T3 Foundation

Kısa is the abbreviated name of T3 Foundation, the Türkiye Technology Team Foundation, established in December 2016 by a group of entrepreneurs, engineers, and professionals led by Selçuk Bayraktar in the building in Bayrampaşa where BAYKAR began its UAV development activities. It is a civil society organization dedicated to supporting the development of Türkiye in the fields of science, technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The Foundation aims to increase public interest in technology, especially among youth, and to strengthen the country’s capacity to produce technology through education and project-based initiatives.

The first project of the T3 Foundation is the National Technology Scholarship Program, designed to develop human capital that will contribute to Türkiye’s indigenous and national technology development processes. Since 2017, the program has provided scholarships of varying amounts to middle school, high school, and university students across Türkiye, alongside various projects and educational activities. Following the passing of Özdemir Bayraktar, founder and honorary president of BAYKAR, in 2021, the scholarship program was renamed the “Özdemir Bayraktar National Technology Scholarship Program.”

^{BAYKAR Honorary President Özdemir Bayraktar with youth at TEKNOFEST 2018...}

                 The T3 Entrepreneurship Center, where the Foundation’s entrepreneurship-focused programs are implemented, aims to become a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation in Türkiye. It conducts entrepreneur training programs and entrepreneurship summits, and also manages the T3 Entrepreneurship Capital Investment Fund.

^{T3 Entrepreneurship Center Logo}

                 Launched under the “Stars of the Future Technology” program, the DENEYAP Technology Workshops aim to connect Türkiye’s younger generation with high-quality, free science and technology education. With its original curriculum, concept, and pedagogy, the workshops provide science and technology education to middle and high school students across 11 different subject areas. Piloted in Istanbul, the initiative was expanded in 2018 under the DENEYAP Türkiye brand with the participation of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, TÜBİTAK, and the T3 Foundation, reaching all 81 provinces. The free 36-month program provides two years of instruction, followed by a third year during which participants are expected to form teams and compete in national and international competitions. As of 2024, more than 130 DENEYAP Technology Workshops operate across all 81 provinces of Türkiye, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Azerbaijan, and Syria, continuing to deliver high-quality, free technology education to thousands of students.

^{DENEYAP Technology Workshops Logo} 

                 The Support Program for National Technology Teams provides material and mentoring support to Turkish teams representing Türkiye in prestigious international technology competitions, with the goal of enabling talented youth to gain international experience.

^{ITUNOM UAV and ATLAS UAV teams that reached the finals of the Student Unmanned Aerial Systems'24 competition held in the USA in 2024} 

TEKNOFEST is Türkiye’s first and only aviation, space, and technology festival, organized with the participation of numerous key institutions and organizations playing a critical role in advancing national technology. The festival, first held in Istanbul in 2018, has since taken place in Gaziantep, Samsun, Bakü, Ankara, İzmir, and Adana. As the host of the world’s largest and most comprehensive technology competitions, TEKNOFEST has received over 1,650,000 participant applications across 50 competitions and 128 subcategories. In 2019, with 1,720,000 visitors in Istanbul, and again in 2023 with 2,547,000 visitors, it set the world record for the largest festival attendance by number of visitors. TEKNOFEST hosts a wide range of events including air shows, aerial and ground vehicle exhibitions, fairs and activity zones, vertical wind tunnels, planetarium shows, concerts, and special performances. Under the motto “The Only Festival That Doesn’t Touch the Ground,” TEKNOFEST is positioned as the social consensus of the National Technology Initiative.

^{TEKNOFEST Aviation, Space and Technology Festival logo}

                 The National Technology Initiative brand, owned by the T3 Foundation, encompasses the full set of values underlying the Foundation’s vision and all efforts aimed at enhancing Türkiye’s self-reliance in science and technology. Alongside its adoption by various state institutions—including the Ministry of Industry and Technology’s 2023 Industry and Technology Strategy Document—the National Technology Initiative has become a national strategic brand of the Republic of Türkiye.

 ^{National Technology Initiative Logo}

                 The Take Off Entrepreneurship Summit, organized by the T3 Entrepreneurship Center under the TEKNOFEST umbrella, is an entrepreneurship event aimed at developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem both in Türkiye and globally. The summit, the largest of its kind in the region, brings together entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and other stakeholders of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Held annually in Istanbul, the summit was also hosted in Bakü in 2022 as part of TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan.

^{Take Off Entrepreneurship Summit logo}

                 Bilim Üsküdar, Türkiye’s most comprehensive science center, opened in 2018 through the collaboration of the T3 Foundation, Üsküdar Municipality, and TÜBİTAK. The center, featuring a 14-meter-diameter planetarium, permanent and traveling exhibition units, and educational workshops, provides science and technology-focused experiences for visitors of all ages, with a special focus on children aged 6 to 14. The T3 Foundation was a lead partner in the project from its inception and continued its involvement until 2024.

^{Aerial view of the Bilim Üsküdar campus}

                  Bilim Türkiye is a science center brand that develops the concept of science centers through high-quality educational curricula and original concepts tailored for the most effective age group for science and technology culture—children aged 6 to 14—alongside planetarium events and innovative exhibition units designed for all ages. Bilim Türkiye offers free and voluntary advisory services to local administrations seeking to establish science centers. The Bilim Türkiye program is currently implemented in 20 science centers across Türkiye, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Azerbaijan, and Kyrgyzstan.

^{Bilim Türkiye Logo.}

                 Keşif Kampüsü is an educational model based on exploration and inquiry, structured as a “children’s university.” It integrates science and technology education with arts and personal development programs to enhance students’ technical knowledge while simultaneously fostering their social and emotional growth. The program targets primary and middle school students. Three Keşif Kampüsü campuses are located in Samsun and Gaziantep.

^{Keşif Kampüsü Logo}

                 The DENEYAP Card Electronic Development Set and product family, designed and manufactured in Türkiye using national engineering capabilities, was launched as part of the national effort to localize educational technologies. It is actively used in various educational institutions, especially in DENEYAP Technology Workshops.

^{DENEYAP Card Logo}

                 T3 Akademi is an online education platform offering live and asynchronous interactive courses and certification programs, primarily focused on science, technology, and entrepreneurship. It aims to contribute to lifelong learning for individuals of all ages, from five-year-olds to adults.

^{T3 Akademi Logo}

                 T3AI is an open-source large language model developed for Turkish, aiming to overcome language barriers and enable users to interact effectively on a global scale through a user-friendly solution. Development efforts continue through a volunteer community established around the model.

T3 Foundation continues its activities to support Türkiye’s vision of leadership in technology and innovation. Through projects targeting all segments of society, the Foundation aims not only to enhance technological production but also to build a knowledge-based future. These determined efforts position the T3 Foundation as an inspiring institution at both national and international levels, contributing to the ideals of technological independence and sustainable development.

^{T3 AI logo.}