President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday announced a new initiative to expand Türkiye's pool of highly skilled technology researchers, targeting the training of around 3,000 specialists over five years as the country seeks to strengthen its capabilities in critical fields.

The program will initially admit 550 doctoral students through a centralized selection process, with participants to pursue their studies at 20 of Türkiye's research universities.

Training will concentrate on areas viewed as increasingly important for Türkiye's technological competitiveness, particularly artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, semiconductor technologies and advanced computing.

The initiative is expected to bring around 3,000 young researchers into the country's science and technology ecosystem by the end of the five-year period.

Erdoğan presented the program as part of Türkiye's broader effort to develop the skilled workforce needed to design and produce advanced technologies domestically and compete internationally.

The initiative also aligns with Ankara's push to reduce external dependence in strategically important technologies. Türkiye has in recent years expanded investments and education programs in areas including artificial intelligence, defense technologies, semiconductors and digital infrastructure, while seeking closer cooperation between universities, research institutions and industry.

Erdoğan has repeatedly identified technological self-sufficiency and a larger pool of qualified researchers and engineers as key components of the Türkiye Century vision.

The initiative comes as Türkiye accelerates efforts to expand its technology workforce and digital infrastructure. President Erdoğan unveiled the country's Artificial Intelligence Action Plan for 2026-2030, which aims to mobilize at least $10 billion in investment in data centers, cloud computing and AI infrastructure and raise installed data center capacity to at least 1 gigawatt by 2030.

Türkiye has also expanded university programs targeting emerging technologies. According to the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), 16 new programs are being introduced for the 2026-2027 academic year, while AI-related programs have grown to 785 across 171 universities. The new offerings emphasize areas including AI, cybersecurity, data science, biotechnology and digital technologies.