This year, TEKNOFEST was held under the name “TEKNOFEST Karadeniz” in 16 provinces, with most of them being in the Black Sea Region, and the event’s last leg was hosted by Samsun, where Turkish War of Independence started. The festival was located in Samsun Çarşamba Airport, where the visitors of all ages could enjoy exhibitions, summits, workshops, stage shows, concerts, and air shows. Various ceremonies were also performed by defence and aerospace industry institutions and organisations for their different competitions that were held as a part of TEKNOFEST Karadeniz.
TEKNOFEST Karadeniz was organised by Ministry of Industry and Technology and Turkish Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation) and the event hosted over 1,250,000 visitors in total, while the last leg of the festival, organised in Samsun, hosted over 900,000 visitors alone. 130 participating organisations opened booths in the event. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also graced the event, on 3 September.
Over 600,000 Participants Competed in Competitions in 40 Different Categories
TEKNOFEST Karadeniz was the stage for competitions in 40 different categories on future technology fields, which saw heavy participation. Over 600,000 participants in more than 150,000 teams from all 81 provinces of Türkiye and 107 other countries signed up to take part.
Categories ranged from Model Satellite Competition to Helicopter Design Competition and this year, Hyperloop Vehicle Competition and Vertical Landing Rocket Competition categories were also added, letting future engineers show off their skills. Event organisation highlighted that Vertical Landing Rocket Competition was the first such competition around the world.
Over ₺22,000,000 was given to the teams that passed the preliminary eliminations in materials for the competitions. The teams that were in top 3 also received prizes, over ₺7,000,000 in total. President Erdoğan presented the awards to the teams that won a prize.
There were also 7 thematic tents set up as a part of the event, to include students in the grand stories of science, technology, and aerospace, where many other competitions and instructive workshops was held.
TEKNOFEST Entrepreneurship Programme Produced First Graduates
TEKNOFEST Entrepreneurship Programme held by T3 Start-up Centre also produced its first graduates and their graduation ceremony was held in the event as well. 20 start-ups were awarded ₺100,000 each after their successful completion of incubation programme, while 5 start-ups received ₺200,000 each after their graduation from acceleration programme. T3 Foundation, which implemented the programme, gave ₺3,000,000 in total to the start-ups.
“Our Hope Is TEKNOFEST Generation”
President Erdoğan made a speech during his visit to TEKNOFEST Karadeniz, stating that “Our hope is TEKNOFEST generation” and adding: “TEKNOFEST brings a different youth. TEKNOFEST is broadening the horizons of our country and its future with all its strength. The first year TEKNOFEST was held, 2018, saw 550,000 daily visitors, a significant number for an event like this. As for today, over 600,000 people took part in just the competitions alone. A technology event like this being embraced by our youth is a transformation for the mind.”
KIZILELMA Exhibited for the First time
Bayraktar KIZILELMA, developed by Baykar as the first unmanned fighter aircraft of Türkiye, was exhibited for the first time in TEKNOFEST Karadeniz. Baykar brought Bayraktar KIZILELMA’s second production prototype, named PT-2.
HAVELSAN, Ondokuz Mayıs University and Samsun Teknopark to Cooperate
TEKNOFEST Karadeniz also hosted a signing ceremony for a cooperation agreement between HAVELSAN, Ondokuz Mayıs University and Samsun Teknopark. According to the agreement, joint training programmes will be held in Karadeniz region and HAVELSAN Academy instructors will provide engineering training regarding new technologies to academics.
SYS and Its CANiK Brand Sponsored TEKNOFEST
A Samsun Yurt Savunma (SYS) brand, CANiK, supported TEKNOFEST 2022 that was held in its founding city, as a main sponsor and hosted its visitors in its large, 300 square metre booth. CANiK also presented products and services from its brands like CANiK Store, CANiK Academy, CANiK Smart and CANiK App, along with SYS’ subsidiaries UNIDEF and UNIROBOTICS.
CANiK also sponsored “Samsun Rocket Team” that consisted of Samsun University students, and this team achieved second place in the Rocket Competition that was held as a part of TEKNOFEST 2022 out of 49 competing teams in mid-altitude category. The category required the teams to prepare a rocket to reach 10,000 ft altitude and Samsun Rocket Team’s rocket reached 10,207 ft, with 2 percent margin of error, winning the team the second place.
