TÜBİTAK selects 91 entrepreneurs in BiGG Investment’s first 2026 call
The selected founders will establish companies and sign investment agreements, following a programme combining acceleration and equity finance.
15 Oct 2026
Türkiye’s TÜBİTAK has awarded its Seal of Excellence to 91 entrepreneurs under the first 2026 call of BiGG Investment. The October 13 announcement moves the selected founders toward establishing companies and signing agreements with the BiGG Fund to develop their technology businesses.
The call attracted 2,844 business ideas. A network of 104 implementing organisations provided acceleration support to 1,291 candidates, covering mentoring, incubation and customer validation. TÜBİTAK subsequently evaluated 436 business plans.
Academics, industry professionals and investors participated in the assessment. Eighty-nine entrepreneurs qualified through this evaluation, while two previously awarded the seal under the co-investment route brought the total to 91.
The financing framework is set out in the original call document. Its standard investment is TRY 1.35 million for a 3% stake, following the signing of investment and project-monitoring agreements. The structure gives the fund an ownership interest in the businesses it supports.
The call also provides a clean-technology investment route through the Global Cleantech Innovation Programme, which TÜBİTAK runs with UNIDO. Under that route, selected companies can receive TRY 2.25 million for a 5% stake, including TRY 900,000 in additional GCIP investment. TÜBİTAK’s results announcement says three business plans were selected for this support.
For participating companies, the framework includes a route to request follow-on investment of up to TRY 1.35 million after their first reporting period. Documented developments such as a new investment round, a binding customer order or a move into serial production can support an application. Requests go through assessment and an investment-committee decision; the fund’s resulting ownership is capped at 5%.
Since BiGG began in 2012, TÜBİTAK says 2,679 entrepreneurs have established companies through the programme. It expects the new selection to bring that cumulative figure to 2,770.
Selected entrepreneurs can check their project status through TÜBİTAK’s application system. Their next step is company formation and contracting with the fund, putting the selected business plans on the path to implementation.