MBF Group Our company’s delegation’s visit to Konya had a much broader scope than simply participating in a single technology event. The essence of the initiative was MBF Group’s entry into a well-developed local ecosystem that brings together local government, industry, technology companies, business parks, universities, and modern research centers. The official reception of MBF Group representatives by the leaders of these institutions is an important endorsement of the Company’s credibility, but the true value of the visit will be measured by its long-term outcomes: contracts, projects, scientific collaboration, and trade between Poland and Turkey.
Konya is one of Turkey’s largest urban and economic centers. The metropolitan municipality comprises 31 districts and has a population of approximately 2.3 million; the entire region is characterized by its vast area, industrial infrastructure, and growing technological potential. Given the scale of the city, its institutions, and the companies operating there, the discussions held should be viewed as the beginning of a relationship with one of Turkey’s most important regional economic ecosystems, rather than merely a courtesy stop during a foreign visit.
The Polish delegation included: Janusz Czarnecki—President of the Management Board of MBF Group S.A. and Secretary of the Polish Industrial Lobby, Patryk Prelewicz —Chairman of the Supervisory Board of MBF Group S.A.—and Robert Krassowski —Authorized Representative of the Management Board of MBF Group S.A. The program was designed to simultaneously explore opportunities for institutional, industrial, scientific, and commercial cooperation.
MBF Group in Konya: Meeting with Selçuklu Officials
One of the highlights of the program was an official meeting with Ahmet Pekyatırmacı, the mayor of Selçuklu —one of the largest and most important central districts of the Konya metropolitan area. Selçuklu has a population of over 700,000. residents, and in terms of population, it is larger than many Turkish provinces and numerous European regional cities. The fact that a local government authority of this magnitude received the MBF Group delegation directly was significant from both an institutional and a business perspective.
Ahmet Pekyatırmacı is a graduate of the civil engineering program at Selçuk University. Before beginning his career in local government, he worked as an entrepreneur and manager; he later served as a Selçuklu council member, a member of the Konya Metropolitan Council, and deputy mayor. He assumed the office of mayor of Selçuklu in 2018 and was subsequently re-elected in the local elections of 2019 and 2024. His technical, business, and administrative experience was particularly valuable during discussions on innovation, economic development, and business cooperation.
The talks focused on the possibility of building a permanent bridge between Konya and Warsaw. The discussion focused on the potential involvement of businesses, universities, industry-related institutions, and organizations that support international cooperation. An important step is to organize the next meeting, which could be attended by representatives of the Polish Industrial Lobby and selected Polish companies invited by the MBF Group.
The Turkish side also expressed interest in a return visit to Warsaw. Her proposed itinerary could include visits to the MBF Group headquarters, Polish industrial and technology companies, research institutes, and interested universities. At this stage, it is not yet a finalized implementation plan, but a direct channel has been established that could lead to agreements, joint initiatives, mutual technology demonstrations, and the development of trade relations.
The official meetings marked the beginning of further work on the agreements
The significance of the visit is not limited to the mere fact that official meetings took place, although the importance of those meetings and the level of hospitality extended to the delegation deserve to be clearly emphasized. At the same time, work began on formalizing selected areas of cooperation: memoranda of understanding, framework documents, the definition of each party’s responsibilities, and the terms and conditions of potential implementation projects.
MBF Group does not intend to preempt the final agreements or present matters that are still under discussion as settled. However, it can be confirmed that some of the relationships established in Konya have already progressed from the stage of general interest to the exchange of draft documents, proposals, and information needed to assess technical and commercial feasibility.
Any agreement that includes specific obligations, a scope of work, financial terms, or orders will require a separate review by the Management Board. Information that meets the criteria for confidential information will be disclosed in accordance with the obligations applicable to a public company.
InnoPark Konya and MBF Group: Technological Cooperation, R&D, and Knowledge Transfer
The next strategic stage of the visit was a series of meetings at the InnoPark Konya Technology Development Zone. InnoPark is an organized ecosystem that brings together technology companies, research and development projects, technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and collaboration between universities and industry. Its organizational structure includes, among others, teams responsible for R&D and business development projects, the technology transfer office, and specialists focused on collaboration between academia and industry.
A delegation from MBF Group met with prof. Dr. Alim Kahraman, CEO of InnoPark. As a professor and the head of a technology development zone, he combines his academic expertise with practical experience in managing a regional ecosystem of businesses and innovation. Given the InnoPark team’s position and scope of responsibilities, discussions can be conducted at both the level of individual companies and that of more complex collaborative structures.
The discussions covered the exchange of knowledge and experience, establishing partnerships between Polish and Turkish companies, potential joint research and industrial projects, and identifying technologies that could be developed or commercialized in new markets. For the MBF Group, it is particularly important to have access not only to InnoPark’s management, but also to the ecosystem of companies based there and collaborating with the park.
More long-term ideas were also discussed: the possibility of establishing an MBF Group office at InnoPark and creating a contact or representative office in Warsaw for the Turkish ecosystem, potentially in collaboration with a relevant Polish university or institution. These are options that require further legal, organizational, and financial analysis, but the fact that they are being discussed demonstrates the scale of both sides’ ambitions.
Trade Between Poland and Turkey: Fertilizers, Urea, Sugar, and Oils
Commercial cooperation not directly related to defense or aerospace projects also constituted a significant part of the discussions held within the InnoPark community. MBF Group grew out of its trading operations, which in recent years have accounted for a significant portion of the Company’s revenue; therefore, new business relationships in Turkey are also being evaluated as a potential channel for the exchange of goods. The discussions focused, among other things, on fertilizers, urea, sugar, oils, and other commodities within the MBF Group’s commercial scope of interest. The company prepares and submits specific offers to selected entities, answers questions regarding products and logistics, and analyzes delivery options in both directions.
At the same time, MBF Group is awaiting formal letters of intent (LOI) from companies interested in purchasing, supplying, or other forms of cooperation. These documents should primarily confirm the requirement, the product, the expected volume, the delivery destination, and the basic terms of the transaction. Only on that basis will it be possible to conduct responsible negotiations regarding prices, logistics, and payments.
The expansion of trade with Turkey is not viewed as competing with technology-related activities. On the contrary: credibility built through institutional and technological interactions can facilitate the establishment of business relationships, and smoothly executed transactions can strengthen the trust needed for larger joint projects.
Necmettin Erbakan University and BİTAM: Research Infrastructure for Future Projects
The third pillar of the visit was the academic community. The delegation visited the BİTAM Center for Research and Applications in Science and Technology, which operates as part of Necmettin Erbakan University. The university was founded in Konya in 2010. and conducts scientific research based on extensive research infrastructure, state-of-the-art laboratories, and projects in the fields of basic and applied sciences.
BİTAM is not a traditional department, but an interdisciplinary research and implementation center. Its mission is to coordinate basic, 
applied, and interdisciplinary research, and the center’s infrastructure is available not only to the university’s researchers but also to researchers from other institutions and industrial companies. The Center also engages with the defense sector and showcases its capabilities in analysis, measurement, and testing to industrial companies and institutions.
After the lab tours, Dr. Emrah Kavak, a BİTAM researcher specializing in modern chemistry and synthetic methods, personally gave the delegation a tour. The project he is leading on an electroorganic method for the synthesis of enamine derivatives has received funding under the TÜBİTAK 3501 program, which is aimed at supporting the careers and research of young scientists. Dr. Kavak presented the equipment used, current research projects, and the capabilities for providing analyses and testing services to industrial clients. The discussions focused on the potential use of BİTAM’s infrastructure in future projects by the MBF Group and its partners, including materials research, component inspection, laboratory analyses, solution validation, and support for the development of future product versions.
It was particularly significant that the presentation focused not only on the equipment but also on a practical model for cooperation between the center and businesses. Necmettin Erbakan University has announced that it will make its laboratory facilities available to external partners as well, and its research centers support industrial projects, applied research, and joint scientific ventures.
The university is led by prof. Dr. Cem Zorlu. Although the visit’s itinerary did not include a face-to-face meeting between the MBF Group delegation and the university president, the opportunity to tour BİTAM and the detailed presentation of its infrastructure confirmed the university’s institutional openness to international academic and industrial collaboration. The university’s official materials describe Necmettin Erbakan University as a dynamic public university aspiring to become a recognized national and international center for education and research.
MBF Group is launching further consultations with Polish industry and academia
Immediately upon his return to Poland, Janusz Czarnecki, President of the Management Board of MBF Group S.A., began further consultations regarding the agreements reached and contacts established during the visit. At this stage, their specific scope is not being disclosed, as some of the topics require confidentiality, an assessment of institutional capacity, and coordination of the positions of potential participants.
Initial steps include establishing contact with the Polish Industrial Lobby, the Warsaw University of Technology, the Military Institute of Armament Technology, the Air Force Technical Institute, and other institutions and experts with whom the CEO has direct professional relationships. The goal is to determine which of the opportunities presented in Turkey can be translated into Polish-Turkish scientific, industrial, technological, and commercial projects.
The MBF Group’s goal is not to use all the contacts it has established solely for the purposes of its own projects. The company also aims to serve as an organizer and integrator for selected Polish companies, universities, and institutions that possess the technology, expertise, production facilities, or market access needed for future joint projects.
This model could also be beneficial for Turkish partners. Thanks to MBF Group, they can gain structured access to Polish companies, research institutes, the academic community, and potentially other European markets, without having to build an entire network of relationships from scratch.
From Meetings to Agreements: The Next Stage of Cooperation Between Konya and Warsaw
The full value of the visit will not be assessed until the coming months. The most important metric will not be the number of meetings held, but rather the number of relationships that have resulted in signed documents, launched projects, concrete offers, orders, commercial transactions, and a sustained exchange of knowledge.
In several areas, work on agreements and terms of cooperation is already underway. They cover technology and research-and-industry projects, as well as trade and the mutual integration of companies into the relevant ecosystems in Poland and Turkey. MBF Group will provide details once they have been formally confirmed, in accordance with the communication guidelines applicable to a public company.
This approach is particularly important in international projects, where initial meetings often open up many parallel paths, but each one requires separate technical, legal, organizational, and financial arrangements. The company does not intend to replace actual results with premature statements.
Shark Aviation as an organizational and technology partner of MBF Group
Special thanks are due to Shark Aviation and its CEO, Saban Aburo. The Turkish partner’s involvement was not limited to preparing the schedule or providing logistical support for the visit. Shark Aviation enabled the MBF Group to gain direct access to the local community of local government officials, InnoPark, technology companies, and Necmettin Erbakan University. The company’s team actively facilitated the discussions, introduced partners, organized follow-up meetings, and helped translate general concepts into potential avenues for further collaboration.
Such a partnership is more valuable than a single event. It is based on mutual trust, the ability to organize complex activities, knowledge of local conditions, and genuinely opening up access to people and institutions that may be relevant to future projects.
Konya has demonstrated that relationships built consistently can bring together local government, business, academia, and technology into a single, practical ecosystem. For MBF Group, the phase of consolidating agreements, engaging partners in Poland and Turkey, and preparing initiatives that can lead to long-term cooperation and tangible value for the Company and its shareholders has begun.
