Konya Gıda ve Tarım Üniversitesi

What Konya Gıda ve Tarım Üniversitesi does

Konya Gıda ve Tarım Üniversitesi (KGTÜ) is a private, non-profit foundation university established in Konya, Turkey, operating under the BARTEK Foundation, which in turn sits within the PANKOBİRLİK agricultural cooperative and the Konya Şeker industrial group. The university specializes in food, agriculture, and life sciences and runs 21 bachelor's, 14 master's, and 7 doctoral programs. As of 2025 it enrolls approximately 1,400 undergraduate students and 321 graduate students, having scaled from roughly 320 undergraduates in 2019.

The university's core technical assets are organized around three research centers: SARGEM, an accredited food and agricultural testing laboratory holding TÜRKAK accreditation through 2029; KİTARGEM, focused on applied agricultural research; and a Seed and Plant Health Clinic providing diagnostic services. KGTÜ also develops and commercializes proprietary agri-inputs, most notably the Azotor Smart microbial fertilizer launched in 2026, and coordinates the Horizon Europe TWIN-CLIMAGRI climate-smart agriculture project with a €1.5 million budget.

The business model combines tuition revenue from degree programs with research grants, fee-for-service lab work through SARGEM, and commercialization of internally developed products via the PANKOBİRLİK cooperative distribution network. Between 2021 and 2025 the institution executed a financial restructuring under Rector Prof. Dr. Ramazan Erkoyuncu that reduced operational dependence on sponsor Konya Şeker from 93% to 5–10%, lifting the self-support rate from 7% to 90–95%. In 2025 YÖK ranked KGTÜ 6th in Turkey for citation performance and recognized it as a "Digitalizing University in Agriculture," reflecting a deliberate shift toward research-intensive, vertically integrated operation.

Name

Konya Gıda ve Tarım Üniversitesi

Legal name

Konya Gıda ve Tarım Üniversitesi

Website

https://gidatarim.edu.tr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Konya Gıda ve Tarım Üniversitesi is a private, non-profit foundation university in Konya, Turkey, specializing in food, agriculture, and life sciences. Affiliated with the PANKOBİRLİK agricultural cooperative, it serves roughly 1,721 students through applied research and accredited labs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education and Agricultural Research Services

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Educational Support Services (611710), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Agribusiness, Farm Management & Compliance (EDAOAOAN)

Keywords

• Agricultural higher education
• Food science research
• Accredited laboratory analysis
• Agricultural biotechnology services
• Microbial fertilizer products

Headquarters

HQ city

Konya, Konya

HQ country

Türkiye

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Services: Revenue from domestic and international students in return for education and training. Student numbers have grown significantly: undergraduate students increased from 320 (2019) to 1,400 (2025); graduate students reached 321 (2025).
2. Laboratory Services: Accredited analysis services in food, water, soil, and fertilizer testing provided to producers, industry, and public institutions for fees.
3. Research Projects: Funding from national and international research grants including TÜBİTAK projects and Horizon Europe TWIN-CLIMAGRI project (1.5 million euros).
4. Agricultural Product Development: Revenue from product-oriented research including the Azotor Smart microbial fertilizer developed with Konya Şeker.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Konya Gıda ve Tarım Üniversitesi (KGTÜ) is a private foundation university that delivers undergraduate, graduate, and vocational education in food, agriculture, engineering, and natural sciences, alongside applied research and fee-based laboratory services. The institution also commercializes agricultural innovations developed through its research centers (such as the Azotor Smart microbial fertilizer for sugar beets) and provides free on-site farmer support through the Seed and Plant Health Clinic.

Product overview

Konya Gıda ve Tarım Üniversitesi operates as a specialized foundation university focused on agriculture, food, and life sciences. The institution offers a portfolio of research and analysis services through its laboratories and research centers. Key offerings include SARGEM (TÜRKAK-accredited strategic products development laboratory providing food, water, soil, and fertilizer analysis services), KİTARGEM (agricultural research center), the Seed and Plant Health Clinic (offering plant diagnostics and soil analysis for farmers), and Azotor Smart Microbial Fertilizer (innovative biological product for sugar beets developed with Konya Şeker). The university also provides educational services through its distance learning portal and student information system (OBS), along with academic publishing through its journal Uygulamalı Mühendislik ve Tarım Dergisi.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Degree Programs (Undergraduate, Graduate, Vocational) Multi-faculty higher education programs delivered across Engineering and Architecture, Agriculture and Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences and Humanities faculties, plus the Graduate Education Institute and Vocational School. Designed for prospective and current students in food, agriculture, engineering, and life sciences seeking applied laboratory and industry exposure.
• SARGEM Accredited Laboratory Analysis Services TÜRKAK-accredited laboratory providing food, water, soil, and fertilizer analysis services — including chemical, physical, microbiological, nutritional value, and shelf-life testing — for agricultural producers, food processing companies (e.g., TORKU/Konya Şeker brands), and public institutions across Turkey.
• Azotor Smart Microbial Fertilizer

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% reduction in nitrogen fertilizer use while maintaining yield with Azotor Smart fertilizer
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Konya Beet Planters Cooperative (PANKOBİRLİK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2026Co-developed Azotor Smart microbial fertilizer with the cooperative. Ramazan Erkoyuncu serves as President of PANKOBİRLİK and Chairman of the Board. Cooperative provides field testing sites and farmer access for university agricultural innovations.
• Imperial College LondonflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2026European partner in Horizon Europe TWIN-CLIMAGRI project (1.5 million euros, 36 months). Contributing to digital agriculture technologies adapted to climate change and water scarcity research.
• University of Oulu (Finland)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2026European partner in Horizon Europe TWIN-CLIMAGRI project. Collaborating on climate-resilient digital agriculture solutions and research capacity building.
• The Origin Institute (Netherlands)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2026European partner in Horizon Europe TWIN-CLIMAGRI project. Contributing to sustainable innovation in agricultural technologies.
• Sustainable Innovation Technology Services (Ireland)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 July 2026European partner in Horizon Europe TWIN-CLIMAGRI project. Supporting research management and innovation capacity development.
• T3 VakfıcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 April 2026Technology foundation collaborating with KGTÜ on GİLKA 26 Summit and National Technology Initiative programs. Provides technology career guidance and innovation opportunities for students.
• Kapsül Teknoloji PlatformucoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 April 2026Strategic partner in technology events and agricultural innovation workshops. Co-organized GİLKA 26 Summit and strategic agriculture workshop addressing smart farming, climate resilience, and biotechnology.
• Memak MakineminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 April 2026Industry partner contributing to GİLKA 26 Summit. Represents manufacturing sector perspective in university-industry collaboration events.
• Mevlana Kalkınma Ajansı (MEVKA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2026Regional development agency partnering on strategic agriculture workshop addressing smart farming, water/climate resilience, agricultural mechanization, biotechnology, and rural entrepreneurship in Konya region.
• FEDEKcoreOthers · 29 December 2025Engineering and Architecture Education Programs Accreditation Board conducting accreditation reviews of KGTÜ's academic programs.
• Necmettin Erbakan Üniversitesi KONÜDAMminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 July 2023Signed cooperation protocol for experimental medicine research collaboration between university research centers.
• Konya Şeker (PANKOBİRLİK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Parent foundation relationship with BARTEK Foundation established under Konya Şeker. Konya Şeker previously provided 93% of university funding but this has been reduced to 5-10%. Deep partnership for agricultural R&D including Azotor Smart fertilizer development, farmer outreach programs, and applied education initiatives.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Wageningen University & Research: Wageningen is the world's leading agricultural and food sciences university, combining applied research, industry partnerships, and commercial spinoffs. KGTÜ's model — applied research, farmer services, accredited labs, and product commercialization — directly mirrors Wageningen's integrated approach.
• Czech University of Life Sciences Prague: Central European university focused on agriculture, food, and life sciences with applied research and faculty-run experimental farms. Comparable as a regionally anchored, agriculture-focused institution with EU Horizon research participation, similar in scale and mission to KGTÜ.
• Harper Adams University: UK's specialist agriculture and land-based university with strong industry ties, applied research focus, and on-farm diagnostic services. Closely comparable to KGTÜ in being a smaller, specialized agricultural university with a vocational-to-research continuum and industry co-development.

Broad incumbents

• Sabancı University: Leading Turkish foundation university with strong engineering and applied research programs, including food and materials research. Comparable to KGTÜ as a research-intensive foundation university, though broader in scope and based in Istanbul.
• Middle East Technical University (METU / ODTÜ): Turkey's premier research university with engineering and science programs that include agricultural engineering and food engineering. Comparable as a high-citation Turkish research institution competing for top students, faculty, and EU/TÜBİTAK research funding, though broader in scope than KGTÜ.

Regional players

• Akdeniz University: Turkish university in Antalya with strong agricultural and food sciences programs, including Mediterranean-crop research. Comparable as a Turkish public university with overlapping agricultural faculties and applied research, competing for similar students and grants.
• Selçuk University Faculty of Agriculture: Public university located in Konya, the same city as KGTÜ, with the largest agricultural faculty in the region. Directly comparable as a same-city agricultural higher-education competitor for students, faculty, and regional farmer-services contracts.
• Ege University Faculty of Agriculture: Largest and oldest Turkish agricultural faculty, located in İzmir. Comparable as a Turkish agricultural higher-education and research institution competing for the same student pool, faculty talent, and TÜBİTAK/Horizon funding, though broader and more established than KGTÜ.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gidatarimuniv
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/gidatarimuniv
• Facebookfacebook.com/gidatarimuniv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/school/kgtu
• Instagraminstagram.com/gidatarimuniv

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Konya Gıda ve Tarım Üniversitesi