TEKNOFEST Nuclear Energy Technologies Design Competition Academic Incentive Award Presented to Hacettepe University
The Academic Incentive Award Signing Ceremony for the Nuclear Energy Technologies Design Competition, organized under the leadership of the Ministry of Industry and Technology of the Republic of Türkiye and the Turkish Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation), and implemented by the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Türkiye and the Turkish Energy, Nuclear and Mining Research Institute (TENMAK), was held on Friday, December 19th, at Hacettepe University. The ceremony was attended by Hacettepe University Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cahit Güran and T3 Foundation Board Chairman Dr. Elvan Kuzucu Hıdır.
19.12.2025
Hacettepe University Receives 15 Million TL Academic Incentive Support
At the ceremony, signatures were affixed for the 15 million TL Academic Incentive Award to Hacettepe University, which qualified for infrastructure support as a result of its 2025 applications. This support aims to strengthen Hacettepe University's research, development, and design infrastructure in the field of nuclear energy technologies; and to position the university as a leader in this field at the national and international level. The Academic Incentive Award also aims to contribute to increasing Turkey's human resources and technology development capacity in the field of nuclear energy.
The TEKNOFEST Nuclear Energy Technologies Design Competition, first held in 2024, aims to increase Türkiye's technological capacity in the field of nuclear energy, strengthen academy-industry collaborations, and encourage innovative work in this field. The competition is organized under two main headings: Basic Category and Subcategory. The Basic Category includes two sub-headings: Conceptual Design and Detail Design. The Subcategories are: The competition consists of five main categories: Reactor Design Software Development, Reactor Core Design, Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management, Energy Cycle Design, and Nuclear Instrumentation and Control System Design.
Russia and Ukraine also participated in the competition.
The competition, held at the Küçükçekmece Nuclear Research and Training Center in Istanbul between September 2-4, 2025, received applications from 86 teams as of 2025, with 27 teams qualifying for the finals. Despite being only in its second year, the competition attracted attention with its international participation.
The Turkish Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation), through its competitions, incentive mechanisms, and academic support programs conducted under the umbrella of TEKNOFEST, supports the development of domestic and national solutions in strategic and critical areas, primarily nuclear energy technologies. The T3 Foundation aims to contribute to the creation of an independent, sustainable, and advanced technology-based ecosystem in Turkey in the field of nuclear energy by encouraging young people, academics, and research institutions to produce knowledge and actively participate in design and technology development processes.
The Academic Incentive Award provided to Hacettepe University is expected to make significant contributions to the university becoming a leading research and development center in the field of nuclear energy technologies and to strengthening Türkiye's scientific and technological capacity in the field of nuclear energy.
