I was recently invited to be a presenter/panelist at the 5th annual Turkish-American Business Conference (TABCON) in San Francisco, organized by TABC,  the Turkish-American Business Connection.  This event brings the U.S. and Turkey closer together by promoting business cooperation and knowledge sharing in areas of mutual benefit.  I looked forward to gaining a better understanding of current and future areas for cooperation, including commercial space. 

I’ve had a personal interest in Turkish-American relations since my neighbor, a classics professor at UC Berkeley and member of an annual American archeological expedition to Turkey for 50 summers, shared his adventures with me. My family and I subsequently vacationed in Turkey and also toured the excavation and restoration with him as guide.  Reading “Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds”, a book he recommended, helped me see Turkey as the multi-factored “bridge” between East and West that’s often noted, and is of increasing importance to global commerce and sustainability. 

President Obama’s recent trip to Turkey, the first nation abroad he chose to visit after being elected, was reportedly highly successful.  His meetings with government officials and university students and staff in an informal setting did much to create new possibilities for honest discussion and increasing collaboration.  That he was able to do this with the country that has given the U.S. the very lowest rating when compared to any EU nation, for the last several years, is to the credit of all who participated.

Our TABCON panel was focused on Information & Communication Technology (ICT) applications to national security and aerospace – hot topics within Turkey and the U.S..  I was encouraged by the panel Chairman, Eric Brachhausen to bring a Silicon Valley entrepreneurial perspective to the topic along with my experience in fostering and supporting collaborations across the global space enterprise.  I saw this as an opportunity to introduce the Commercial Space Gateway as an example of a science-technology information portal that can also support business development and collaboration formation.  I suggested that a Turkish-American business “Gateway” could be developed to foster and support joint ICT projects and overall TABCON objectives by helping users share knowledge, identify joint opportunities, and establish new business connections between Turkey and the U.S.. 

While researching my presentation I learned that Turkey formally acknowledged, in year 2000, a strong interest in augmenting its traditional agricultural exports and defense-aerospace product production (mostly based on international contracts for building sub-systems) with future high-tech products.   Their goal to develop increased science, technology and innovation capabilities and resulting integrated commercial products, is called “Vision 2023”.  Because of this I introduced a topic from the Commercial Space Gateway called “CubeSats” that helps develop these capabilities especially at the university level.   CubeSats also have good ICT-relevant product application potential to several areas in defense (in-space systems testing, ground station monitoring/coordination, reconnaissance) and to commerce (CubeSat-related businesses have recently formed in the Netherlands and the U.S.).  

CubeSats are very small, low-cost, multi-application satellites whose development was initiated by Bob Twiggs and his colleagues at Stanford and CalyPoly Universities.  Their motivation was to provide a standardized mini-payload model for hands-on design, development, test and flight in space by students, all within their 4-year education timeframe.   CubeSats are now being developed globally and flown by collaborative teams of universities, government entities (including national security) and increasingly involve commercial development and services.   I was pleased to report that the Istanbul Technical University has developed a Turkish CubeSat scheduled to fly very soon, with the help of the Stanford/CalPoly team and that potential national security CubeSat applications are being assessed by other Turkish university investigators. 
 
I learned from my reading and at TABCON that Turkey’s formation from elements of the Ottoman Empire in 1922 and its subsequent rapid evolution toward democracy under its national leader Kemal Ataturk, resulted in establishment of largely imported infrastructure systems such as government bureaucracy, legal and education systems, and especially industry.  The latter tended to be established by outside entities who naturally optimized their own business profit advantage and some of this persists today bolstered by family dynasties.  Turkey has over 100 universities graduating capable scientists and engineers, but minimal business opportunities for them to pursue their own sci-tech related careers and entrepreneurial entities.  There are over 25,000 Turks just in the San Francisco Bay Area many of whom are actively involved in entrepreneurial and often ICT-related businesses.  They came here to augment their education and stayed as employees and entrepreneurs who have done very well.  Only a few have gone back to establish Turkish enterprises, since the resources and support for that in Turkey are just emerging.  But, with increasing government support and TABCON facilitation these opportunities are coming to life in ICT, green energy technologies, and in my view, potentially in commercial space, as well. 

Turkish-Americans from the U.S (and American-owned enterprises). and their science, technology and business counterparts in Turkey have opportunities to collaborate on the high-priority areas identified by “Vision 2023” and their commercialization.  I see the current CubeSat collaboration as a great model to grow further stimulated by the demonstrated strong interest of university students to do hands-on R&D and product development in both countries, and beyond.  Fortunately, a cutting-edge Spacecamp Turkey facility is available in the city of Izmir that can introduce space science and technology to younger students and adults. Also, the “Gateway” concept could help facilitate these entrepreneurial endeavors since it was developed in part to support sci-tech-innovation business development and collaboration where the interaction of key stakeholders in government, industry, academia and the informed public is essential for making real progress.

This collaborative and innovative process, after all, is the lesson of Silicon Valley, but it can emerge anywhere under proper conditions, certainly including Turkey.  It’s a process we all need to learn to do more efficiently and effectively to support the return of a vibrant and sustainable global economy.  This applies equally to the emerging space commerce market.