Last Thursday, November 25, the IEEE Student Branch took a tour
of Cyberpark, the technology center located adjacent to Bilkent.
Özgür
Şar, a business development specialist at Cyberpark, spoke to our group about the
opportunities and benefits this technology center offers.
Cyberpark is one of the first technoparks established in Turkey in accordance with the
technopark law. Under the law, new companies in this area of business are exempt from the
corporate tax. In addition, companies that make contributions to the development of
technology are exempt from income taxes.
Cyberpark provides an economical way for a young entrepreneur to start a company. However,
there are both experienced and newly established companies operating at this technopark.
The experienced companies are able to benefit from the income tax exemption, while the new
ones benefit from the advantages offered by Cyberpark’s incubator center. The center
provides secretarial and accounting services to these young companies, so that their own
employees can focus on technological work.
It also rents office space to them at very low charges, ranging from zero to three dollars
per square meter depending on the nature of the company's projects. Entrepreneurs
interested in finding a business home at Cyberpark can apply to the incubator center
through the Cyberpark web page.
At present there are 87 businesses operating at Cyberpark. Nearly 90 percent of them are
software companies, but there are also a few companies that work in the defense and
electronics industries.
The Cyberpark companies and Bilkent University have a cooperative relationship.
A system called the Cyberpark Synergy Platform will be available at the beginning of 2005.
Through this system, students and graduates, in particular those from Bilkent, will be
able to submit their CVs to apply for part-time or full-time jobs or summer internships at
Cyberpark. In addition, the system will also allow Cyberpark businesses to post job
openings. This will provide an efficient way for employers and potential employees and
interns to exchange information.
By providing all of these services and benefits, and offering advantageous conditions for
young entrepreneurs in particular, Cyberpark is making an innovative contribution to the
development of technology in Turkey.
Prepared
by the IEEE Bilkent Student Branch
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