The Components of Our Innovation Movement
HAVELSAN innovation management structure was established to ensure the development and dissemination of new technologies, processes and products to increase the competitive power of our company.
We aim to be a pioneer in global competition with innovation and to keep customer satisfaction at the highest level by supporting internal entrepreneurship and establishing collaborations with our external stakeholders.
AI JET BIGG
TÜBİTAK 1812 – Investment Based Entrepreneurship Support Program (BiGG Investment) is an investment based support program that aims to transform technology and innovation-oriented business ideas into high value-added ventures with strong potential for employment generation.
Through this program, activities from the idea stage to market entry are supported so that entrepreneurs can turn their technology and innovation-oriented business ideas into enterprises with high potential to create added value and qualified employment. The program also seeks to encourage qualified entrepreneurship and to establish startups capable of developing innovative, high-tech products and services with international competitiveness.
JET Acceleration Programs are entrepreneur acceleration initiatives carried out by the HAVELSAN Innovation Team, each term focusing on different themes. AI JET BiGG, implemented by HAVELSAN as an official TÜBİTAK BiGG implementing organization, is a program designed to support entrepreneurs developing artificial intelligence and defense technologies.
Business ideas submitted to the AI JET BiGG Program are evaluated, and selected entrepreneurs are provided with support in many areas such as technical and commercial validation, business plan preparation, and prototype development, complemented by training and mentorship.
🚀 AI JET BiGG: Taking Strong Steps in Entrepreneurship!
- 15 startups qualified for TÜBİTAK BiGG support.
- 12 startups were incorporated and joined the ecosystem.
- A total of 4.8 million TL in investment support was provided.
- Entrepreneurs were strengthened both technically and commercially through mentorship sessions with more than 50 mentors.
- Startups were evaluated for SSTEK investment fund.
🎯 We continue to support qualified entrepreneurship with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and defense technologies.
HAVELSAN JET BIGG+
Significant Contribution from SMEs to the Defense Industry with the HAVELSAN JET BiGG+ Program
The HAVELSAN JET BiGG+ Program is an innovative accelerator program specifically designed for SMEs operating in the defense industry. Within the scope of the program, 40 accepted SMEs were provided with comprehensive support over a period of 18 months in areas such as:
- Technological infrastructure
- Enterprise resource management
- Security and certification processes
- Compliance with quality standards
- Access to investment resources
Thanks to this support, SMEs met the criteria set by the Presidency of Defense Industries and strengthened their position in the sector by obtaining approved supplier status.
The HAVELSAN JET BiGG+ Program was carried out within the HAVELSAN Yıldız Open Innovation Center, the first and only open innovation platform of the Turkish defense industry. The program was realized in collaboration with leading defense industry organizations HAVELSAN, TUSAŞ, and SSTEK.
Participating SMEs achieved remarkable results: they gained more than 400 new customers, recorded an increase of over 500 million TL in turnover compared to the pre-program period, and succeeded in expanding their market share by more than 90%.
HAVELSAN SUIT - Graduation Projects Program
In 2021, the HAVELSAN SUIT (Student University Industry Team) Program was launched to ensure that university students’ graduation projects can be carried out in a more systematic way. The program opens for applications every year in September–October (for 2025, between September 5 and October 8), and related announcements can be followed through our social media accounts.
WHO CAN APPLY?
Students enrolled in departments such as Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Artificial Intelligence Engineering, and other fields related to our areas of activity.
This program is designed for individual students or student groups who wish to carry out their graduation projects on a topic of their own choice, as determined by their universities. Students accepted into the program receive technical mentorship from HAVELSAN engineers on their proposed project topic until the end of the academic year.
This program covers projects that are defined by HAVELSAN mentors to address problems identified within the scope of the company’s ongoing projects and specific needs. Following the evaluation of applicants, selected teams carry out the defined project under the guidance of technical mentors. If deemed suitable, the resulting product may be utilized within HAVELSAN.
To ensure academic alignment, the project framework is jointly designed by HAVELSAN mentors and university faculty advisors.
This program is designed to prepare university students who aspire to become entrepreneurs for the HAVELSAN JET BiGG Program, and to support the development of candidates participating in the program. It aims to help students transform their technology and innovation-oriented business ideas into ventures with high potential to create added value and qualified employment.
Through this program, the goal is to establish startup companies capable of developing innovative, high-tech products and services by guiding students to develop, refine, and prepare their business ideas during the graduation project process.
Internal Ideathons and Hackathons That Unleash Creativity
Through the ideathons and hackathons we organize, we unlock the potential of our employees while fostering a culture of interdisciplinary collaboration and rapid prototyping. This year, ideas developed around MAIN-focused artificial intelligence and dual-use technologies are transformed into applicable projects for both defense and civilian sectors with the support of mentorship.
Entrepreneurship Acceleration Programs
Through our acceleration programs, we support the growth journeys of startups and scale-ups working in the fields of artificial intelligence and defense technologies. We integrate innovative solutions with dual-use potential into our ecosystem by providing technical mentorship and validation infrastructure.
Investing in Future Technologies Together
In line with our open innovation strategy, we establish close collaborations with the entrepreneurship ecosystem and develop joint projects with innovative startups, primarily in defense and digital technologies. Through strategic investments and solution partnerships, we contribute to the growth of startups and accelerate the commercialization processes of domestic technologies with dual-use potential.
Ecosystem Development
We actively participate in entrepreneurship-focused platforms to contribute to the sustainable growth of the innovation ecosystem. At major events such as IDEF and TAKEOFF, we showcase both our own solutions and the startups we support, promoting entrepreneurial culture in defense and civilian technologies through networking, mentorship, and strategic collaborations.
Innovative individuals, startups, and institutions.
By joining HAVELSAN’s innovation ecosystem, you can gain the opportunity to develop solutions across a wide range of domains—from defense to healthcare, transportation to aviation. The next big idea could be yours.
We extend the support we offer to the entrepreneurship ecosystem to student groups as well. By providing mentorship, technical consultancy, and visibility support to teams participating in competitions such as TEKNOFEST, we encourage young talents to contribute to defense and civilian technologies.
Student groups can benefit from HAVELSAN’s mentorship and technical consultancy opportunities by submitting their support requests related to project ideas to argedestek@havelsan.com.tr
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