Özyeğin University Takes a Strategic Role in Türkiye’s Quantum Technology Initiative

Özyeğin University will contribute to Türkiye’s national quantum technology roadmap under the “Defense Industry Quantum Technologies Strategic Competence Development Cooperation Protocol,” signed in collaboration with the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), the Secretariat of Defense Industries (SBB) and 11 universities with advanced expertise in quantum technologies. The protocol aims to develop highly skilled human capital in quantum computing, quantum communications, and quantum sensing; to transform academic knowledge into strategic technologies, and to establish long-term collaborations with the defense industry. It will further advance Özyeğin University’s long-standing scientific and technological expertise on a national scale.

At the heart of the University’s efforts in this field are research initiatives in quantum optics, quantum communications, and quantum sensing led by Asst. Prof. Kadir Durak from the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department. Türkiye’s first quantum communication network was established on the Özyeğin University campus, while the Quantum LIDAR project conducted jointly with ASELSAN with SSB support and recognized among leading research projects worldwide develops next-generation target detection and ranging technologies for use in challenging, noise-intensive environments. These initiatives demonstrate the University’s robust research infrastructure that bridges state-of-the-art scientific research with the needs of the defense industry.

Qubitrium, a deep-tech spin-off founded by Asst. Prof. Kadir Durak based on Özyeğin University’s research excellence, is bringing quantum technologies from the laboratory to market and even into space. The company’s 1U quantum communication module was recently launched into orbit aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-16 mission and is now operating in space. Through its quantum communication network, Quantum LIDAR development, and space-qualified quantum hardware, Özyeğin University integrates academic excellence, defense industry collaboration, and technology entrepreneurship within a single ecosystem, playing a pioneering role in Türkiye’s ambition to develop sovereign and globally competitive quantum technologies.