IHKIB Accelerates Fashion Sector’s Twin Transformation with EU-Funded MIDAS Project

Through the EDIH-MIDAS Project, IHKIB is set to bring SMEs one step closer to achieving the twin transformation

İHKİB Board Member and President of IHKIB EDIH-MIDAS Committee, Kamil Hilal Suerdem states, “We are focusing on the twin transformation to enhance national competitiveness in digital technologies and infrastructure, and to ensure the sector’s strategic resilience. Through our EDIH-MIDAS Project, we aim to provide SME-scale manufacturers with the essential infrastructure required for this transformation.”

Istanbul Apparel Exporters’ Association (IHKIB) continues to accelerate the twin transformation of the sector with grant support received from the European Union (EU)

Launched with a €1 million EU grant under the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) program, İHKİB’s Manufacturing Innovation Digitalization Advancement Services Hub (MIDAS) Project will bring SME-scale companies one step closer to completing their twin transformation.

Speaking at the launch event of the EDIH-MIDAS Project (5.5.2025-Istanbul), İHKİB Board Member Kamil Hilal Suerdem emphasized that twin transformation is no longer a choice but a necessity in order to stay in the global competition. Reminding that the EU is Turkey’s largest market for apparel, Suerdem continued as follows:

To date, IHKIB has secured €37 million in grant funding from the European Union

“60% of our total apparel exports are directed to European Union countries. When we include other European countries, this ratio rises to 70%. We aim to further strengthen our competitiveness in this major market by rapidly completing our digital and green transformation. To this end, as IHKIB, we are spearheading projects that will lead the industry’s green and digital transition.

We are making effective use of EU funds in our efforts. To date, we have been awarded €37 million in EU grant support. Under the EU’s IPA II Program, we successfully completed our project From Design to Production: Digital Transformation in the Apparel Sector (METAMORPHOSIS). One of the core components of this project, the Digital Transformation Center, has been put into service for the industry. Our center has been authorized by the Ministry of Industry and Technology to conduct digital maturity assessments for companies.

With the EDIH-MIDAS Project, which we launched in partnership with 10 consortium partners who are experts in their fields, we are once again focusing on twin transformation — aiming to reduce foreign dependency on digital technologies and infrastructure and ensure strategic autonomy. We will provide SME-scale manufacturers with the infrastructure needed for twin transformation. While enhancing SMEs’ capacity for digital adaptation, we will also support our public institutions in their digital transformation processes.”

EDIH-MIDAS Set to Transform Supply Chains

Emphasizing that EDIH-MIDAS will make a significant difference in supply chains across all sectors, Suerdem stated: “With this project, we aim not only to support economic growth and sustainable development, but also to lay the groundwork for new collaborations. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Presidential Digital Transformation Office and the Ministry of Industry and Technology, who played a leading role in bringing this program to Türkiye, as well as to our consortium partners.”

Yves Paindaveine, the Project Manager at the European Commission, who participated in the event via video message, congratulated the consortium members of the MIDAS project — one of Türkiye’s first EDIHs — and emphasized the importance of aligning industrial sectors with EU digitalization policies through the services to be provided under the project.

The roles of the institutions included in the EDIH-MIDAS Consortium led by IHKIB are as follows:

Pre-investment testing and the preparation of digitalization roadmaps for companies will be carried out through EU funding.

Since digitalization requires tailored approaches for each company, under the umbrella of EDIH-MIDAS, the IHKIB Digital Transformation Center will provide pre-investment testing and roadmap services for companies operating in the apparel, textile, and leather sectors. OzUBEX (Özyeğin University) will serve companies in the white goods sector; Sabancı University IMC will support the composites and metal industries; and ALUTEAM (Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakıf University) will cater to the aluminum sector.

EDIH-MIDAS is set to become the central hub of Istanbul’s digital transformation, with a focus on entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence

The Istanbul Development Agency (ISTKA), which prepared the regional plan outlining Istanbul’s future vision, will contribute to the digitalization efforts of businesses operating in the region’s manufacturing sector—particularly SMEs—within the scope of the EDIH-MIDAS Project. This contribution will align with the strategic goals defined in the regional plan, such as fostering entrepreneurship and creative industries ecosystems, and increasing the adoption of advanced digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, big data, cybersecurity, blockchain, and augmented reality.

The technology park partner will support startups by offering mentorship, networking, and access to investment opportunities

ARI Teknokent, Türkiye’s leading technology park and ranked first in the UBI Global Index, will play a key role by providing invaluable networking opportunities. These include connections to leading AI and IoT technologies, access to prominent investors, and dedicated mentorship to help EDIH startups advance their digitalization journey.

The university partners of the consortium will guide the path for university-industry collaboration

Marmara University, with its pioneering departments in textile and apparel, plays a critical role in identifying new educational needs and developing university-industry collaborations to meet these needs through effective stakeholder engagement.

EDIH-MIDAS will contribute to enhancing exports through the digitalization of production in Türkiye

The Turkish Exporters Assembly (TİM), a partner in the project and the umbrella organization for all exporters in Türkiye, aims to lead the dissemination of EDIH-MIDAS project outcomes across all sectors. TİM will also play a key role in helping export-oriented companies establish digital production-based ecosystems.

The kick-off event marked the beginning of a four-year digital transformation journey

Speaking at the event, Sertaç Gölnar, a representative of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, highlighted the Ministry’s emphasis on aligning with EU-compatible digitalization strategies, given its national responsibility for digital transformation strategies. Gölnar expressed gratitude to consortium members for their efforts and contributions, noting that the EDIH-MIDAS project—implemented by some of Türkiye’s leading institutions, not just from Istanbul—will, in the medium and long term, bring sector-specific, client-journey-based digitalization approaches to companies across the country.