Our YTÜ Rector, Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik, visited the booths of our “Yıldızlı” teams at TEKNOFEST Southeast and examined the projects developed by our students firsthand. While 47 YTÜ teams advanced to the finals at TEKNOFEST 2026, the “Yıldızlı” teams secured a total of 13 awards, including 4 first-place finishes, 2 second-place finishes, 5 third-place finishes, and 2 special awards.

Organized under the leadership of the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Turkey Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation), the Aviation, Space, and Technology Festival (TEKNOFEST) brought together projects in the fields of technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship at the Şanlıurfa GAP Airport. Yıldız Technical University also participated extensively in the festival with teams composed of its students and alumni.

Our Rector, Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik, visited the booths of YTÜ finalist teams at TEKNOFEST Southeast—including AESK, Falak, Alaca Doğan, YTÜ-YODA KESTREL, ORION II, Henüz Ölçülmedi, Yıldız Maden, Re-Tau-Ch, Cortera, Tarlis Technology, Abdül Basitadam, and other YTÜ finalist teams at TEKNOFEST Southeast; he engaged in conversations with our students about the competition processes and their achievements. 

“Every Project Involves Hard Work, Courage, and Responsibility”

Our Rector, Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik, who met with Yıldız students at TEKNOFEST, highlighted the importance of the work these young people have produced for Turkey’s technology ecosystem.

Prof. Dr. Debik stated, “Every project embodies hard work, courage, and a sense of responsibility toward our country’s future. We remain by the side of our innovative young people to help them turn their dreams into reality.”

Our Rector, Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik, who closely examined the projects of the TEKNOFEST generation in Şanlıurfa, congratulated all students and alumni representing YTÜ and thanked the faculty members who supported the teams.

Congratulations from Our Rector to the Cortera Team

Our Rector, Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik, also visited the Cortera team, which was formed by students from various disciplines coming together with the support of Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa, Yıldız Technical University, and Koç University. The team, which competed in the TEKNOFEST Oncology 3T Competition, won first place in the contest—which attracted applications from approximately 400 teams—with a project aimed at determining the most effective drug combination against glioblastoma, one of the most dangerous types of brain cancer, using artificial intelligence. The team included YTÜ Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics students Cansu Tatar and Aysun Kaplan, as well as researchers from Koç University’s Departments of Molecular Biology and Genetics and Medicine.

47 YTÜ teams advanced to the finals

YTÜ submitted 336 projects across 64 different categories to TEKNOFEST 2026 with 292 teams. While 47 teams representing our university advanced to the finals, the students brought their months-long efforts to the competition venue.

Our YTÜ teams competed with projects they developed in various fields, including artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, aviation, biotechnology, quantum technologies, electric vehicles, defense technologies, and mining technologies.

Yıldızlı Teams Raked in Awards

At TEKNOFEST 2026, our YTÜ teams secured first place in four different categories. The YTÜ Alternative Energy Systems Club (AESK) won two first-place finishes in the Ready-to-Race and Original Vehicle categories of the Robotaxi Passenger Autonomous Vehicle Competition, while the Falak team took first place in the Artificial Intelligence in Aviation Competition, and the Alaca Doğan team won first place in the Rotorcraft category of the International UAV Competition.

In addition to these four first-place finishes, our students earned two second-place and five third-place finishes. Abdül Basitadam took second place in the E-Commerce Competition, while Tarlis Technology took second place in the T3 Foundation Scholarship Artificial Intelligence Creathon.

Third-place finishes were spread across various technology fields. In the AESK Hydromobile Competition, the YTÜ-YODA KESTREL International UAV Competition, the ORION II Biotechnology and Innovation Competition, the “Not Yet Measured” Quantum Technologies Competition, and Yıldız Maden in the Mining Technologies Competition.

Special Awards for AESK and Re-Tau-Ch

In addition to their placement achievements, YTÜ teams also received two special awards. AESK won the Most Original Software Award, while the Re-Tau-Ch team was awarded the Best Presentation Award.