Turkish think tanks are relatively new, but such think tanks provide research and ideas, yet they play less important roles in policy-making when compared with American think tanks. Many of them are sister organizations of a political party or a company. There are very few university think tanks.

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Milli Görüş Vakfı is a centre-right foundation with academic personnel: Oğuzhan Asiltürk, Mehmet Recai Kutan, Temel Karamollaoğlu, İlyas Tongüç, Salih Turhan, Hamdi Sürücü, İbrahim Nedim Titiz, Tacettin Çetinkaya, and Atik Ağdağ. Dr. Karin Yeşilada was appointed to the Board of Educators. Yeşilada is a full-time lecturer for intercultural literary studies and taught at Universities in Marburg, Istanbul, Cologne, Munich, Paderborn and Bochum. In the past Karin was lecturer for the German Academic Exchange Service at Marmara University. The Milli Görüş Movement (or the "National Vision Foundation") is active in nearly all European countries and also countries like Australia, Canada and the United States. Following Turkish Foreign policy vectors and priorities, these centers cooperate with the Balkans, Central Asia and Middle East Think-Tanks. SETA and SDE are involved in the “ThinkTank cooperation” project implemented by the government program, which is conducted by Turks Abroad governmental body coordinating the activity of Turkish diaspora and the Associated Societies state department. TASAM also conducts some steps in this direction with the support of Turkish Foreign Affairs Ministry. According to Nuh Yilmaz, executive of SETA’s Washington office, they are funded by businessman, who are in trade with the Balkans and Middle East countries. In recent years, issues on media, science, education, human rights, Turkish diaspora, security and defense are in the focus of the center’s research.