SETA

What SETA does

SETA (Siyaset, Ekonomi ve Toplum Araştırmaları Vakfı / Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research) is a Turkish non-profit policy think tank headquartered in Ankara's Çankaya district, founded in 2005 by İbrahim Kalın, who later became Turkey's Presidential Spokesperson. The foundation organizes its work into seven specialized directorates — Politics, Economy, Society & Media, Foreign Policy, Security, Education & Social Policy, and Energy — plus an Academy directorate, producing data-driven strategic analysis on Turkish domestic and foreign affairs, regional geopolitics, security, and economic policy. Its primary audiences are Turkish government institutions, policymakers, academics, and international diplomatic and policy communities, served through free multilingual (Turkish, English, Arabic) publications and events.

The foundation operates as a multi-format publishing platform with a catalog of 1,182+ PDF publications and 115+ books. Its product portfolio spans recurring series (Rapor, Analiz, Perspektif, Odak, 5 Soru, Uzmanlar Cevaplıyor, Podcast, Video), annual compilations (Türkiye Yıllığı, Türk Dış Politikası Yıllığı, Güvenlik Radarı), and four branded publications: Kriter (Turkish political commentary), Insight Turkey (English academic journal), Politics Today (English political analysis), and Rouya Turkiyyah (Arabic policy commentary). Distribution is free via the website www.setav.org, supplemented by newsletters, social media (X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Next Sosyal), web panels, podcasts, and conferences. International presence is maintained through coordination offices in Berlin (since July 2017, led by Zafer Meşe) and Washington D.C. (since March 2015, led by Kadir Üstün).

The revenue model is structured as a Turkish vakıf (foundation): all publications and digital content are made available for free download, with no disclosed commercial pricing. Funding flows from foundation governance and event-related activities rather than product sales, and the 2026 co-hosting role for the NATO Ankara Summit's official side events (with T.C. İletişim Başkanlığı and the Munich Security Conference) signals deepened institutional ties to Turkish state communications and European security forums. Recent strategic product launches have expanded into defense-industrial analysis (Gelişen Askeri Teknolojiler Serisi, Milli Teknoloji Hamlesi Serisi), AI policy commentary (TBMM AI Commission report analysis), and energy policy (offshore wind).

Name

SETA

Legal name

Siyaset, Ekonomi ve Toplum Araştırmaları Vakfı

Website

https://setav.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

SETA (Siyaset, Ekonomi ve Toplum Araştırmaları Vakfı) is a Turkish non-profit policy think tank founded in 2005, producing data-driven strategic analysis across politics, economy, security, foreign policy, and society. It serves government institutions, academics, and international policy audiences via free multilingual publications and Berlin and Washington coordination offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Think Tank Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

Keywords

• Policy research
• Think tank services
• Foreign policy analysis
• Security studies
• Geopolitics research

Headquarters

HQ city

Ankara

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SETA is a Turkish non-profit think tank that produces data-driven policy research, strategic analysis, and publications covering politics, economics, security, foreign policy, society, energy, and education. It publishes reports, books, analyses, perspectives, podcasts, and videos in Turkish, English, and Arabic, and operates international coordination offices in Berlin and Washington.

Product overview

SETA (Siyaset, Ekonomi ve Toplum Araştırmaları Vakfı) Türkiye merkezli bir düşünce kuruluşudur ve üretkenlik odaklı bir yayıncılık platformu işletmektedir. Ana ürün portföyü; Rapor, Analiz, Perspektif, Odak, 5 Soru ve Uzmanlar Cevaplıyor formatlarındaki dijital yayınları; Video ve Podcast içeriklerini; ve Kitap serilerini kapsamaktadır. Alt markalı yayınları arasında Kriter (Türkçe), Insight Turkey (İngilizce), Politics Today (İngilizce) ve Rouya Turkiyyah (Arapça) bulunmaktadır. Stratejik analiz serileri olarak Türk Dış Politikası Yıllığı, Güvenlik Radarı, Türkiye Yıllığı, Gelişen Askeri Teknolojiler Serisi, Milli Teknoloji Hamlesi Serisi ve Sosyal Panorama'yı yayımlamaktadır.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kriter: Turkish political commentary magazine published by SETA
• Insight Turkey
• Politics Today
• Rouya Turkiyyah

Products and services

• SETA Reports (Rapor)
• SETA Analysis (Analiz)
• SETA Perspective (Perspektif)
• SETA Focus (Odak)
• SETA Books (Kitap)
• SETA Podcast
• SETA Video
• Kriter Magazine
• Insight Turkey
• Politics Today

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship.

• T.C. İletişim Başkanlığı (Presidency of Communications of Turkey)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026T.C. İletişim Başkanlığı is co-organizing with SETA and Munich Security Conference (MSC) the 2026 NATO Ankara Summit official side events under the theme 'Müttefikler Ankara'da' (Allies in Ankara). The partnership involves hosting 45 side events alongside the official NATO summit program, bringing together key stakeholders for strategic discussions on alliance defense, security, and geopolitics.
• MSC (Munich Security Conference)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMunich Security Conference (MSC) is co-organizing with SETA and T.C. İletişim Başkanlığı the 2026 NATO Ankara Summit official side events under the theme 'Müttefikler Ankara'da'. This is a flagship international partnership for hosting high-level security events.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): London-based international affairs think tank with branded journals, research papers, and high-level convening — directly comparable to SETA's publication-plus-event model and its emphasis on foreign policy and security.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Global policy think tank with research centers worldwide and multi-language publications (including Arabic). Comparable to SETA's international office footprint (Berlin, Washington) and trilingual publication strategy.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): Washington-based bipartisan policy institute focused on defense, security, and international affairs. Directly comparable to SETA's Washington office focus on US foreign policy, US-Turkey relations, and Middle East analysis.
• Atlantic Council: Washington-based think tank focused on international security and transatlantic relations. Highly comparable to SETA's NATO, transatlantic security, and European affairs research, and a natural counterpart for SETA's Washington office.
• Brookings Institution: Premier US-based public policy think tank producing multi-format research across politics, economics, foreign policy, and security — directly comparable to SETA in product format (reports, analyses, books) and policy breadth, but with vastly larger scale and global reach.

Direct peers

• German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP): Berlin-based German foreign policy and security think tank. Comparable to SETA's Berlin coordination office research scope (EU-Turkey relations, transatlantic security, European Parliament analysis) and is SETA's natural counterpart in the German capital.
• International Crisis Group: Global conflict-prevention think tank producing policy reports and briefings on geopolitical hotspots including Turkey, Middle East, and Europe. Comparable to SETA's security-focused publications (Güvenlik Radarı) and foreign policy coverage.
• Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV): Istanbul-based Turkish think tank producing policy research and reports on economy, governance, and social policy. The most direct domestic peer to SETA, operating in the same country, language, and policy domain with overlapping government and academic audiences.
• SETA-DC (Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research — Washington): Washington extension of SETA's research mission producing policy briefs, reports, and analyses on Turkey-US relations and regional affairs. Closely comparable operating model and topic portfolio to SETA's Washington coordination office.

Others

• Munich Security Conference (MSC): Premier global security forum and SETA's flagship partner for the 2026 NATO Ankara Summit side events. Although primarily an event/conference platform rather than a research producer, MSC is the most operationally intertwined peer through their co-hosting partnership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/setavakfi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/setavakfi
• Facebookfacebook.com/setav
• Instagraminstagram.com/setavakfi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/setavakfi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SETA