OIZ, R&D and Incentive Glossary

OIZ and Industrial Terminology Glossary

Concise definitions of 50+ key concepts around Organized Industrial Zones (OIZ), R&D and Design Centres, Technoparks, KOSGEB-TÜBİTAK and green transformation.

Organized Industrial Zone (OIZ)

Organized Industrial Zone (OIZ): A designated manufacturing area established under Law No. 4562 where infrastructure is delivered collectively to enable planned industrial development.
Law No. 4562 (OIZ Law): Primary Turkish law governing OIZ establishment, governance bodies and infrastructure and oversight processes.
OIZ Implementing Regulation: Secondary legislation detailing application of Law No. 4562 including procedural provisions.
Founding Committee: Founding governance body composed of representatives from local administrations and chambers of commerce/industry.
General Assembly: Highest decision-making body, replacing the Founding Committee after OIZ registration.
Board of Directors: Executive body responsible for allocations, tenders, contracts and day-to-day operations.
Supervisory Board: Independent body auditing financial and administrative operations and reporting to the General Assembly.
Regional Directorate: Professional management unit running daily administrative and technical services of the OIZ.
Participant: A manufacturer that has received a parcel allocation in an OIZ and operates from that parcel.
Pre-Allocation: Provisional land allocation contingent on fulfilment of investment and production commitments.
Definitive Allocation: Permanent land grant to a participant after pre-allocation conditions are fulfilled.
Allocation Revocation: Withdrawal of allocation by the Board where investment or production commitments are not met within regulatory timelines.
Attendance Fee: Compensation paid to OIZ body members per meeting or per month, capped by Presidential Decree.
Ministry Credit: Credit support provided by the Ministry of Industry and Technology for OIZ infrastructure and general administration.
Progress Payment: Payment in infrastructure projects tied to the completion percentage, evidenced by a technical report.
Green OIZ: Sustainability performance tier certified by the Ministry based on energy, waste, water and carbon criteria.
Smart OIZ: Digital transformation model integrating big data, AI, IoT and automation into OIZ management.
Business Continuity Plan (BCP): Document defining risk analysis, response and recovery procedures for uninterrupted critical operations.

R&D and Design Centre

R&D Centre: Certified unit under Law No. 5746 benefiting from R&D deduction, subject to minimum staff and facility requirements.
Design Centre: Unit focused on industrial design benefiting from incentives similar to R&D Centres under Law No. 5746.
Law No. 5746: Law on Supporting R&D and Design Activities, defining R&D deduction, withholding incentive and social-security premium support.
R&D Deduction: Tax advantage allowing 100% of eligible R&D expenses to be deducted from the corporate tax base.
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE): Calculation method measuring R&D personnel work time for eligibility thresholds.
Person-Month: Work-time unit representing one person working for one month on average on a project.
Activity Report: Annual report documenting R&D or Design Centre activities, outputs and expenses to the Ministry.
Pre-Audit: Advisor-led simulation of the Ministry audit to detect and remediate risk findings in advance.

Technopark and TDZ

Technopark / Technology Development Zone (TDZ): Special economic zone established under Law No. 4691 where R&D, design and software activities enjoy tax exemptions.
Law No. 4691: Law on Technology Development Zones defining incentives and managing-company operations.
Managing Company: Legal entity handling planning, operation, leasing, project admission and Ministry coordination of a TDZ.
Technopark Portal: Ministry-managed system used for TDZ project submissions, exemption certificates, personnel records and audits.
Technopark Exemption: Bundle of income/corporate tax, VAT and withholding exemptions granted to zone firms under Law No. 4691.
Incubation Centre (GO): Early-stage startup facility that, since 2022, may be opened outside the TDZ boundary with Ministry approval.

KOSGEB, TÜBİTAK and Grants

KOSGEB: Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization of Türkiye; runs SME grant and support programmes.
SME: Enterprise classified by headcount, annual turnover or balance-sheet thresholds defined by regulation.
SME Declaration: Document proving SME status, kept up to date for KOSGEB applications.
TÜBİTAK: Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye; evaluates and funds R&D and innovation projects.
TÜBİTAK 1501: Industrial R&D Projects Support Programme targeting medium and large enterprises.
TÜBİTAK 1507: SME R&D Start-up Support Programme for SMEs within their first five R&D projects.

Green Transformation and Other

European Green Deal: EU strategic framework for the 2050 carbon-neutral target.
Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): EU border pricing mechanism on certain imports based on their carbon footprint.
Sustainability Certification: Third-party verification of energy, water, waste and carbon performance (e.g. Green OIZ, LEED, BREEAM).
KVKK: Turkey’s Law No. 6698 on the Protection of Personal Data, the national data-protection framework.
Resilience: Capacity of an organisation to sustain operations through disruptions and recover quickly.
Digital Transformation: Redesign of business processes through digital technologies for efficiency, transparency and quality.

OIZ Consulting — All Processes in One Guide Frequently Asked Questions Blog