ICterra has a fascinating history that originates from Siemens, a global enterprise. Could you provide us with an overview of the company’s evolution?

ICterra has a distinctive story as it originated from the research and development department of Siemens Turkey. After partnering with Siemens as its global R&D partner for 21 years, ICterra became a fully Turkish-owned company under my ownership. We transformed our team into a standalone company that operates both domestically and internationally. Initially, in 2013, ICterra solely operated in the international market and exported all its products to Germany. Recognizing our expertise and experience in software, we decided to focus on the aerospace and defense industry domestically as our first step. ICterra has since established partnerships with Turkey’s leading aerospace and defense players, positioning ourselves as a software house for significant platform and system projects. Along with our partners, we aim to grow our expertise in this field, and in international markets, where we intend to market our software R&D services. Despite the current global market, we have achieved a remarkable growth rate of 70% since 2013, which motivates us to continue to excel.

ICterra offers high-quality, value-added information technology solutions and consulting services. Can you compare your service offering to those of other companies in the field?

ICterra is unique in Turkey due to our extensive experience with international projects over the last 25 years. We have worked on large-scale and complex multinational projects that involved over 100 to 200 individuals. The company is used to working with different cultures, which is especially helpful in defense projects, where we have to collaborate with companies in various countries. ICterra works on satellite, command and control, helicopter, and aerospace projects for large platform integrators like Aselsan and international defense organizations. Due to our experience, we have a high level of understanding of the world, which our customers greatly appreciate.

What role does ICterra play in the aerospace and defense industry?

In the next fifteen years, Turkey’s defense companies and institutions will engage in vital projects, with aerospace being a high priority. ICterra aims to establish its role in these new projects, primarily since today’s platforms are essentially platforms running software. Platform development contracts will last for at least ten years, but software will have longer production cycles because future development and modernization of these platforms will originate from software. Together with our partners and foreign original equipment manufacturers such as Sikorsky and Airbus, ICterra will be able to grow its expertise in this area. In the medium term, software companies working in aerospace and defense will discover good opportunities not only in Turkey but also in foreign markets. R&D is crucial for future innovation.

What support mechanisms are available to software companies heavily involved in research and development?

Turkey is a unique country in that it supports its IT sector with numerous incentives. As part of Turkey’s 2023 goals for the republic’s centenary, the government seeks to achieve various industrial breakthroughs. IT has been identified as an industry with significant potential in Turkey, and the government has devised incentives to support its growth. These include technology development zones and project incentives from institutions like TUBITAK, which are effective not only in terms of cost but also in terms of building competitiveness. Such initiatives are future-oriented and aid in developing capabilities in aerospace, defense, and corporate sectors. Software companies are cost-sensitive and often unable to finance R&D activities independently, and such incentives are beneficial. However, additional government support is needed to promote Turkey’s IT sector internationally.