Türkiye's renowned tech event TEKNOFEST kicks off in Northern Cyprus

Lefkosha, the capital of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), has officially opened the 11th International Aviation, Space and Technology Festival (TEKNOFEST), which has drawn tens of thousands of participants from around the world.

Organised by the Türkiye Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation) and Türkiye’s Ministry of Industry and Technology, the event is held with the support of the Office of the President of the TRNC, Caliber.Az reports, citing Turkish media.

A total of 132 institutions have partnered in staging the event.

TEKNOFEST TRNC runs from May 1 to 4 at Ercan Airport, covering a 100,000-square-metre venue. This year’s edition received over 47,000 applications from participants representing 22 countries.

In addition to Türkiye and the TRNC, applicants hailed from Afghanistan, Germany, Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Mali, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia, and Uzbekistan.

A total of 268 teams comprising 1,083 finalists – including 334 women and 749 men – have advanced to the final stage. The competitions are divided into six main categories and 13 subcategories.

Highlights of the festival include contests in social innovation, flying car simulations, tourism technologies, the TEKNOFEST Robolig “Blue Homeland” challenge, research projects, and a drone championship.

Finalist teams come from six countries: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, the TRNC, Pakistan, and Türkiye. The TRNC is represented by 20 teams and 103 participants.

In addition to the competitions, the festival will feature spectacular air shows by the Turkish Stars (Türk Yıldızları), SOLOTÜRK, and the Gendarmerie Steel Wings.

Türkiye’s domestically produced aerial platforms, including the Bayraktar AKINCI, Bayraktar TB2, HÜRKUŞ, ANKA, AKSUNGU drones, and the ATAK combat helicopter, will also be on display.

By Aghakazim Guliyev