2/5/2026
Zorlu Enerji has secured a total of EUR 2.41 million in grant funding through six projects implemented under the Horizon Europe Programme, while continuing to strengthen its expertise with nearly 25 R&D projects being carried out simultaneously across Zorlu Enerji and its group companies. Ural Halaçoğlu, Group Manager of R&D and Innovation at Zorlu Enerji Geothermal Resources, stated: “We continuously enhance our capability to integrate R&D across all our business processes. In this direction, we closely follow global best practices and focus on strengthening our collaborations.”
Positioning R&D and innovation at the core of its sustainable growth strategy, Zorlu Enerji ranks among Türkiye’s most successful industrial companies thanks to the grants it has received under the Horizon Europe Programme, established by the European Union to support research, development, and innovation projects. Since 2018, Zorlu Enerji has secured a total of EUR 4.14 million and approximately TRY 30 million in grant funding for 17 R&D projects, and continues to pursue R&D activities aimed at developing groundbreaking solutions in the fields of environment, energy, and digital technologies.
EUR 2.41 Million Grant Support for Zorlu Enerji’s Six R&D Projects
Emphasizing that Zorlu Enerji carries out projects focused on decarbonization, digitalization, and decentralization, Ural Halaçoğlu said: “As the R&D unit, we have secured a total of EUR 2.41 million in grant funding to date through six R&D projects under Horizon Europe, the EU’s largest research and innovation programme, including JIDEP, SEHRENE, nGel, EOLIAN, Twinvest, and VERTI-GO. In 2023, our nGel project, which has the highest project-based budget we have received to date, secured EUR 1.91 million in grant support under this framework. In addition, our WindTwin project, for which we applied for the Eurogia23 Programme as the main coordinator for the first time, has qualified for grant support from TÜBİTAK, while our JESKE project has been awarded funding under TENMAK’s (Turkish Energy, Nuclear and Mineral Research Agency) TUGEP Programme, which was launched for the first time. Both projects are currently at the contract stage. With an R&D portfolio supported by national and international funds and expanding year by year, we continue our work with determination.”
Nearly 20 R&D Projects Under Management
Stating that they continue their efforts with an R&D portfolio supported by national and international funds, Halaçoğlu continued as follows: “At Zorlu Enerji, we conduct our activities with a focus on renewable resources. This approach is a natural reflection of our company’s long-term vision for the future. In 2017, while the construction and commissioning process of the Kızıldere 3 Geothermal Power Plant was ongoing, we established contact with TÜBİTAK. Toward the end of the same year, we were informed about the Horizon 2020 Programme, which we evaluated together with our senior management. Following this process, we took our first step into international R&D
collaboration with our GECO (Geothermal Emission Control) project. Today, four projects involving Zorlu Enerji have been successfully completed under the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union. We have three projects supported through TÜBİTAK under the EUREKA cluster, while nine R&D projects supported by national and international funds are currently ongoing. Within our group company Osmangazi Electricity Distribution Inc., four EU-funded R&D projects have been successfully completed, and two new projects were added to our portfolio this year. In addition, we have nearly 15 R&D projects supported by the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA). In summary, as Zorlu Enerji and its group companies, we are simultaneously managing nearly 25 R&D projects.”