KOSGEB

KOSGEB from Yesterday to Today

The foundations of KOSGEB were laid within the scope of the Small Industry Publication Services Development (KÜSGET) and Industrial Education and Development Center (SEGEM) projects.

Established in Gaziantep in 1973 as a pilot project under the Ministry of Industry and Trade within the framework of the International Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Turkey and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, KÜSGEM began providing services to small-scale industrial enterprises through shared workshops. These efforts were subsequently evaluated, and KÜSGET General Directorate commenced operations in accordance with the International Agreement on the "Development of Small Industry Publication Services," approved by the Council of Ministers Decision No. 83/6744 dated June 17, 1983.

KÜSGET provided technical consulting services through Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise Development Centers. KÜSGET implemented modern management principles in these enterprises and carried out services related to strengthening the technical infrastructure for imparting contemporary management skills, working towards establishing and spreading a world-class quality awareness, raising

the level of technological production, and increasing employment capacity. SEGEM General Directorate began its activities in accordance with the International Agreement on the Provision of Industrial Education Services, which was approved and entered into force by the Council of Ministers' decision dated November 10, 1978, and numbered 7/16728.

SEGEM organized numerous training programs to meet the training needs of SMEs. Based on the importance of the education factor, it provided services to promote lifelong learning among employees and managers of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Due to reasons such as the temporary nature of these services, which KÜSGET and SEGEM attempted to provide within the framework of their project agreements, and their inability to sufficiently meet the needs felt throughout the country, Law No. 3624 on the Establishment of the Small and Medium-Sized Industry Development and Support Administration (KOSGEB) was drafted and published in the Official Gazette dated April 20, 1990, and numbered 20498.

Established in 1990 by Law No. 3624, KOSGEB provided services and support to SMEs in the manufacturing industry from that date until 2009. However, the increasing potential of sectors other than the manufacturing industry in our country to generate economic added value and create employment, as well as the demands from SMEs in sectors other than the manufacturing industry, brought to the agenda the need to expand KOSGEB's target group to cover all SMEs.

In this context, with the enactment of "Law No. 5891 on Amendments to Law No. 3624 on the Establishment of KOSGEB" published in the Official Gazette dated May 5, 2009, and numbered 27219 entered into force, SMEs in the service and trade sectors were also included in KOSGEB's target audience, and KOSGEB became the national institution responsible for SMEs in our country.

By 2017, KOSGEB began to focus on supporting businesses operating in the industrial sector, particularly in technological fields and domestic production. Today, it continues to provide the necessary support for SMEs to engage in technology-focused production using domestic and national resources.