TOBB ETU Technology Transfer Office

What TOBB ETU Technology Transfer Office does

TOBB ETÜ Technology Transfer Office (TTO) is a university-affiliated service organization established in 2013 within TOBB University of Economics and Technology (TOBB ETÜ) in Ankara, Türkiye. It coordinates all project, patent, laboratory, and entrepreneurship activities on behalf of the university through four operational units: Project Support Services, University-Industry Collaboration, Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights Management, and Entrepreneurship Services. The TTO manages access to a 23,000 m² Technology Center comprising 74 research laboratories, 37 teaching laboratories, and 13 design studios, including distinctive facilities such as TOBB ETÜ HİDRO — described as the world's only water turbine design and testing center capable of evaluating turbines for all global dams — and a Superconducting Nano-chip Laboratory that places Turkey third globally (after Japan and the US) in nano-processor research scope.

The TTO's technology stack also includes GCRIS, an institutional research information system that aggregates awards, projects, and patents and links them to researchers, and the Buluş Portföyü (Invention Portfolio), which exposes the university's 10+ registered patents for external licensing. As of 2023, the office operates the Patent-Based Commercialization Program (Patent Tabanlı Ticarileştirme Programı), enabling students, alumni, and academics to commercialize patented university technologies.

The business model is institutional rather than commercial: TTO services are provided at no direct charge to TOBB ETU academics, students, and industry partners. Revenue is indirect, flowing through TOBB ETU institutional funding, programmatic grants from TÜBİTAK (notably the 1513 Technology Transfer Offices Support Programme, awarded in 2015), KOSGEB, EU funding, and ministerial sources, supplemented by the economic value generated from licensed patents and spin-off companies. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales executed through on-campus unit contacts (Proje Destek Hizmetleri, Üniversite-Sanayi İşbirliği, Fikri ve Sınai Haklar, Girişimcilik), with engagement routed through the Executive Board (İcra Kurulu) and supported by the GARAJ pre-incubation partnership with TEPAV. The office serves four stakeholder segments: TOBB ETU faculty (primary), student/alumni entrepreneurs, industry firms, and investors, and reports operational scale of 101+ completed projects and 100+ graduate entrepreneurs since founding.

Name

TOBB ETU Technology Transfer Office

Legal name

Türkiye Odalar ve Borsalar Birliği Üniversitesi Teknoloji Transfer Ofisi

Website

https://tto.etu.edu.tr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TOBB ETÜ Technology Transfer Office (TTO) coordinates project support, IP management, university-industry collaboration, and entrepreneurship services for TOBB University of Economics and Technology in Ankara, serving faculty, students, alumni entrepreneurs, and industry partners through four dedicated operational units and a 23,000 m² Technology Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Transfer Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

IP Licensing, Transactions & Technology Transfer (BPAHAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization) (EDAHABAH), Applied Research & Innovation Universities (EDAHAEAE)

Keywords

• Technology transfer services
• University-industry collaboration
• Intellectual property management
• Entrepreneurship incubation
• Research commercialization

Headquarters

HQ city

Ankara

HQ country

Türkiye

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technology Transfer Support Services: TTO provides non-commercial public good services to TOBB ETU researchers, students, and industry partners. Services include project support, IP management, and entrepreneurship facilitation at no direct charge to end users. Revenue is indirect, through institutional funding, government grants (TÜBİTAK, KOSGEB, EU), and the economic value generated from licensing and spin-off companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

TOBB ETU Technology Transfer Office is a university-based service unit that coordinates all project funding, intellectual property management, university-industry collaboration, and entrepreneurship activities on behalf of TOBB University of Economics and Technology. It supports researchers through national and international grant applications (TÜBİTAK, KOSGEB, EU), manages the university's patent portfolio from invention disclosure through commercialization and licensing, facilitates R&D partnerships with industry under Law 5746 tax incentives, and operates the GARAJ pre-incubation program alongside 74 research laboratories within the TOBB ETU Technology Center.

Product overview

TOBB ETU Technology Transfer Office (TTO) provides a comprehensive suite of technology transfer services organized into five core units: Project Support Services, University-Industry Collaboration, Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights Management, Entrepreneurship Services, and Laboratory Services. The TTO coordinates all project, patent, laboratory, and entrepreneurship activities on behalf of the university. Key infrastructure includes the 23,000 sqm Technology Center housing 74 research labs and the TOBB ETÜ HİDRO water turbine testing facility. The GCRIS research information system manages research outputs, while the GARAJ program supports startup incubation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Proje Destek Hizmetleri (Project Support Services) Provides project development and management support to academics and researchers, including national and international funding applications (TÜBİTAK, EU, ministries), budget preparation, application filing, administrative and financial process management, and progress reporting.
• Üniversite Sanayi İşbirliği (University-Industry Collaboration) Facilitates collaboration between researchers and external stakeholders (industry, government, NGOs) by providing project development, contract management, and R&D tax incentive support under Law 5746.
• Fikri ve Sınai Mülkiyet Hakları (Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights) Manages the university's IP portfolio including invention disclosures, patent applications, registration processes, and licensing. Coordinates with the Patent and Commercialization Board for IP ownership decisions.
• Girişimcilik Hizmetleri (Entrepreneurship Services) Coordinates entrepreneurship activities including pre-incubation and incubation through TOBB ETÜ GARAJ, providing physical workspace, networking access, training, mentorship, and financial resource support for startups.
• Laboratuvar Hizmetleri (Laboratory Services) Manages access to TOBB ETU's 23,000 m² Technology Center facility comprising 74 research labs, 37 education labs, and 13 design studios. Coordinates prototype manufacturing and testing equipment requests from industry and entrepreneurs.
• Patent Tabanlı Ticarileştirme Programı (Patent-Based Commercialization Program) Program that enables TOBB ETU students, alumni, and academics to commercialize patented technologies from the university's portfolio with continuous enrollment, providing freedom to operate with patented technology, marketing advantages through technology licensing, and access to 50% corporate tax exemption on licensed patent revenue.
• Buluş Portföyü (Invention Portfolio) Portfolio of patented technologies available for licensing to businesses seeking to commercialize university-developed innovations.
• TOBB ETÜ HİDRO (Water Turbines Design and Testing Center) The world's largest water turbine design and testing center, located within the TOBB ETU Technology Center. Capable of testing turbines for all dams worldwide and conducting next-generation turbine design, solid modeling, prototype production, and performance/durability testing to upgrade electricity output of aging dams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Patent-holding startups grow 21% more than all SMEs (European Patent Office data)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• GARAJ (TEPAV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGARAJ, operated by TEPAV (Türkiye Ekonomi Politikaları Araştırma Vakfı), is the pre-incubation and incubation platform co-located on the TOBB ETU campus. The TTO uses the GARAJ facility and its entrepreneur network to match startup talent with industry needs and provides office infrastructure, mentorship, and financial resource access to GARAJ entrepreneurs.
• TOBB (Türkiye Odalar ve Borsalar Birliği)coreOthersTOBB (Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey) is the parent organization of both TOBB ETU university and the TTO. TOBB provides institutional backing, governance oversight (through the Executive Board), and strategic direction.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer Society: Fraunhofer operates Europe's largest applied research organization with extensive university-style technology transfer to industry. Comparable as a broader European R&D-transfer incumbent with similar industry-collaboration and IP commercialization models.
• TÜBİTAK MAM: TÜBİTAK's Marmara Research Center conducts applied R&D across energy, materials, and biotechnology. Comparable as a broad Turkish R&D and technology-transfer institution — though MAM performs research directly while the TTO enables it at TOBB ETU.

Direct peers

• MIT Technology Licensing Office: The TLO at MIT manages invention disclosure, patenting, and licensing for one of the world's leading research universities. Directly comparable as a flagship university TTO coordinating IP commercialization and industry engagement across a broad research portfolio.
• Stanford Office of Technology Licensing: Stanford's OTL manages the university's patent portfolio and licensing of technologies to industry. Comparable as a leading research university TTO that has pioneered IP commercialization practices and supports deep university-industry collaboration.
• ITU ARI Teknoloji Transfer Ofisi: Istanbul Technical University TTO (ITU ARI) is a sister TTO in Turkey operating at a technical university with similar mandates in research support, IP management, and industry collaboration. The closest domestic TTO peer for benchmarking and partnership.
• Imperial College Innovations: Imperial College London's technology transfer and commercialization arm handles IP, spin-outs, and industry partnerships at a top technical university. Comparable as a TTO at an engineering-focused research university with deep industry engagement.
• Cambridge Enterprise: Cambridge Enterprise provides technology transfer, IP management, and spin-out support for the University of Cambridge. Comparable as a leading European university TTO that also runs a seed fund and supports deep-tech commercialization from academic research.
• Oxford University Innovation: OUI is the technology transfer and consulting services company of the University of Oxford, handling IP licensing, software commercialization, and spin-out formation. Directly comparable as a full-service university TTO at a research-intensive university.

Emerging players

• Imperial College White City Campus / I-HUB: Imperial's innovation district combines translation-focused research with deep-tech startup incubation and industry collaboration. Comparable as an emerging model that integrates TTO services, labs, and entrepreneurship — similar in aspiration to TOBB ETU's GARAJ + Technology Center.

Regional players

• Bilkent TTO: Bilkent University's TTO operates in Ankara at a private research university with technology transfer, IP, and entrepreneurship functions. Comparable as a Turkish TTO peer in the same city, though Bilkent's research portfolio differs in emphasis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/etu_tto
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tobbetu-tto

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

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 TOBB ETU Technology Transfer Office