BioNTech CEO Uğur Shahin said on Saturday that the company is in talks with the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBİTAK) to set up a branch in Turkey in 2021.
“We are bringing our products to Turkey for the first time. We are in talks with TÜBİTAK and we have also started working with professors in some universities. We want to open a BioNTech branch in Turkey “, said Șahin in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency (AA).
Shahin mentioned that, in addition to COVID-19 vaccines, BioNTech wants to collaborate with Turkey in various fields and carry out research and development (R&D) activities.
“We want to collaborate with Turkish universities and companies. In addition to these vaccines, we want to conduct cancer research in Turkey. There could be two to three projects in the first year, but we can increase their number if we are successful, “he said.
The CEO of BioNTech added that Turkey is their homeland and therefore it is a great pleasure for them to help the Turks with vaccines.
Turkey has signed an agreement with BioNTech, the German company behind the mRNA-based coronavirus vaccine, for up to 30 million doses of jab, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said in a tweet late Friday.
The current stock is 550,000 doses, and Turkey will receive 4.5 million doses by the end of March, Koca added.
“Under our agreement, up to 30 million doses will be provided under the same conditions,” he said.
The BioNTech vaccine, developed in conjunction with the American pharmaceutical company Pfizer, is licensed for use in more than 45 countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as in the European Union.
The vaccine brought Shahin and his wife Özlem Türeci worldwide fame, and they were named People of the Year by the British daily Financial Times.