Science and Technology Policy Studies (STPS) program was founded in 1997 at the Middle East Technical University with the explicit objective to supply science and technology policy related human capital for the government bodies, agencies, and other related organizations and to conduct research in science, technology, and innovation policy issues. It has organic relations with the Research Center for Science and Technology Policies. Education and research elements integrate under METU-TEKPOL.

TEKPOL is the only academic unit in Turkey that concurrently coordinates education and research activities. It operates M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs in science technology policy studies at the Graduate School of Social Sciences. TEKPOL also conducts research on science and technology policy issues with the aim of addressing societal challenges.

TEKPOL has an interdisciplinary approach to the analysis of the economic, social, and political factors that drive technological change and innovation. Our research and training programs span an extensive domain in close relation to recent policy questions concerning national and international regulations of science, technology, and innovation, with a particular focus on the networks of inter-organizational relations on the side of knowledge management issues. As of 2020 TEKPOL has 4 full-time members, 10 affiliated members, 21 part-time lecturers and thesis supervisors, and 3 research assistants.