The Youth Foundation of Türkiye (TÜGVA) hosted a competition where 17 teams, comprising middle and high school students from 39 provinces and 50 innovation workshops, showcased their projects in software, robotics coding, industrial design and artificial intelligence.
Speaking at the "Innovation Festival" held at the foundation's headquarters in Eyüp, TÜGVA Vice President Gürkan Emecen stated that 17 teams out of 209 were selected to present their projects in Istanbul after two rounds of eliminations.
Emecen mentioned that the students' projects were evaluated by a jury consisting of academics and expert engineers, covering a wide range from biomedical to environmental projects, and recyclable clothing to air, land and maritime systems.
He emphasized the significance of these projects, created by students at the middle and high school levels, highlighting their ambitious dreams and the clarity of youthful minds in generating solutions.
Emecen also expressed their plans to expand these competitions to undergraduate and graduate levels in the coming years, aiming for these projects to make a mark globally as renowned endeavors.
Ahmet Serdar Ibrahimcioğlu, president of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Organization (KOSGEB), noted that participating teams will develop their projects further and establish themselves as entrepreneurs in Türkiye.
He emphasized the goal of fostering more entrepreneurs and reducing imported products in Türkiye, striving to position the country at the forefront of high technology and exports.
Metin Özdemir, CEO of Ziraat Participation Bank, highlighted the role of "icathanes" (innovation workshops) in fostering a youth that innovates, develops technology and competes globally, expressing confidence in the youth's potential to create groundbreaking technologies.
Professor Ahmet Cevat Acar, rector of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, expressed his emotional response upon seeing the exhibited projects, conveying hope for the future of the nation and its youth, affirming his belief that Türkiye is progressing toward becoming a strong nation, inspired by the efforts of the youth.
Following the speeches, awards were presented to the winners in categories such as "Environment and Energy Technologies," "Open Technologies," "Technologies for Humanity," "Smart Home Systems" and "Concept UAVs" as deemed by the jury.