Mehmet Fatih KACIR was born in İstanbul in 1984. He completed his secondary and high school education at İstanbul Erkek High School. He ranked 12th nationally at the university entrance exam in 2003. Mr. KACIR received his bachelor’s degree with honors in Industrial Engineering from Boğaziçi University in 2008. He served as the student representative during his university education and pioneered interdisciplinary research and project management courses. Mr. KACIR opted to become an entrepreneur upon graduating from the university and took innovative steps by developing various useful models and industrial designs at the companies he founded and managed.

In addition to being an entrepreneur, Mr. KACIR also played an active role in non-governmental organizations. Having served until 2018 as the Chairman of the Board of Executives at the Türkiye Technology Team (T3) Foundation, where he was a founder, he was among the pioneers of the DENEYAP Technology Workshops, the Future Technology Stars Program for kids with special skills, the Science Center and Enterprise Center programs, and TEKNOFEST, which is the world’s largest aviation, space and technology festival. Mr. KACIR was appointed as a member of the TUBITAK Science Board in 2018. He served as a member of ASELSAN’s Board of Directors between 2019-2023.

Mr. KACIR was appointed as Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology on July 31, 2018 by the President’s decision. Overseeing the National Technology Initiative and strategic transformation policies at the Ministry, he coordinated the work of the General Directorate for National Technology, the General Directorate for Strategic Research and Efficiency, TUBITAK, the Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, the Turkish Academy of Sciences and the Turkish Space Agency.

Mr. KACIR, in his position as Deputy Minister, served as the Chairman of the Executive Board of TEKNOFEST, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the DENEYAP Türkiye Project carried out in 81 provinces, Chairman of the Technology-Oriented Industry Move Program Committee, which is the R&D and Investment Incentive Program for high-tech products and innovative technologies, Chairman of the Research Infrastructure Monitoring and Competence Evaluation Committee, and Chairman of the National Technology Entrepreneurship Council. Mr. KACIR, who pioneered the establishment of the Turkish Open Source Platform and 42 Software Schools, a new generation education model, worked on the creation and implementation of the technology roadmap of Türkiye’s automobile, Togg.

Mr. KACIR led the works of the 2023 Industry and Technology Strategy, National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, National Space Program, National Technology Entrepreneurship Strategy, Mobility Technologies, and Smart Life and Health Technologies Roadmap. He carried out the implementation of the action plans within the scope of the strategies, as well as the restructuring of the Ministry.

Mr. KACIR is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Cansağlığı Foundation and the Turkish Technology Team Foundation. Fluent in English and German, Mr. KACIR is married with two children.