phones. Ergün said most of the leading GSM companies are very interested in that project.
Ergün recently toured the US and Silicon Valley in the south of San Francisco on Monday. He said he discussed plans for a similar set up in Turkey with American officials during his visit.
In his opening speech on Wednesday, Ergün addressed the audience at the congress organized in collaboration between the World Confederation of Productivity Science (WCPS), the European Association of National Productivity Centers (EANPC) and the National Productivity Centre of Turkey (MPM). He said if Turkey can manage to increase its productivity by 3 percent each year until 2023, the centennial of the modern Republic of Turkey, it will become one of the 10th largest economies in the world. “Our gross domestic product (GDP) per capita will exceed $20,000,” he added. Lauding Turkey’s economic performance in the past year, Ergün further argued that Turkey’s GDP growth in 2010 is expected to reach 7 percent. The estimated figure of annual economic growth was previously announced at 6.8 percent.
Turkey only felt the impact of the global financial crisis comparatively lightly last year and has had a speedy pace of recovery with the Turkish economy growing 11 percent in the first half of this year. Ergün said the only way for world economies not to fall victim to another crisis similar to recent financial turmoil that plagued even the most developed nations in 2008 and 2009 was to increase productivity. In specific reference to Turkey, he said they had focused on the target of sustainable growth which, he added, requires the efficient use of public sources and also further activation of the private sector.
Industry and Commerce Minister Nihat Ergün visited California’s Silicon Valley on Monday.
WCPS President John Heap took the floor during the second day of the four-day event on Thursday. He said Turkey has the potential to double its wealth if it can increase its productivity by 3 to 4 percent annually in the coming seven years. Heap added that the challenge facing Turkey today is to be able to maintain the growth trend that it has attained since the last quarter of last year.
He also noted that stable productivity increases around the world will serve to achieve ongoing peace. “If we increase productivity and wealth and distribute this wealth equally, we will have created the necessary conditions for world peace. We need to build peace and prosperity through increasing productivity,” Heap said.
EANPC President Wolfgang Schroeter also added that productivity increases will result in cost reductions for companies and also yield more goods and services production.
The biannual event began in Antalya with a welcome cocktail reception on Tuesday and will finish on Friday. Participants from over 20 countries around the world have taken part in the congress. In addition to a variety of keynote speeches by representatives from different countries, 20 academic papers will also have been presented by the end of the four-day event where the main theme was sustainable and enterprise productivity, new productivity perspectives and building bridges for productivity.
Durmuþ Yýlmaz, governor of the Central Bank of Turkey, and Güler Sabancý, chairwoman of Sabancý Holding, also addressed the audience during the second day of the event.
05.11.2010
News
ERCAN YAVUZ
This is great !
Minister of Industry and Trade Nihat Ergün has said that Turkey's first “Silicon Valley” will be based between Kocaeli and Ýstanbul. According to information that Ergün disclosed exclusively to Today's Zaman, ahead of the World Productivity Congress and European Productivity Conference 2010 in Antalya, the valley will be established over an area of over 1100 acres in Turkey's most industrialized region. Ergün said the plan will be brought to fruition soon once works are completed by his ministry.
When the Turkish equivalent of Silicon Valley is established, some of the 180 projects developed as part of state-sponsored technology initiatives are expected to completed and implemented there. One such initiative attracting much attention is a project that will enable consumers to purchase metro, bus, ferry and flight tickets directly from their cell phones. Ergün said most of the leading GSM companies are very interested in that project.
Ergün recently toured the US and Silicon Valley in the south of San Francisco on Monday. He said he discussed plans for a similar set up in Turkey with American officials during his visit.
In his opening speech on Wednesday, Ergün addressed the audience at the congress organized in collaboration between the World Confederation of Productivity Science (WCPS), the European Association of National Productivity Centers (EANPC) and the National Productivity Centre of Turkey (MPM). He said if Turkey can manage to increase its productivity by 3 percent each year until 2023, the centennial of the modern Republic of Turkey, it will become one of the 10th largest economies in the world. “Our gross domestic product (GDP) per capita will exceed $20,000,” he added. Lauding Turkey’s economic performance in the past year, Ergün further argued that Turkey’s GDP growth in 2010 is expected to reach 7 percent. The estimated figure of annual economic growth was previously announced at 6.8 percent.
Turkey only felt the impact of the global financial crisis comparatively lightly last year and has had a speedy pace of recovery with the Turkish economy growing 11 percent in the first half of this year. Ergün said the only way for world economies not to fall victim to another crisis similar to recent financial turmoil that plagued even the most developed nations in 2008 and 2009 was to increase productivity. In specific reference to Turkey, he said they had focused on the target of sustainable growth which, he added, requires the efficient use of public sources and also further activation of the private sector.
Industry and Commerce Minister Nihat Ergün visited California’s Silicon Valley on Monday.
WCPS President John Heap took the floor during the second day of the four-day event on Thursday. He said Turkey has the potential to double its wealth if it can increase its productivity by 3 to 4 percent annually in the coming seven years. Heap added that the challenge facing Turkey today is to be able to maintain the growth trend that it has attained since the last quarter of last year.
He also noted that stable productivity increases around the world will serve to achieve ongoing peace. “If we increase productivity and wealth and distribute this wealth equally, we will have created the necessary conditions for world peace. We need to build peace and prosperity through increasing productivity,” Heap said.
EANPC President Wolfgang Schroeter also added that productivity increases will result in cost reductions for companies and also yield more goods and services production.
The biannual event began in Antalya with a welcome cocktail reception on Tuesday and will finish on Friday. Participants from over 20 countries around the world have taken part in the congress. In addition to a variety of keynote speeches by representatives from different countries, 20 academic papers will also have been presented by the end of the four-day event where the main theme was sustainable and enterprise productivity, new productivity perspectives and building bridges for productivity.
Durmuþ Yýlmaz, governor of the Central Bank of Turkey, and Güler Sabancý, chairwoman of Sabancý Holding, also addressed the audience during the second day of the event.
05.11.2010
News
ERCAN YAVUZ
This is great !