IUS Strengthens Ties with BTM Istanbul, One of the World's Leading Startup Incubation Centers

The International University of Sarajevo (IUS) continues to strengthen its international partnerships in the field of entrepreneurship and innovation. As part of these efforts, representatives of the IUS – Muhamed Bisić, Senior Assistant at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Metin Karaman, Lab Technician I – completed a three-week study visit to the Bilgiyi Ticarileştirme Merkezi (BTM), the Commercialization Center of Istanbul, Türkiye.

Established in 2016 by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO), BTM is one of the world's leading startup incubation centers. In a global assessment conducted by UBI Global – which evaluates incubators worldwide, including those in Silicon Valley – BTM was ranked the third best incubation center in the world, having previously been named the "World's Most Promising Center." Since its founding, BTM has supported thousands of startups and entrepreneurs, building an ecosystem valued at over two billion US dollars.

During the three-week program, the IUS representatives had the opportunity to gain in-depth insight into BTM's work and the processes that position it at the very top of the global entrepreneurship ecosystem. They became closely acquainted with BTM's facilities, the organization and structure of all of its programs – from pre-incubation to post-incubation – and met with representatives of all BTM departments.

At the conclusion of the program, meetings were held with BTM General Manager Dr. Önder Kul, Deputy General Manager Dr. Ebru Çetinkaya, and International Operations and Projects Manager Tolga Turan. The discussions focused on possible directions of cooperation between IUS and BTM, and concrete steps were defined for the upcoming period, including the further expansion of the BTM model to the Balkans region.

This visit represents an important milestone in strengthening the partnership between IUS and BTM Istanbul, and in developing the entrepreneurship ecosystem at IUS and in the wider region.