The “Support and Transformation Programs Information Meeting for SMEs” was held in cooperation with the Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development and Support Administration (KOSGEB). Speaking at the meeting, KOSGEB President Ahmet Serdar İbrahimcioğlu said that KOSGEB has provided 1 billion TL in support to 350 million 188 thousand SMEs to date.
BTSO hosted the information meeting organized within the scope of the “Support and Transformation for SMEs” program conducted by KOSGEB to make the basic dynamics of the industry more resilient and competitive. BTSO Board Chairman İbrahim Burkay, who made the opening speech of the meeting, said that SMEs are one of the most important indicators of a country’s development and economic wealth. Stating that small and medium-sized enterprises, despite their small names, contribute to the economy invaluable, Chairman Burkay emphasized that SMEs provide approximately 99 percent of companies, 70 percent of employment and 60 percent of added value in OECD countries.
Bursa is an important SME center
Burkay, who stated that Bursa ranks 4,5th in the distribution of approximately 5 million enterprises in Turkey by province, shared that the city is an important SME center in Türkiye with a share of 4,52 percent in micro-scale companies, 5,61 percent in small-scale companies and 6,70 percent in medium-scale companies. President Burkay said, “SMEs constitute the lifeblood of the economy with their innovation potential, rapid adaptation skills and geometric growth capacities. The small steps taken by these enterprises lead to great successes and sustainable development. SMEs play a critical role in the development of local economies, employment and innovation processes.”
Strengthening SMEs is Our Priority
Stating that BTSO has adopted the strengthening of SMEs as a priority for the sustainable growth of production, trade and industry, President Burkay said that the business world is experiencing an unprecedented transformation process, technology is changing the way of doing business and digital platforms and artificial intelligence applications have become the main driving force of this transformation. Burkay, who stated that businesses face significant opportunities as well as serious challenges in this process, said, “The role of public and civil society organizations has become more critical than ever in terms of SMEs’ access to information, their ability to use this information effectively and their support in the areas they need. In this process, we see KOSGEB’s vision and support programs shaped according to the changing needs of our business world as a very important element. Our top priority is for our SMEs to benefit from KOSGEB supports at the highest level in this new environment. In this context, we are carrying out awareness studies on state incentives and supports with the BTSO Academy project. We inform our members about the supports provided by institutions such as KOSGEB, Eximbank, Development Agencies, TÜBİTAK and İŞKUR, especially ministries. Today, we are hosting an important program regarding KOSGEB supports such as Employment Protection, Capacity Development, Global Competitiveness and SME Digital Transformation Support Programs. I would like to thank our KOSGEB President Ahmet Serdar İbrahimcioğlu and all our participants.”
1 Billion TL Support to 350 Million 188 Thousand SMEs
KOSGEB President Ahmet Serdar İbrahimcioğlu emphasized that SMEs and institutions need some transformations in order to adapt to new developments in the world. İbrahimcioğlu stated that KOSGEB has prepared a strategy plan covering the years 2024-2028 in this context. Sharing that there are 3,7 million SMEs in Türkiye, KOSGEB President İbrahimcioğlu stated that they have provided 1 million 350 thousand SMEs with 188 billion TL of support to date. Noting that there has been a significant increase in the amount of KOSGEB support especially in the last 23 years, İbrahimcioğlu stated that 188 billion TL of the 184 billion TL support has been provided in the last 23 years. İbrahimcioğlu said that they also attach special importance to women entrepreneurs. Stating that the rate of women entrepreneurs in Türkiye is between 14-17 percent, İbrahimcioğlu said, “More than 40 percent of KOSGEB support is provided to women entrepreneurs. KOSGEB is among the leading institutions in supporting women entrepreneurship.”
Simple, Accessible, Digital and Global KOSGEB
İbrahimcioğlu, who stated that KOSGEB aims to be a simple, accessible, digital and global institution within the scope of its new vision, said that when they took office, they simplified KOSGEB’s supports and designed the programs in a way that would prepare SMEs from the seed stage for global competition. İbrahimcioğlu, who stated that they planned the new supports in a way that SMEs would develop solutions for their own needs, said, “In the new system, we want entrepreneurs to determine their own needs. In other words, we give our SMEs a shopping basket with a certain limit and size. All we want from SMEs is to fill this basket in accordance with their needs. We provide selective support from the establishment stage to internationalization.”
230 Thousand SMEs Visited On-Site
“Within the scope of the accessibility vision, KOSGEB President İbrahimcioğlu said that KOSGEB does not wait for SMEs but goes to them,” and added that KOSGEB employees go out to the field every Thursday and provide on-site information to SMEs. İbrahimcioğlu, who stated that they started the application in January last year, said that they visited 230 thousand SMEs on-site during this process and said, “We are with our SMEs. We are making an effort for this. Our expert colleagues provide guidance during our visits. Expectation measurement and evaluation surveys are conducted.”
Stating that they aim to further accelerate KOSGEB’s processes and increase the quality of service to SMEs by strengthening its digital infrastructure with artificial intelligence, İbrahimcioğlu made a detailed presentation on Entrepreneurship, Capacity Building, Global Competitiveness and SME Digital Transformation Support Programs. The event, which attracted great interest from Bursa business world representatives, ended with a question-answer session.
