Manufacturing Innovation Digital Advancement Services Hub – MIDAS is one of over 400 European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) established across Europe, including in Turkey. At MIDAS, our core mission is to transform the manufacturing sector in Turkey through digital and green innovation. MIDAS focuses particularly on SMEs, start-ups and organisations within the manufacturing industry, aiming to enhance their competitiveness during their ‘twin transition’ (digital and green) processes.
The core activities and services offered by MIDAS are grouped under four main headings:
1. Pre-Investment Testing Services (Test Before Invest): Enables SMEs to trial the latest software and hardware tools before making major investments
2. Training and Capacity Building (Skills and Training): Supports the human resources and knowledge base necessary to ensure the sustainability of digital transformation.
3. Access to Finance: Facilitates access to the financial resources required to bring innovative projects to fruition.
4. Networking and Ecosystem Development: MIDAS goes beyond being a local hub to integrate Turkish industrialists into the European digital ecosystem.
Strategic Focus Areas: MIDAS aims to help the Turkish manufacturing industry align with global standards by focusing its activities on critical areas such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Digital Twins, Smart Manufacturing and Sustainability (carbon management, etc.). The consortium partners include key stakeholders such as universities, industrial organisations and exporters’ associations.
Within the MIDAS project, Marmara University is primarily responsible for the Stakeholder Mapping and ecosystem development activities under Work Package 4 (WP4) within the EDIH MIDAS consortium.
The services provided and activities carried out by our university within this scope are as follows:
• Stakeholder Mapping and Engagement
• Data Collection and Analysis.
• International Study Visits.
• Policy Advocacy and Regulatory Support.
Further details regarding our university’s specific role in this project and the stakeholder mapping work it is carrying out can be found at ita.marmara.edu.tr/projeler/midas.
In addition to the activities mentioned above, our university plans to organise numerous webinars and training programmes in collaboration with academic staff specialising in the field, tailored to the needs of the sector.
Within this framework, two webinars/training sessions on the topics of “Penelope CAD in the Digital Transformation of Textiles” and “The Textile Sector and Its Future” have been organised in 2026.
You can access information on events planned for future dates via the European Union’s website at https://european-digital-innovation-hubs.ec.europa.eu/edih-catalogue/edih-midas-website/events.
This blogpost was originally published on the LinkedIn platform of the Istanbul Textile Research, Development and Innovation Center (İTAM) under Marmara University. It has been translated into English for broader accessibility. You can access the original Turkish version via the following link:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/i%CC%87stanbul-tekstil-ara%C5%9Ft%C4%B1rmalar%C4%B1-ar-ge-ve-i%CC%87novasyon-merkezi-i%CC%87tam_edih-midas-i%CC%87malat-sanayinde-dijital-ve-ye%C5%9Fil-activity-7444355516849446913-noXB?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAhifHgB1v_WMwuwKbfMYSx5kIqSxV0y9GQ
