R&D Activities

The overall objective of Project INDEPENDENT is to conduct research and experimental development (R&D) activities in the fields of energy, food, health, agriculture, livestock farming, and environmental technologies for quality, sustainable and safe algal biomass-based products and practices that reduce foreign dependency, and to scale the production by creating an bioeconomy driven development model within the integrated biorefinery concept.

The studies to improve Turkey's global competitiveness in the field of algal biotechnology are being carried out under the umbrella of Boğaziçi University’s Istanbul Microalgae Biotechnologies Research and Development Center (IMBIYOTAB) and include all upstream and downstream processes, from algal culture cultivation to the final value-added product output.

With the project, sustainable solutions to Turkey's important problems are produced, and concrete information and technologies for the future in the field of bioeconomics are collected under an exemplary roof. Within the scope of the project, scientists with experience in R&D and private sector stakeholders who are experts in technology applications will be able to cooperate and exchange information on capacity increase and sectoral development issues. Thus, within the 2014-2023 Istanbul Regional Plan and the 11th Development Plan, an interdisciplinary structure will be developed on the provision of advanced technology accumulation and labor force for the development of high value-added products. Executed by scholars competent in their area of expertise, and with the participation of the private sector and civil society stakeholders, it will serve as a sample structure on a national scale by producing high value-added products and applications in the fields of energy, food, health, agriculture, livestock farming, and environmental technologies. And it will serve as a platform that will increase Turkey’s competitive power in the international arena.