The 4th Awareness Raising Seminar, organised within the Technical Assistance for Support for the Digital Transformation of Manufacturing Industry (DIGITALTR) Project, was held on 23 September 2026 in Ankara, hosted by METU-DTX. The event brought together manufacturing industry representatives, digital transformation experts, technology providers and project stakeholders to explore the services offered under the DIGITALTR Project and its Open Call for Applications.

The seminar opened with remarks by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yozgatlıgil, Rector of METU, and Zekeriya Çoştu, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology. The programme continued with a detailed introduction to the DIGITALTR Open Call for Applications, covering Digital Maturity Assessment, Digital Transformation Consultancy, Testing & Verification and Joint Technology Solution Development services. Enterprise eligibility criteria, application requirements, implementation timelines, key deadlines and guidance on preparing a strong application were presented by project experts Didem Elif Bilgili, Dr.-Ing. Joachim Lentes and Mehmet Kürümlüoğlu.

The panel discussion explored how companies can benefit from digital transformation services through best practices, success stories and lessons learned from METU-DTX. Moderated by Prof. Dr. Hüsnü Dal, Director of METU-DTX, the session brought together Ozan Çınar of Aksan Çelik Dövme, Dr. Halil Bilal of Bayrak Lastik and Kaan Altan of Altan Hidrolik, who shared practical experiences from their digital transformation journeys.

During the Q&A session, participants had the opportunity to discuss application requirements and access to project services directly with the project team. The programme continued with service corners, networking and B2B matchmaking with CSP Centres and concluded with a guided tour of METU-DTX. These activities enabled participants to explore the Centre’s technological capabilities while establishing direct contacts and identifying potential opportunities for future collaboration and partnerships.