From Shepherd to Industrialist: An Anatolian Success Story

INTRODUCTION

Halit Eryiğit is one of Türkiye’s pioneering industrialists, entrepreneurs and civil society volunteers in health technologies, biomedical devices and biotechnology. He grew up in Anatolia’s culture of production and started working at a young age. With his entrepreneurial spirit, determination and innovative outlook, he has built one of the most notable success stories in Türkiye’s health technology sector.

Over a wide-ranging career spanning manufacturing and R&D, technology and entrepreneurship, education and civil society, he has made important contributions to developing domestic health technologies, increasing high value-added production, strengthening university–industry cooperation and building the biotechnology ecosystem.

INDUSTRY AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

In 1991 Halit Eryiğit founded Eryiğit Endüstriyel Makine ve Tıbbi Cihazlar A.Ş., working in health technologies, biomedical devices, the defence industry and industrial manufacturing. What began as a small manufacturing venture has grown into a strong, R&D-driven industrial company that develops high technology and competes in international markets.

He also served as founding president of the OSTİM Medical Industry Cluster, pioneering the development of the health technology cluster model in Türkiye.

Today Eryiğit Medical Devices offers a wide product portfolio, including sterilisation systems, central sterile services units, operating theatre equipment, operating tables, oxygen generation and storage systems, medical gas infrastructure, biological medical waste sterilisation technologies and water treatment systems.

With its domestic production capacity, engineering strength and technology development capability, the company is one of Türkiye’s leading health technology manufacturers and exports its products to many countries around the world.

He played an important role in developing diagnostic kits for epidemic diseases, above all COVID-19, and in building Türkiye’s primer–probe production capability. This work, carried out in TÜBİTAK-supported projects, was recognised with special awards at presidential level.

R&D AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

One of the defining features of Halit Eryiğit’s career is the way he has combined industrial production with scientific research and technology development.

He has led the spread of an R&D culture in Türkiye’s health technology sector, preparing, managing and successfully commercialising many projects supported by the European Union, TÜBİTAK, KOSGEB and other public bodies.

Through national and international partnerships, he was among the first pioneers of biotechnology in Türkiye, leading the founding of biotechnology laboratories, the development of research infrastructure and the commercialisation of results.

He also led the founding of one of Türkiye’s first MDR Biocompatibility Testing and Analysis Centres, established with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, making an important contribution to building the testing and analysis infrastructure that the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device sectors need.

His work on domestically produced operating tables, sterilisation systems, healthcare infrastructure technologies and advanced medical equipment has helped reduce the health sector’s dependence on imports and strengthen domestic production.

ERYİĞİT MEDICAL DEVICES’ CONTRIBUTION TO EDUCATION

Halit Eryiğit believes education is one of the foundations of sustainable development and has supported the integration of education and industry throughout his career.

He has offered internships, practical training and research opportunities to a wide range of students, from apprenticeship schools and vocational high schools to vocational colleges and bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programmes.

As an industry representative, he has supported many oral presentations, scientific papers and posters at national and international congresses, many of which have received awards.

He has championed hands-on training and one-to-one internships at every stage of education, from apprenticeship to doctorate, and has made developing qualified people one of his core principles.

INVESTMENTS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY

In line with the importance he places on technology and innovation, he has also made significant investments in biotechnology.

He has led the founding of research facilities working in molecular biology, genetic technologies, molecular diagnostics, biomolecule development and biomedical innovation. He has backed three technology start-ups as an angel investor and helped them commercialise their work.

In line with this vision, he has led the creation of structures that bring biotechnology and health technologies together in one ecosystem, and has run various projects and partnerships to develop biotechnology entrepreneurship in Türkiye.

INDUSTRY AND CIVIL SOCIETY WORK

Halit Eryiğit believes that the sustainable development of industry and technology depends on a strong culture of cooperation.

For many years he has worked within the Ankara Chamber of Industry to develop the biomedical and biotechnology sectors, and he is one of the sector’s founding representatives.

For about fifteen years he has contributed to the development of biotechnology and biomedicine under the Ankara Chamber of Industry. He is one of the founders of ASO Professional Committee No. 2 and continues to serve as a member of the ASO Assembly.

Through his work on university–industry cooperation, technology development zones, entrepreneurship and high-tech production, he has contributed significantly to Ankara’s transformation in health technologies and biotechnology.

MEDICAL BIOTECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION (MEBID)

To give the knowledge built up in health technologies and biotechnology an institutional structure, he led the founding of the Medical Biotechnology Association (MEBID) and became its founding president.

Through MEBID he brings together academia, industry, the public sector and the entrepreneurship ecosystem, supporting education, research, technology transfer, commercialisation and internationalisation in biotechnology and medical technologies.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND CIVIC CONTRIBUTIONS

Halit Eryiğit is also active in social responsibility.

He has helped found and manage civil society organisations working in particular on fighting addiction, protecting young people and raising public awareness.

He is a co-founder and Chairman of the Board of the International Association for Combating Substance Addiction (UMUDDER), and leads various social responsibility projects on fighting addiction.

ACADEMIC COOPERATION AND UNIVERSITY–INDUSTRY INTEGRATION

Halit Eryiğit believes academia must build stronger ties with industry. He works closely with higher education institutions and actively supports education, research and technology transfer.

He is himself a student in the Biomedical Device Technologies programme at OSTİM Technical University and in the Business Administration department at Anadolu University.

He carried out important work under the TÜBİTAK 2244 Industrial PhD Programme, applied for the first time in Türkiye in the field of university–industry cooperation. In line with the goals of high-tech production and domestic self-sufficiency, he put into practice a model that lets doctoral students carry out their research directly within industry.

Under this programme, seven doctoral students carried out their thesis research in the Eryiğit Medical Devices R&D laboratories. Their work produced more than 35 scientific articles at national and international level, along with many patents and utility models.

He also serves on the Board of Trustees of Atlas University, contributing to work that strengthens the university’s health sciences, engineering, biomedical technologies and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

QUALITY, EXPORTS AND INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS

The companies operating under Halit Eryiğit’s leadership work with production and management systems that meet national and international quality standards.

Holding ISO, CE and various international quality certificates, these companies manufacture according to principles of quality, reliability and sustainability.

Throughout his career he has received awards and recognition from many institutions for his work in technology development, domestic production, R&D, exports, education and social development.

VISION

Halit Eryiğit is a leader who combines the roles of industrialist, investor, R&D leader, civil society representative and ecosystem builder.

So that Türkiye can compete globally in health technologies and biotechnology, he continues to work on training qualified people at master’s and doctoral level, turning scientific knowledge into production and supporting technology-driven ventures.

His vision is to help build an ecosystem in which scientific knowledge becomes economic value, university–industry cooperation grows stronger, domestic technologies succeed in global markets, and Türkiye has a voice worldwide in biotechnology and health technologies.

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Name: Halit Eryiğit

Profession: Industrialist, Entrepreneur, R&D Leader

Areas of Expertise: Health Technologies, Biomedical Devices, Biotechnology

Positions:

  • Founder and Chairman of the Board, Eryiğit Medical Devices
  • Founding President, Medical Biotechnology Association (MEBID)
  • Chairman of the Board, International Association for Combating Substance Addiction (UMUDDER)
  • Member of the Assembly, Ankara Chamber of Industry
  • Member of the Board of Trustees, Atlas University

Family: Married with four children.