The opening ceremony of the Food Research and Test/Analysis Center - GATAM, established in cooperation with TUBITAK Marmara Research Center and Giresun Commodity Exchange as a component of the INNOFOOD Project, which is financed by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey and implemented under the Competitive Sectors Program of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, was held.

The ceremony was attended by Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Minister of Industry and Technology, and Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, President of TÜBİTAK.

Minister Kacır said, "I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this facility, which we have realized within the scope of INNOFOOD program, the highest budgeted R&D project of our country originating from the EU. In the past, we had built Turkey's and the world's first licensed hazelnut warehouse together in this area. We are crowning this investment with a center where agricultural testing and analysis needed by SMEs in Giresun and surrounding provinces will be carried out. May our Test and Analysis Center be auspicious and auspicious for Giresun and our country!"

"We prioritize R&D-oriented production in the food sector"

Stating that the food industry stands out as a strategic sector while the climate crisis continues, Kacır said: "Our food industry, whose strategic importance is increasing day by day, is one of the most important items in our exports with 26.5 billion dollars. In this strategic sector, if we want to maintain our competitiveness in the international arena and maintain our export-oriented growth, we have to prefer value-added and technology-oriented production. For this reason, in line with our National Technology Move vision, we prioritize R&D-oriented production in the food sector as in every field."

Minister Kacır said, "We support 57 R&D centers and 612 technology initiatives within our technoparks, which pioneer the technology and innovation-oriented transformation of our food sector. Within the scope of TÜBİTAK academia, scientist and private sector R&D support programs, we have provided more than 11 billion liras of support to 3,026 projects carried out in the field of food and 1,548 scientists and young people conducting research in this field in the last 22 years."

Reminding that they established the Food Innovation Center and Turkey Food Innovation Platform (TÜGİP) with INNOFOOD, Turkey's largest food R&D and innovation project under the leadership of TUBITAK, Minister Kacır said: "We launched our Food Innovation Center as a solution partner of the food and beverage sector. We enable SMEs serving in the food and beverage sector to improve product quality and safety with the infrastructures we have established all over our country within the scope of this project. We also support R&D-based product/production technology development of our companies and increase the competitiveness of the Turkish food industry in national and international markets."

"We are establishing new infrastructures to protect the competitiveness of our country in hazelnut production and create more added value"

Emphasizing that "We are establishing new infrastructures in order to protect the competitiveness of our country and create more added value in the production of hazelnuts, which play an important role in the development of Giresun, our Black Sea region, and mark the culture of our region," Kacır said, "Thanks to the infrastructure established in our Giresun Food Research, Testing and Analysis Center, which we have implemented with a budget of 2.7 million euros, we offer advanced level examinations and microbiological analyzes such as aflatoxin, as well as heavy metal and pesticide tests that could not be performed in the region before. With this center, which will support the sustainable growth of hazelnut production and our food industry and increase the competitiveness of Turkish hazelnuts in international markets, we are making another important investment for our hazelnut producers. With the "Pilot Scale Mobile Hazelnut Drying System" with a daily hazelnut drying capacity of 1,500 kilograms, we will ensure that the products of our hazelnut producers are minimally damaged by the rainfall during the harvest season."

"2 of the 6 main components of INNOFOOD project are in Giresun"

TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal also underlined the cooperation with Giresun Borsa and said, "Since the beginning of this project, we have held openings in Gebze, Gaziantep and Şanlıurfa, and now we are in Giresun." Pointing out that 2 of the 6 main components of the INNOFOOD project are in Giresun, Mandal said, "Both our Food Analysis and Test Center, which we opened today, and our pilot drying unit to increase efficiency are here in Giresun."

Mandal noted that a common mind was met at the point of food supply security and said, "Hazelnuts are very important for Giresun. This program brings us together through this center. As TÜBİTAK, we are doing our part and taking this task upon ourselves and taking action to see what we can do with our university, commodity exchange, governor and local government. This center is also critical in terms of producing added value. We export 85 percent of value-added products in their natural/roasted/whitened form. We must turn it into action at the point of added value. Hopefully, we will evaluate this development area both with TÜBİTAK support and in cooperation with universities and other stakeholders. Our university also specializes in hazelnut, which is an important advantage. I consider this as a responsibility for my own institution."

"We will be working together both in increasing productivity and developing value-added products"

Noting that they are also taking action together with our drying unit in terms of efficiency, Mandal said, "Our most important issue is that some of the products sent back due to the formation of aflatoxin due to climatic conditions and humidity during the drying of the products obtained, and therefore the success of our country in terms of exports is not seen sufficiently. We will be working together both in increasing productivity and developing value-added products."

TÜBİTAK President Mandal emphasized, "This infrastructure will be used not only for hazelnuts but also for tea and seafood."

 What is GATAM?

Giresun Food Research and Testing/Analysis Center - GATAM, which was implemented within the scope of the INNOFOOD Project, will start to serve in a modern facility with a closed area of 880 square meters. Equipped with 52 modern laboratory devices, GATAM will offer the opportunity to conduct accredited analyzes needed by food enterprises and exporters in the region.

Food producers producing tea, vegetables-fruits, bee products and aquaculture products, especially hazelnut producers and enterprises in Giresun and primarily in the nearby regions, will be able to benefit from GATAM, which is located within the Giresun Commodity Exchange. SMEs in the region will be able to have advanced level analyzes such as aflatoxin, fatty acids, wet chemical analyzes and microbiological analyzes they need. In addition, heavy metal and elemental analyzes and pesticide analyzes, which cannot be performed in the region, will be carried out quickly and reliably in all food products.

What is the INNOFOOD Project?

Financed by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey and implemented under the Competitive Sectors Program implemented by the Ministry of Industry and Technology, INNOFOOD project covers the development of research and innovation facilities to increase the regional competitiveness of the food sector. Thus, it aims to create a strong and competitive food and beverage sector in the 12 Level II regions east of the Sinop-Hatay longitude, which are defined as Turkey's priority regions for development. INNOFOOD is a comprehensive infrastructure investment and capacity building project that establishes R&D, innovation, pilot processing lines and test/analysis laboratories to support SMEs and enterprises operating in the food and beverage sector. With the project, SMEs in the food and beverage sector will improve product quality and safety, develop R&D-based product and production technology, and increase national/international competitiveness with value-added products.

INNOFOOD Project stands out as an R&D and innovation-oriented project for Turkey's food and beverage sector with a budget of EUR 27 million, 85% co-financed by the European Union and 15% by the Republic of Turkey. The project supports SMEs and startups as a comprehensive infrastructure investment and capacity building project consisting of six different components in four different regions of Turkey.

INNOFOOD Project consists of 6 different components in 4 different regions:

1- Food Innovation Center established in Gebze. The center has a 5,800 square meter closed area and includes 9 pilot-scale food processing lines and an advanced food innovation laboratory.

2- Turkey Food Innovation Platform, TÜGİP, which is a communication network and clustering platform for all actors in the food and beverage sector

3- Giresun Commodity Exchange Food Research Test and Analysis Center - GATAM, which will have 880 square meters of indoor space and 52 laboratory devices in Giresun

4- Şanlıurfa Chamber of Commerce and Industry Food Research and Analysis Center - ŞUTSO GAAM, which has a closed area of 400 square meters and 48 laboratory devices

5- Pilot Scale Hazelnut Drying System in Giresun with a daily hazelnut drying capacity of 1,500 kilograms, using renewable energy sources and minimizing energy consumption

6- As the last component, a €1.5 million Pilot Scale Peanut Processing Line in Gaziantep with a processing capacity of 1000 kg per hour