“Another Engineering Summit TECH’22", organized by the Üsküdar University Technology Club with the support of the Üsküdar University Directorate of Health, Culture and Sports, hosted expert names in its field. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, who delivered the opening speech of the summit, said, “As a university, we need to create an atmosphere of possibilities for young people. Young people should also set goals that go beyond themselves. There are many great projects that can pave the way for young people. Especially in Informatics Valley, university students are given the opportunity to develop themselves for free.”
Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, speaking at the summit, stated that they plan to implement the National Technology Initiative Policies and emphasized that technology ventures received over $1.2 billion in investments in the first 3 months of 2022, and patent applications, which were 414 in 2002, increased 21-fold to reach 8,400 in 2020.
Deputy Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “Technology ventures and patent application numbers increased”
At the opening ceremony of “Another Engineering Summit TECH’22” held at the Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall on Üsküdar University Altunizade Campus, opening speeches were delivered by Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, and Üsküdar University Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zelka.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Young people are very lucky”
Stating that it is not enough for the work done to be good, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “Widespread impact is also necessary. In fact, we should say that social impact is also very important. The social impact powers of universities are a subject of research. Their impact on society and their level of informing are examined. Our young friends are lucky in this respect. They have many more opportunities in terms of social impact, innovativeness, entrepreneurship, and being able to do new things.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “We aim to create an atmosphere of possibilities for young people”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that as a university, they aim to create an atmosphere of possibilities for young people and continued his words as follows:
“We want young people to discover all kinds of possibilities and, according to their talents, to equip themselves for these possibilities and progress. This is very important both in terms of professional gain and the future of the country. It is not enough to be a person who invests only in themselves; we must also invest in the society we live in, humanity, and the planet, and feel our responsibilities. For this reason, in 2013, US President Obama launched the brain initiative as a global project. In 2018, it was stated in Davos that technology is now in our lives and our minds can be controlled. Previously, it was said that data is everything, but it has been understood that everything is data. Even a piece of paper we hold becomes data when converted to digital format. The meaning of the concept of matter has changed.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Engineers will have a greater say in the future”
Reminding that quantum is talked about more nowadays, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “Therefore, a lot of work falls to engineers. Engineers will have a greater say in the future. They need to know the digital universe and digitalization well. It is important for them to practice their professions in an integrated manner with digitalization. That's why they need to be open to learning. Since technology is neutral, it serves whatever purpose it is used for. Currently, popular culture has an impact worldwide. With the influence of popular culture, people now laugh at the same things, have fun with the same things, and feel the same things. Globally, many cultures will soon disappear. To modernize while preserving our own culture, we need to embrace digitalization. As Harari said, the world is heading towards digital dictatorship. He said we are the last free generation. This needs to be taken seriously.” he stated.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Informatics Valley is a very important project”
Stating that there is no need to be pessimistic, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “Turkey has achieved many things and will continue to achieve. Let's not take those who try to drag us down seriously. Let's progress on the right path in science and technology, as in many other fields. While doing this, let's not be the object of global technology, but the subject. Let's be the ones who manage, not the ones who are managed. Let's produce projects, create our own platforms, and utilize the young human element we have in this way. The Ministry of Industry and Technology has very beautiful projects that can pave the way for young people. Especially in Informatics Valley, university students are given the opportunity to develop themselves for free.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Young people should have goals that go beyond themselves”
Advising young people to develop themselves, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “But for this, young people need to have goals that go beyond themselves. If this happens, life will be more meaningful and they will be happier. The philosophy of 'Produce little, consume a lot,' as presented by popular culture, is a philosophy that will destroy the future of humanity. This is not actually the philosophy of developing countries either. It is necessary to think in the medium to long term, but popular culture glorifies the present moment.”
Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “The world press is talking about our technological ventures”
Emphasizing that the best news about Turkey in the world press recently has been about the country's technological ventures, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said, “Unfortunately, international media has not been publishing positive news about our country in recent years. This is not a coincidence. The more you emphasize the claim of full independence, the more some people in the world can be disturbed by it. Technology entrepreneurship has become an area where the international press feels compelled to publish extremely good news about our country. Financial Times published an article titled 'How Turkey became the star of European technology?'. This news shows how our technology entrepreneurship has achieved remarkable successes.”
Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “6 of our technological ventures reached billion-dollar level”
Emphasizing that 6 technological ventures in our country have reached the billion-dollar level within 1.5 years, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said, “By the end of 2022, we will have surpassed the target of 10 Turkhorns. This is thanks to the technologies of the 4th industrial revolution that are rapidly changing and transforming the world. We are in a universe where technology is rapidly transforming all sectors. Our task in this universe is to create an environment where the number of successful examples can multiply. We are striving to implement our fundamental strategies focused on this area.”
Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “We are striving to implement National Technology Initiative Policies”
Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said, “Instead of imitating, copying, and pasting the policies pursued by other countries in line with their own goals, we are striving to implement the 'National Technology Initiative Policies' under the leadership of our President, which encompass our original policy approach focusing on Turkey's own opportunities and strengths, and taking into account the challenges and threats we face.”
Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “The share of domestic products in the defense industry was raised to 70 percent”
Stating that the fundamental approach guiding the policies in the National Technology Initiative is to achieve full independence in critical technologies, Kacır continued his words as follows:
“We aim not to depend on anyone else in the development and production of critical technologies. When we emphasize full independence, we primarily talk about the defense industry. By defense industry completely transformed by technology, we mean a fully digitalized field. Those who are dependent on the technologies of other countries in this field can never speak of full independence, cannot succeed in ensuring the security of their nations, and can never make independent decisions. Turkey viewed achieving full independence in the defense industry as the pioneering step of the national technology initiative, and very important steps have been taken in this direction. The share of domestic products in the defense industry was increased from 20 percent to 70 percent. More important than the economic dimension of this work is that we have largely achieved localization in critical platforms. It will not be possible to talk about full independence without developing critical systems domestically and nationally in all areas of technology, including finance, health, pharmaceuticals, agriculture, food, and energy technologies. Because technology has become the most fundamental subject of all sectors.”
Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “Youth are our greatest strength in the National Technology Initiative journey”
Emphasizing that they draw their greatest strength from young people in the projects put forward within the framework of the national technology initiative approach, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said, “Turkey is a country with a median age of 32, meaning half of our population is under the age of 32. This is our greatest strength on the path of the national technology initiative. In today's world, we can say that those who develop technology and sign on to world-transforming works are largely young people. It is a known fact that the creators of very large applications used in the world today were very young when they established their ventures. When we look at the projects Turkey is proud of, we also see companies with a median age of 28-30. Therefore, removing the obstacles in front of our young population, directing our young people towards technology entrepreneurship, and involving them in project development, R&D, and innovation processes is our greatest strength in the national technology initiative journey.”
Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “The growth of Turkey's economy is the common success of our nation”
Pointing out that Turkey has achieved great success stories in the last 20 years, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said, “The average annual growth was over 5 percent. While developed countries in Europe grew at 1.5 – 2 percent, and developing countries at 3-4 percent, looking at the 20-year period, we see that the Turkish economy achieved an annual growth performance of over 5 percent. Turkey is not a country that easily earns income by extracting oil and natural gas from its lands and selling them to the world. Whatever Turkey achieves, it achieves thanks to its people who sweat with their labor and intellect. This success is the common success of the nation, and our primary goal is to carry this bar of success even higher into the future.”
Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “Turkey's high-tech exports approached 7 billion dollars”
Stating that he visited all technoparks in Turkey when he was a university student, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır continued his words as follows:
“It wasn't very difficult because there were only 4 or 5 technoparks. Now there are over 90 technoparks. In these technoparks, there are over 7,000 companies carrying out research, development, and innovation activities, and over 1,500 R&D and design centers. Turkey's high-tech exports approached 7 billion dollars. Our defense industry exports alone approached 4 billion dollars in 2022. Perhaps we will exceed it by the end of the year. A large capacity has been built. We have more than 200 universities. Simultaneously, over 60 accelerator programs for technology start-ups are being run in incubation centers and technoparks. A very large part of these are carried out with public and state support. Therefore, we have built a large ecosystem. Successful results have emerged thanks to the construction of this ecosystem. The share we allocated from our national income to R&D, which was at the level of 0.5 per thousand, rose above 1 percent.”
Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “Artificial intelligence is a very critical field”
Stating that artificial intelligence is a very critical field, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said, “Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming all sectors, public administration processes, and individual lives, and will continue to do so. If we only talk about its impact on employment, today there are approximately 30 million employed people in Turkey. When we reach the 2030s, 8 years from now, it will be possible to define 8 million of these 30 million jobs as tasks to be performed by machines and software, not by people. In other words, there will be no need for people to do the jobs currently done by these 8 million people. Smart systems, software, machines, and computers will perform these tasks. Our research shows that approximately 9 million new job areas could emerge. New generation job areas could arise for developing and using all these technologies, digital products, and services. Therefore, we must work very hard to create new job opportunities for our own people.”
Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “There are nearly 30 billion dollars in exports in the automotive sector”
Emphasizing that Turkey has a very important production power in the automotive industry, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır said, “There is an annual vehicle production capacity of nearly 2 million. Many global brands produce in Turkey. Looking at the entire sector, there are nearly 250,000 employees and close to 30 billion dollars in exports. We are 4th in Europe and 14th in the world, but we did not have a domestic and national automobile brand. But now there is TOGG. Electric cars are becoming widespread. Zero-emission, silent, environmentally friendly, and electric cars are entering our lives and rapidly spreading. By the time we reach the 2030s, more than half of the vehicles sold will be electric vehicles.”
Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “Technology ventures received over $1.2 billion in investments in the first 3 months”
Stating that funds for technology ventures in Turkey are growing rapidly, Kacır said, “Technology ventures received over $1.5 billion in investments in 2021. This figure was more than the total of the preceding ten years. In the first quarter of 2022, they received over $1.2 billion in investments in just 3 months. This year, it will exceed 2021 as well. Therefore, the upcoming period will be one where many more technological ventures meet with much more funding and accelerate their growth processes. Last year, we made a change in an application. One of our programs previously only covered 4th-year students. Now, everyone who steps into university can apply for support programs. Everyone who feels they have an entrepreneurial spirit should take a step forward as soon as possible so that we can be by their side.”
Mehmet Fatih Kacır: “Patent application numbers reached 21 times in 20 years”
Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır stated that international investors closely follow technological ventures in Turkey and concluded his words as follows:
“Our R&D human resources, which were 40,000 in 2004, increased to 200,000 in 2020. That is, it has reached 5 times. A parallel increase also occurred in patent applications. While patent applications made throughout the country in 2002 were 414, this figure rose to 8,400 in 2020. The number of patent applications also reached 21 times. This actually shows us all that we are on the right track. Since 2018, we have been organizing the world's largest technology festivals in Turkey. In 2019, 1 million 720 thousand visitors attended Teknofest. This is an unprecedented record in the world. Social awareness, social consciousness, social aspiration, and commitment to the technology initiative will be the biggest signature we will put on Turkey's future.”
At the summit, where Üsküdar University Technology Club President Nurullah Guguk also delivered an opening speech, 3D Studio founder Emre Kutlu made a presentation titled “Metaverse,” and Turkcell Blockchain Service Specialist Ömer Faruk Boztaş made a presentation titled “Blockchain Technologies.”
At the summit, where Microsoft Turkey Technology Strategy Leader Ezgi Hız Buyurgan participated with a speech titled “Business World Fueled by Innovation and Diversity,” Kastamonu Entegre Global Human Resources Director Selim Çelebi participated with a presentation titled “Human Resources.” Also at the summit, Lumtify founder Sabri Suyunu presented “Data Science,” Google Cloud Systems Specialist Emrah Mete presented “Cloud Systems,” and hiDNA Founding Director Cihan Taştan from Üsküdar University presented “The Future of Gene Science.”
The Summit will last two days
On the second day of the two-day summit, Mr. Expression Education Designer Volkan Akay will participate with a presentation titled “When Will You Be the Hero of Your Life?”, Albaraka Tech Global Deputy General Manager Hasan Laçin with “Career Journey in Financial Ecosystems,” Ericsson Turkey Network Systems Director Taner Duman with “New Generation Network, 5G,” Informatics Valley General Manager Consultant and Octopus Founder Emre Yıldız with “Entrepreneurship,” Huawei Turkey R&D Department Director Emre Günaydın with “5G and Huawei Cloud Ecosystem,” Cezeri Artificial Intelligence Robotic Technologies Administrative Officer Ertuğrul Akhan with “Defense Industry,” and SanLab Founder Salih Kükrek with “Technology Entrepreneurship Experience Sharing.”
The summit will conclude with the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Panel, which will take place with the participation of Queeme Co-founder Ersoy Soyer, Lodestar Business Solutions Founder Dr. Naci Adalılar, and Uygur Consultancy Founder Serkan Uygur.