İnovaLİG Champions Receive Their Awards at Türkiye Innovation Week 2026
The İnovaLİG Awards were presented as part of Türkiye Innovation Week 2026, organized by the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM) with the support of the Ministry of Trade. This year, İnovaLİG attracted applications from 2,641 companies across 70 provinces, with large-scale enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) receiving awards in five distinct categories.
Organized by the Türkiye Exporters Assembly (TİM) with the support of the Ministry of Trade at the Haliç Congress Center, Türkiye Innovation Week 2026 hosted the İnovaLİG Awards Ceremony on its second day. Held under the theme “Humanity 6.0 – The New Era of Humanity,” the event recognized companies that have successfully embedded innovation as an integral component of their corporate culture and production processes.
The İnovaLİG Awards were presented to the winners by Minister of Trade Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat and TİM President Mustafa Gültepe.
“We must continuously reinvent ourselves”
Speaking at the awards ceremony, TİM President Mustafa Gültepe emphasized that achieving sustainable success in global competition requires innovation to evolve into a continuous and deeply ingrained business philosophy.
Highlighting that developing a product once is no longer sufficient and that products and processes must be continuously reassessed in response to evolving customer expectations, Gültepe stated, “To remain competitive over the long term, we must keep pace with the accelerating pace of change. Customers invariably expect something better than what came before. They demand products that are newer, faster, more innovative and competitively priced. Therefore, we must continuously reinvent ourselves. We need to integrate advanced technology, R&D and innovation more extensively into our operations.”
Recalling that medium-high and high-technology products account for 40 percent of Türkiye's industrial exports in value terms, Gültepe noted that the country still has considerable room for advancement, particularly in high-technology products.
“We aim to make innovation an integral part of corporate culture”
Underscoring the importance of increasing the number of companies that both develop and utilize technology, Gültepe stressed that innovation should not be regarded as a one-off achievement.
Gültepe remarked, “We want to make continuous renewal an inseparable part of our companies' working culture. This is precisely what İnovaLİG accomplishes. Our companies regularly assess their innovation capabilities. Success is evaluated primarily through innovation management rather than solely through the products themselves. Our companies can comprehensively assess their performance across every dimension, from corporate strategy to organizational culture, and monitor their progress year after year.”
İnovaLİG reaches 2,641 companies across 70 provinces
Emphasizing the steadily growing interest in İnovaLİG, Gültepe noted that the program began in 2014 with 460 participating companies, while applications had surged to 2,641 this year.
Highlighting the particular significance of receiving applications from 70 provinces, Gültepe stated, “In this respect, İnovaLİG has evolved into a nationwide innovation movement reaching every corner of Türkiye. We can now see that innovation is gaining traction not only in our major cities but also among companies throughout Anatolia.”
Recalling that every company participating in İnovaLİG is entitled to receive a comprehensive assessment report, Gültepe emphasized that, in this sense, there are no losers in the program. He noted that the award-winning companies had distinguished themselves by integrating innovation into their production processes and management philosophies, reaffirming that TİM would continue to stand alongside businesses throughout this journey.
Five companies claim top honors in the large-scale enterprises category
The champions of the five categories within the Large-Scale Enterprises division of the İnovaLİG Awards were announced.
Kipaş Tekstil secured first place in the Innovation Strategy category; ROKETSAN in Innovation Organization and Culture; Borçelik in Innovation Lifecycle; Termo Isı Sistemleri in Innovation Resources; and Gemak Gemi in Innovation Results.
SME innovation champions announced
In the SME division, Asis Otomasyon claimed first place in Innovation Strategy; Solimpeks Enerji in Innovation Organization and Culture; Chef Seasons in Innovation Lifecycle; VSY Biyoteknoloji in Innovation Resources; and Semikal Teknoloji in Innovation Results.