TEKNOFEST is a result of a team work
‘TEKNOFEST’21’ was held in İstanbul Atatürk Airport between September 21-26, in its 4th year, with great interest and excitement. In the festival, which received applications from 81 cities and 84 countries, 100 thousand young people from 20 thousand 197 teams competed in technology competitions held in 21 different categories. More than 3 million TL awards were distributed to the teams that ranked high in the competitions organized within the scope of the festival.
The world’s largest Aviation, Space and Technology Festival ‘TEKNOFEST’21’ hosted President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan along with Nobel Prize-winning Turkish scientist Prof. Dr. Aziz Sancar. The technologies of the future competed at the festival, where fierce competition was witnessed. The awards were given to the winners on the last day of the festival held at İstanbul Atatürk Airport under the management of the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Turkey Technology Team (T3) Foundation. TÜBİTAK became the organizer of exciting competitions this year, as well. High School Efficiency Challenge Electric Vehicle Competition, International Free Mission Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Competition and High School Students Pole Research Projects Competition were organized by TÜBİTAK for the first time this year. The Challenge category was added to the Rocket Competition for the first time this year. Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır and T3 Foundation Chairperson of the Board of Trustees and TEKNOFEST Chairperson of the Board Selçuk Bayraktar presented awards to the winners of the technology competitions organized within the scope of TEKNOFEST.
Aziz Sancar met with TÜBİTAK COVID-19 Turkey Platform
Making the closing speech of the festival, Minister Varank underlined that they are making efforts to make Turkey a country that not only uses technology but also develops, produces and exports, and stated that TEKNOFEST is one of the practices implemented with the vision of “National Technology Move”. Varank stated that: “Our Nobel Prize-winning Scientist Aziz Sancar came to TEKNOFEST. He spent time with us to set an example for our youth and to be a role model for them. He accompanied them. Here, each of our young people, each of our children, each of our students participating in TEKNOFEST will actually be the Aziz Sancar of the future.” Noting that TEKNOFEST is a result of a team work, Varank said: “All our stakeholders put forth great effort.” Coming to Turkey as the guest of honor of TÜBİTAK, Sancar also met with the TÜBİTAK COVID-19 Turkey Platform.
Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, President of TÜBİTAK Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, Deputy Chairperson of TÜBİTAK MAM Dr. Osman Okur, TÜBİTAK MAM Polar Research Institute Director Burcu Özsoy, TÜBİTAK MAM Gene Engineering and Biotechnology Institute Director and COVID-19 Turkey Platform Coordinator Prof. Dr. Saban Tekin participated to the festival.
Cyber security trainings from the Digital Transformation Office
Within the scope of TEKNOFEST 2021, the Presidency Digital Transformation Office organized cyber security trainings for the students of Turkey’s first cyber high school, Teknopark İstanbul Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School. In the 5-day training, expert trainers gave trainings to the cyber heroes of the future on different subjects every day. In the mini CTF held at the end of the trainings, the students received their awards from Minister Varank and President of the Presidency Digital Transformation Office Dr. Ali Taha Koç. Varank and Koç also came together with the contestants of the final round of ‘HackIstanbul’s Bounty Hunting/Bug Bounty format. Varank stated that: “This is a vocational high school program that has just started to be implemented in Turkey. The project started by the Ministry of Education, which is trying to train cyber security experts when they are still at high school level, and Teknopark İstanbul provides great support. There is no sector now without software, including production. It is necessary to increase the number of software developers. Because with the transformation of professions in the future, the gap will become much greater.” Koç also emphasized that the education that students receive is very important and that the students who receive education will protect the cyber homeland in the future.
First TEKNOFEST abroad to be held in Azerbaijan, TEKNOFEST 2022 to be held in Samsun
In his closing speech, Selçuk Bayraktar expressed that: “We will organize TEKNOFEST 2022 in Samsun, where the national heroic struggle torch was lit. TEKNOFEST Black Sea will be held in 2022 and will be based in Samsun. Many other cities with magnificent beauties with every shade of green and blue of the Black Sea region will be a part of Teknofest 2022.” Bayraktar also added: “Many countries, including the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Ukraine and Indonesia, want to organize TEKNOFEST on their own countries. Next year, we will hold the first TEKNOFEST abroad in our sister land, dear Azerbaijan.”
