Digital transformation
Digital transformation support in Turkey: a 2026 guide to KOSGEB and Ministry programmes for manufacturers
KOSGEB's SME Digital Transformation Support Programme and Ministry support in Turkey: who can apply, the maturity report, limits and how to prepare.
Volkan Alkılıç ·
Our clients
- Siemens
- Anadolu Isuzu
- BSH
- Tofaş
- Toyotetsu
- Martur
- Turkcell
- Vodafone
- Doğadan
- Pakmaya
- Bross
- Abdi İbrahim
- Nobel İlaç
- Plastimak
- Dalgıç Kalıp
- Barbaros Motor
- Magneti Marelli
- Rözmaş
- Sanel
The main public support available today for manufacturers’ digital transformation investments in Turkey is KOSGEB’s SME Digital Transformation Support Programme (KOBİ Dijital Dönüşüm Destek Programı): it covers, as a non-repayable grant, the interest cost of the bank loan that small and medium-sized manufacturers use to buy new machinery, equipment, software and hardware. The precondition for applying is a digital maturity or digital transformation assessment report prepared by an authorised consultant. Larger companies can look at the Ministry of Industry and Technology’s Digital Transformation Programme, and companies looking for free consulting at the DIGITALTR project.
This guide is for manufacturers operating in Turkey, including foreign-owned plants. It explains which companies each programme is for, what to prepare before applying and the most common mistakes. Support amounts and eligibility conditions were checked against official sources on the date given below. Programme conditions can change, so read the current directive before you apply.
Which digital transformation support programme can you apply for?
| KOSGEB SME Digital Transformation | Ministry Digital Transformation Programme | DIGITALTR | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run by | KOSGEB | Ministry of Industry and Technology | Technical assistance project under the Competitive Sectors Programme |
| Who can apply | Small and medium-sized manufacturers (NACE C); micro enterprises excluded | Digital transformation investments under the investment incentive system; conditions are announced in each call | Manufacturers operating in Turkey and technology providers developing solutions for industry |
| Type of support | Non-repayable grant covering the interest cost of a bank loan | Depends on the call | Free services: maturity analysis, consulting, testing and validation |
| Precondition | Digital transformation/maturity report from an authorised consultant | Maturity assessment by an authorised assessor | Application and selection |
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KOSGEB SME Digital Transformation Support Programme
The main parameters on KOSGEB’s programme page (checked on 23 October 2026):
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Who can apply | Small or medium-sized companies in NACE section C (manufacturing), registered in the KOSGEB database (micro enterprises cannot apply) |
| Eligible costs | Machinery and equipment; software and hardware (products must be new) |
| Minimum loan | TRY 1,000,000 |
| Maximum loan | TRY 20,000,000 |
| Support | Non-repayable grant covering the loan’s interest cost |
| Programme duration | 24 months |
| Maximum loan term | 36 months (including a grace period of up to 6 months if the bank agrees) |
| Partner banks | Türk Ekonomi Bankası, Türkiye İş Bankası, Yapı ve Kredi Bankası |
| Application | Through the KOSGEB system, logging in with e-Devlet (Turkey’s e-government gateway) |
The eligibility conditions also include financial criteria such as an up-to-date company declaration (İşletme Beyanı), positive equity in the last financial year and a positive operating profit in at least one of the last three financial years. Supported products cannot be sold, leased or transferred for one year after the final loan maturity.
The maturity report: the first step of the application
One of the conditions most often overlooked at the application stage is the digital maturity assessment report. According to KOSGEB’s page, the report is prepared in one of two formats:
- TÜSSİDE – DDX Digital Transformation Assessment Report Format
- MEXT/İHKİB – SIRI Digital Maturity Assessment Report Format
Only consultants certified or authorised by TÜBİTAK TÜSSİDE, the MESS Technology Centre (MEXT) or the İHKİB Digital Transformation Centre can prepare the report. So before you apply, confirm that the consultant preparing it holds the required authorisation or certificate.
The report is not just a document for the application. It assesses the company’s current level of digital maturity and sets out a roadmap that puts the planned investments in order of priority. The purchases in the support application must be consistent with the digital transformation plan in the report.
How the process works
The application and support process described by KOSGEB has these steps:
- A digital transformation/maturity report is prepared with an authorised consultant.
- The company fills in the application form in the KOSGEB system.
- KOSGEB checks the application; a board decides to accept, reject or ask for corrections.
- The accepted company applies for a loan at one of the partner banks.
- The purchase is made, loan instalments are paid and a payment request form is filled in.
- KOSGEB carries out an on-site check; after approval the interest support is paid to the company.
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Ministry of Industry and Technology Digital Transformation Programme
The Ministry’s programme runs under the investment incentive system; its implementing rules are set by the “Communiqué on the Implementing Principles of the Digital Transformation Programme” (Dijital Dönüşüm Programı Uygulama Esaslarına İlişkin Tebliğ). Here too the process starts with a digital maturity assessment by an assessor authorised by the Ministry, and an investment plan based on it.
Application dates, eligibility conditions and support rates are announced in each call. On the date this guide was checked (23 October 2026) we could not confirm an open call. We recommend following the current status on the Ministry’s Digital Transformation Programme portal and in the investment incentive system.
DIGITALTR: free consulting
DIGITALTR (the Technical Assistance Project for Supporting the Digital Transformation of the Manufacturing Industry) is funded under the Competitive Sectors Programme. It offers selected manufacturers these services free of charge:
- Digital maturity analysis
- Digital transformation consulting
- Testing and validation of digital systems and technologies
- Joint technology solution development
The first application round closed on 30 September 2026. New rounds are announced on digitaltr.org. For manufacturers that have not yet had a digital maturity analysis, it is worth following the next rounds.
What to have ready before you apply
The programmes differ in scope, but preparing for any of them comes down to the same question: what will you digitalise, why, and in what order? If it is clear which investments will be made and why, both the assessment report and the application become easier. Before applying, we recommend preparing:
- A picture of where you are today: Which machines the plant has, which of them data can be read from (PLC and CNC brands), and how production is tracked (paper, Excel, manual entry into the ERP).
- Measurable goals: Not “go digital”, but concrete goals such as “see downtime reasons automatically”, “calculate OEE from machine data” or “achieve batch traceability”.
- A prioritised investment list: Which investment meets which need, and which comes first? Reporting software bought before data is collected from the machines will not deliver the expected benefit.
- Quotations and technical specifications: Documents showing what the software and hardware items are, that they are new and how they connect to the plan.
- A check of the financial criteria: Check the equity and operating profit conditions with your accountant in advance.
Common mistakes
- Choosing a product before defining the need: A software package or device is chosen first and the assessment report is then written around it. The report should start from the company’s needs; investments that do not fit the plan weaken the application.
- A report from an unauthorised consultant: The consultant preparing the report must be certified by one of the institutions the programme accepts.
- Skipping the data collection infrastructure: Dashboards and reporting software are bought before machine connections, the network and the data collection system are defined. One of the foundations of digital transformation is collecting reliable data from machines.
- Forgetting the disposal restriction: Supported products cannot be sold or transferred for one year after the end of the loan term.
From the field: what we see in digital transformation roadmaps
- A maturity assessment clarifies priorities. In assessments we use recognised frameworks such as SIRI (Smart Industry Readiness Index), looking at process, technology and organisation separately. At Anadolu Isuzu, data was collected from production equipment and energy systems; according to the client’s review on Clutch, the company reached level 3 in SIRI.
- The first investment is usually data infrastructure. In roadmaps, machine connectivity, the network and data collection come before dashboards and reporting software. Without that layer, reporting software does little more than show manually entered data on another screen.
- A small pilot makes the plan realistic. Starting with machine connectivity and OEE on a single line shows early how the goals written into a supported project will play out on the floor, and clarifies the scope of the investments that follow.
What VOLSOFT does in this process
VOLSOFT is not an authorised assessor that prepares the official maturity report. VOLSOFT’s role is to build the systems that meet the digital transformation goals set in the report and make them work in the plant:
- as part of digital transformation consulting, producing a technical inventory of the current state and a prioritised roadmap,
- preparing the technical scope and specifications of investment items such as machine data collection, MES and OEE implementation and ERP–MES integration,
- implementing, commissioning and supporting the approved project.
Related guides: What is MES, Production tracking systems.
If you are planning to apply for digital transformation support, you can talk to one of our engineers to define the technical scope and priorities of your investments.
Sources
- KOSGEB, SME Digital Transformation Support Programme page and directive (kosgeb.gov.tr), checked 23 October 2026
- Ministry of Industry and Technology, Communiqué on the Implementing Principles of the Digital Transformation Programme and the programme portal
- DIGITALTR open call announcement (Istanbul Chamber of Industry, 29 July 2026) and digitaltr.org
