The Vice Presidency of Climate and Life Sciences of TUBITAK Marmara Research Center consists of the following 6 research groups; Climate Studies and Water Management, Resource Efficiency and Clean Energy, Earth Sciences, Marine Research and Technologies, Food Technologies and Biotechnology.
The Resource Efficiency and Clean Energy Research Group carries out activities for the sustainable development and green transformation of Türkiye. In this context, it contributes to the circular economy by developing solutions to increase Resource Efficiency in all sectors of the Manufacturing Industry. In addition, Research Group carries out R&D projects within the scope of evaluating our national resources such as coal, biomass and waste, in terms of energy and chemical production in an environmentally and with high added value. In line with our country's decarbonization target, it develops Carbon Capture and Utilization technologies for carbon-intensive sectors and applies them to the sector.
The Biotechnology Research Group consists of six specialized research teams, namely Drug Technologies, Vaccine Technologies, Molecular Oncology, Plant Biotechnology, Animal Biotechnology, and Biomaterials. This group strategically plans and conducts research and development activities in the fields of healthcare, plant and animal biotechnology, and biomaterials, with a focus on addressing the needs of all stakeholders, including industry, public institutions, and academia. In alignment with national priorities, the group works to identify solutions to existing challenges through the application of current methodologies within its field, while also focusing on the development of products that can generate added value for the national economy. Furthermore, the group provides analytical and consultancy services to both public and private sector organizations.
The Biotechnology Research Group benefits from an interdisciplinary infrastructure that integrates diverse fields, such as cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, bioinformatics, biomaterials, immunology, toxicology, and genetics. This comprehensive foundation enables the group to undertake a wide range of studies, including disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, development of biosensor technologies and diagnostic kits, as well as the characterization of national plant and animal genetic resources and biodiversity. The group holds a pioneering position in Turkey, particularly in the establishment of research infrastructures for biotechnological drugs and vaccines, and in the development of product-oriented projects in this field.
The Earth Sciences Research Group provides solutions for earthquake risk mitigation, site classification and earthquake hazard assessment studies for urban planning purposes in cities located within the regions with high seismic activity in Türkiye, monitoring aftershock activity after destructive earthquakes, site selection studies for providing necessary geological and geophysical databases before construction of large engineering structures such as nuclear power plants, hydroelectric dams and military facilities. In addition, R/D projects, developed by Earth Science Research Group as solutions for Türkiye’s earth-science related problems, aiming for highest possible public benefit such as application of geophysical underground imaging techniques to archeological, geothermal and coal mining sites. Furthermore, Türkiye’s first and only Accelerator Mass Spectrometery (AMS) Laboratory was also founded as part of the Earth Science Research Group. With its highly qualified and experienced human resources, the AMS laboratory plays a key role in self-sufficiency of Türkiye by conducting precise Carbon-14 analyses using state of the art equipment and techniques for the following purposes; dating cultural heritage, determination of origin of materials, dating historical earthquakes, geographical and environmental studies, biomedical research, forensic science, nuclear sciences, bio-fuel and bio-material researches.
As the Marine Research and Technologies Research Group, our reserach interests include the decrease of biodiversity in our seas, observation of alien/invasive species, fish deaths depending on eutrophication and decrease of oxygen levels in seas, algal blooms, formation of mucilage and how these factors influence the activities such as fishing, tourism and maritime transport. Additionally, our reseach group conducts R&D studies regarding quality monitoring in sea water and sediment, determining the effects of urban wastewater treatment plants of on the seas and proposing solutions.