Teknofest in Azerbaijan pivotal step forward in technological dev't
By Ayya Lmahamad
Teknofest, the world's largest aerospace festival, will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from May 26 to 29.
The organization of an international aviation, space, and technology festival in Azerbaijan is regarded as a significant step forward in technological development.
Teknofest-2022 preparations in Azerbaijan are already in full swing. The festival is organized by Azerbaijan's Digital Development and Transport Ministry.
The festival was held in Turkey until 2022, under the auspices of the country's Industry and Technology Ministry and the Turkish Technology Team Foundation.
In 2021, Azerbaijan participated in the Teknofest for the first time. Products and solutions from ten startups and one local company were displayed during the festival's exhibition portion in Azerbaijan's national pavilion. The Defense Industry Ministry's local unmanned aerial vehicle was unveiled.
Holding the Teknofest outside of Turkey for the first time is another manifestation of the two countries' friendly, brotherly, and strategic alliance.
Youth’s interest in technology
Azerbaijan’s Digital Development and Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev stated that the international festival of aviation, space and technology contributes to the world's technological map.
He noted that holding the festival outside of Turkey is a clear example of the two states' brotherhood and cooperation. The minister added that Teknofest is expanding young people's interest in technology.
"The Bayraktar UAV, one of the main components of the 44-day war, is a sign of the massive influx of young people into science and technology. Having Teknofest in Azerbaijan will increase our youth's interest and love for technology," he said.
Seljuk Bayraktar, technical director of Baykar Makina, stated that there are great expectations from the Teknofest in Azerbaijan. He expressed his belief that Azerbaijan and Turkey will achieve a lot in technology, he stated the wish to show the world that young people are capable of a lot in the technology field.
“Technological progress is a crucial issue. We need to develop technology in order to live in peace, independence, and prosperity. One of the tasks of Teknofest is to demonstrate this reality to youth. Our goal is to hold Teknofest in Azerbaijan and other Turkic countries,” he said.
CEO at Solidshape Tural Badirkhanli stated that holding Teknofest in Azerbaijan is a crucial step for young people interested in the study and development of technology.
"Young people who are incognizant of technology and do not study it cannot succeed. Therefore, the fact that Teknofest will be held in Azerbaijan and certain work of Baykar Technologies in this direction are of great importance. Holding the Teknofest festival is an important indicator for youth in the research and development of technologies,” he said.
Turkish Industry and Technology Deputy Minister Fatih Kacir expressed his confidence that the festival will pique the interest of the Azerbaijani youth, who will take the lead in technological development.
He noted that both Turkey and Azerbaijan are young countries in terms of the youth share of the population.
“As it’s known, we live in an era of technological development, which has a special place in all areas, including public administration. We support and motivate our youth to develop technologies. By organizing Teknofest, we gave young people the opportunity to work in a team and develop projects,” he said.
Competitions
The main highlight of this festival is the organization of various competitions and contests for schoolchildren, students, startups, and entrepreneurs.
Within the framework of the festival, over ten competitions will be held: Baku Skills, European championship on the rocket league game, GreenTech, AgriTech, Unmanned aerial vehicles, Socially-oriented technologies, Sailplaner, CanSat, Smart Karabakh hackathon, Robotics.
The robotics competition aims to create robots that can perform specific tasks that are useful to people in their daily lives, production, and even entertainment.
The GreenTech competition addresses topics such as the use of renewable energy sources, the promotion of new technologies, the improvement of existing technologies, the careful use of natural resources and technologies that will ensure their transfer to future generations, and the goal of zero-waste production.
The AgriTech competition is open to projects that aim to increase productivity in horticulture and animal husbandry, as well as the efficient use of water resources, by utilizing technological solutions such as the internet and artificial intelligence.
Teams compete in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) competition by developing a flying vehicle. Teams are given the opportunity to demonstrate their UAVs during the competition.
The CanSat is organized to promote interest in the space field and to train local personnel in the field by developing fundamental knowledge and skills.
The socially oriented technology competition aims to assist people in developing socially beneficial projects by combining technological knowledge and experience with a sense of social responsibility.
The Smart Karabagh Hackathon offers a one-of-a-kind presentation opportunity for students, startups, and entrepreneurs interested in being directly involved in Karabagh's rehabilitation program and developing innovative projects based on the Smart City concept. Education, agriculture, transportation, households, energy consumption, water consumption, the environment, and security are among the topics covered by the hackathon.
The Sailplaner competition aims to improve the models and design skills of airplanes.
The Baku Skills competition aims to improve participants' skills in the use of 3D printing technology.
The Rocket League European Cup is a popular youth video game competition.
The contest winners will be announced on May 28, Azerbaijan's Independence Day, and will receive honorary diplomas as well as cash prizes.
Residents and visitors to the capital will be able to see and visit a spectacular show of pilot groups from Turkey and Azerbaijan, grand finals of contests and competitions, a fair of the latest aviation equipment from Azerbaijan and Turkey, more than 2,000 square meters of exhibition space of leading and advanced technology companies from the two countries, and so on during the four-day festival.
Teknofest, which was held for the first time in 2018, aims to popularize areas such as aviation, space industry, and digital economy, encourage entrepreneurship in these fields, identify knowledge and skills of young engineers through competitions organized within the festival's framework, and present national technologies to the general public.
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Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad
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