To build a software product with TÜBİTAK or KOSGEB support, first ask what stage your company is at and whether your project contains genuine R&D. As of October 2026, TÜBİTAK’s BiGG Investment programme is the route for founders at the idea stage, TÜBİTAK 1507 and 1501 fund R&D at existing SMEs, and KOSGEB’s Entrepreneur Support Programme covers new software companies. Whichever you choose, the application rests on a project plan with a clearly defined technical uncertainty, measurable outputs and a realistic timeline.
Rules, amounts and call dates change often. We compiled what follows from official pages in October 2026; check them again before you apply.
TÜBİTAK and KOSGEB: who they are and which programme fits
TÜBİTAK is the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye, a public body that, among other things, funds research and innovation in industry through its directorate TEYDEB. KOSGEB is Türkiye’s public agency for small and medium-sized enterprises; its programmes are listed in Turkish.
In October 2026, the picture for software companies looks like this:
| Programme | Who can apply | Type of support | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| TÜBİTAK 1812 BiGG Investment | University students and graduates | Equity investment from the TÜBİTAK BiGG Fund | Up to 18 months in Phase 2 |
| TÜBİTAK 1507 SME R&D Start-up | SME-scale companies incorporated in Türkiye | Grant, 75% support rate | Up to 18 months |
| TÜBİTAK 1501 Industrial R&D | SME-scale companies incorporated in Türkiye | Grant, 75% for the first five projects | Up to 36 months |
| KOSGEB Entrepreneur Support (Business Development) | Businesses up to three years old, software included | Repayable, 80% support rate | 24 months |
At the idea stage: BiGG and BiGG Investment
BiGG is TÜBİTAK’s entrepreneurship programme for technology-based ideas, from idea to market. The name was first tied to the 1512 Entrepreneurship Support Program, whose English page is still online. As of October 2026, however, 1512 no longer appears in TÜBİTAK’s Turkish list of industry programmes; BiGG continues as the 1812 Investment Based Entrepreneurship Support Program (BiGG Investment). It is separate from the Ministry of Industry and Technology’s Technological Entrepreneurship Capital Support.
The programme has three phases:
- Acceleration: You apply through PRODİS, TÜBİTAK’s online system, to an acceleration programme run by an implementing organisation selected by TÜBİTAK. It provides training, mentoring and incubation, and must approve your business plan before it goes to TÜBİTAK.
- Pre-seed investment: Plans that receive a Seal of Excellence from the panel move on. The founders set up a company, which signs an investment agreement with the TÜBİTAK BiGG Fund for a stake of at most 5%. Feasibility and technological development, such as a commercial prototype or software algorithm, belong here.
- Seed investment: Companies that completed Phase 2, or a 1512 project, can receive seed investment for a stake of at most 10%.
You cannot apply if you have already received Phase 2 support under 1512 or 1812, or the Ministry’s scheme above, or if you hold shares in any business on the date you are accepted into an acceleration programme (listed shares and equity crowdfunding are exempt).
The 1812-2026-2 call (in Turkish) offered 1,350,000 TL for a 3% stake to each startup awarded the Seal of Excellence. Applications closed on 30 September 2026; the acceleration programmes run until 31 July 2028, and a 2026–2028 pre-seed investment plan is on the Turkish programme page. The panel weighs technology level, feasibility and commercial potential together, so “we will build an app” is not enough.
If you already have a company: TÜBİTAK 1507, 1501 and KOSGEB
TÜBİTAK 1507 and 1501
The 1507 SME R&D Start-up Support Program and the 1501 Industrial R&D Projects Grant Programme are grant programmes. As of October 2026, both accept only SME-scale capital companies resident in Türkiye, with no topic restriction unless a call says otherwise. 1507 has a 75% support rate and projects of up to 18 months. Under 1501, the rate is 75% for a company’s first five supported projects and 60% after that, TÜBİTAK’s contribution is capped at 20 million TL per project, and projects can last up to 36 months.
Both open calls every January and July, through PRODİS. As of October 2026, the 1501 2026-2 call closes on 26 October and the 1507 2026-2 call (in Turkish) on 11 November, each with a pre-registration deadline a few days earlier.
TÜBİTAK’s 1507 page scores proposals on R&D content, technology level and innovation; the fit of the project plan and company infrastructure; and the potential for economic benefit. Companies founded under 1512 get advantages on their first 1507 application, such as a 10% overhead payment.
KOSGEB Entrepreneur Support Programme
At KOSGEB, the most direct option for a new software company in October 2026 is the Girişimci Destek Programı (Entrepreneur Support Programme, in Turkish). Its Business Development Support is open to businesses up to three years old in sectors including NACE 62 (computer programming), 63 and 72; those with a tech-startup badge (teknogirişim rozeti) are exempt from the age limit. It covers personnel, equipment, software and service costs up to 2,250,000 TL at an 80% rate over 24 months, and it is repayable.
The two KOSGEB programmes we used ourselves are now closed: R&D, Product Development and Innovation (Ar-Ge, Ür-Ge ve İnovasyon) on 15 April 2024 and Advanced Entrepreneur (İleri Girişimci) on 10 May 2024, as KOSGEB’s list of discontinued programmes shows.
Shaping a software project to fit a programme
With a programme in mind, describe your software as an R&D project:
- Isolate the R&D component. State in one sentence what can’t be solved with known methods today. Sign-in, payments and admin panels usually aren’t R&D; a sync method for poor connections or an image-processing model with a target accuracy might be. TÜBİTAK’s 1501 page offers a question set for technology readiness level.
- Split work packages by output. Each package should answer a question and end with something concrete: analysis, method design, prototype, testing, field trial. Tie packages to people and months.
- Set measurable success criteria. Instead of “a fast system”, write “response time under 300 ms with 1,000 concurrent users” or “at least 90% accuracy on the test set”. In 1507, the monitor tracks progress against your proposal.
- Document from day one. In 1507 and 1501 you submit a period report on costs and activities every six months and a final report at the end; BiGG Investment requires progress reports too. Commit history, experiment logs and test reports feed them.
- Map the budget to eligible costs. For 1507 and 1501 these include personnel, travel, equipment and software, materials, consultancy and services, and R&D services from R&D institutions, with limits set in the call document. Our article on mobile app development cost can help you break the budget down.
Common mistakes and the role of a technical partner
Common mistakes
- No real R&D content. An app built from off-the-shelf components scores poorly on the first evaluation dimension.
- An unrealistic timeline. Front-loading all development, leaving testing to the last month or giving a small team many work packages shows up as deviations during monitoring.
- Weak documentation. If you don’t record what you tried and why you changed course, period reports become hard to write. Failed attempts are part of R&D too.
- Confusing the type of support. BiGG Investment is equity; KOSGEB’s Business Development Support is repayable. Plan cash flow and ownership accordingly.
- Waiting for the last day. TÜBİTAK pre-registration closes before the call does.
The role of a technical partner, and our experience
You are the applicant, and ownership of the project should stay with you. A software partner helps most on the technical side: clarifying the R&D component, writing work packages and method, setting a timeline that fits the team’s real capacity and, if funded, building the prototype and running testing and documentation. TÜBİTAK’s 1507 page expects contributing technical consultants to be present when reviewers visit the company, so involve your partner early.
We know this process from the inside. AntArge was founded in 2021 with TÜBİTAK 1512 BiGG support and has also been supported by the KOSGEB R&D (Ar-Ge Ür-Ge) and Advanced Entrepreneurship programmes. The ÇAK app was developed with KOSGEB support. The funding decision belongs to the programme’s evaluators; our part is a sound, feasible technical plan.
Frequently asked questions
Can a mobile app or website get R&D funding?
What gets funded is the technical innovation inside the product. Under 1507, projects that develop a new product, improve an existing one or create new cost-reducing techniques are eligible. Without a technical uncertainty to resolve, your own budget may be the better fit.
Is BiGG support a grant?
As of October 2026, BiGG Investment support is an equity investment by the TÜBİTAK BiGG Fund in your company. The stake is announced in each call; in the 2026-2 call it was 3%.
Can a software company prepare the application for us?
You are the applicant and the application is your responsibility. In a first meeting we clarify how we can contribute to its technical sections: work packages, method and timeline.
Conclusion
TÜBİTAK and KOSGEB funding is a real resource for software products, but the right programme depends on your stage: BiGG Investment at the idea stage, 1507 and 1501 for an established SME, and KOSGEB’s Entrepreneur Support Programme for a new software company. In every case, measurable outputs, a realistic timeline and steady documentation make the process easier. Check the official pages before you apply. To look at the technical side of your project together, see our R&D software development page or get in touch.
