National Technology Initiative was discussed at PAU

The Paradigm Shift and National Technology Initiative Conversation, where Elvan Kuzucu Hıdır, the Chairman and General Manager of T3 Foundation, was a guest, took place at Pamukkale University Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Yılmaz Congress and Culture Center.

After a moment of silence and the national anthem, the program continued with the opening speeches by Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kutluhan. Rector Kutluhan stated, ‘As Pamukkale University, since the beginning of Technofest competitions, we have been making efforts to provide opportunities for our university youth and offer them university resources to succeed in these competitions. We have set a good example that will inspire other universities. In Technofest competitions and ISIF (Istanbul International Invention Fair) held annually, our students and academicians have contributed to winning a total of 36 awards. Among the awards our university has won from Technofest competitions are 6 national championships, 4 national runner-ups, 3 national third places, 10 honorable mentions in different categories, and in patent competitions; 1 WIPO best academic invention award, 4 gold medals, 1 silver medal, and 7 bronze medals. In 2024, our PAÜ students who continue their student life and graduates have made a total of 315 applications.’

Elvan Kuzucu Hıdır, the Chairman of the T3 Foundation, who gave an overview of Technofest from its inception to the present day, said, ‘We launched this festival in Istanbul, and frankly, in its first year, we can say that Technofest is an event that has no equal in the world when we look at the general structure of Technofest. Especially, perhaps within the framework of technology competitions, there are singularly organized competitions or airshows in both Turkey and the world, or technology fairs, but Technofest encompasses all of these in a unique way. In its first year, in 2018, Technofest included all the contents I mentioned. Of course, in its first year, we went through a process with question marks such as whether this festival would be successful, whether our people would accept it, whether the society would embrace it, or whether people would come and participate in such a festival. However, looking back, in its first year, Technofest hosted more than 550,000 visitors. Despite there not being a similar platform before, more than 4,000 teams with over 20,000 participants applied for Technofest technology competitions in 14 different fields. Looking at this figure in 2024, the team applications that were 4,000 reached 788,000. So, the interest of our youth in this field has increased exponentially. A student who visited Technofest technology competitions in the previous year applied for Technofest competitions in the following year with excitement and passion, thinking ‘I should be part of this ecosystem, I should also be involved in Technofest.’ Therefore, from 2018 to 2024, not only did Technofest attract attention with its competition applications, but also continued to make a name for itself with the success stories it produced.’

After answering the participants’ questions at the Paradigm Shift and National Technology Initiative Conversation where Elvan Kuzucu Hıdır, the Chairman and General Manager of T3 Foundation, was a guest, the event ended with Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kutluhan presenting Elvan Kuzucu Hıdır with a plaque and flowers in memory of the day.