In recent years, Türkiye has stood out not only for its remarkable progress in defense technology but also for how it has systematically built the human capital to sustain that momentum. Behind the development of strategic systems – from UAVs to satellite programs, from AI-powered defense solutions to the National Combat Aircraft – lies a profound societal shift: what I call "Red-Tech Revolution." Inspired by the iconic red jackets worn at Teknofest, I use this term to refer to Türkiye’s youth-led innovation movement within its National Technology Initiative.
This revolution is not merely about producing hardware, but about involving young people at every stage of innovation. Teknofest, the flagship festival of Türkiye’s National Technology Initiative, is the most visible engine of this movement. In 2025, it was held for the first time in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), drawing over 225,000 visitors, with 47,000-plus applications from 22 countries and 268 finalist teams comprising 1,083 young participants.
But more importantly, this event wasn’t just technical – it was deeply political and symbolic. Hosting Teknofest in the TRNC marked a new phase in Türkiye’s science diplomacy and regional influence. Unsurprisingly, this did not go unnoticed. Greek media outlets such as Kathimerini and Proto Thema characterized the event as “a soft-power show of strength” by Ankara in the Eastern Mediterranean. For Türkiye, however, this was more than symbolism. It declared that the country's technological vision has regional reach and growing resonance. And while Teknofest has become a bridge connecting small-town ingenuity with national-scale transformation.
In 2019, an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) team from Teknofest became a partner in a local defense R&D initiative. In 2021, a smart energy project from Gümüşhane University was commercialized through Teknopark Istanbul. High school students from Samsun won global acclaim at the Regeneron ISEF in the U.S. with a biosensor prototype born at Teknofest. In Hatay, local municipalities and private industry adopted an environmental monitoring project. A student rocketry team from Ankara transformed its project into a high-altitude testing platform now used by universities. Even a search-and-rescue robot built in Gümüşhane was successfully field-tested by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Türkiye’s disaster response agency.
These are not isolated cases – they are the natural outcomes of a growing innovation ecosystem that now includes millions of students. Since 2018, Teknofest has received more than 1.5 million individual applications, leading to over 750,000 projects, 30-plus patents and over 100 startups. These young innovators are not only launching ventures, but also being absorbed into Türkiye’s key institutions: Baykar, Aselsan, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), Roketsan, the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBITAK) and others.
Unlike many global youth competitions, which often end with certificates and photos, Teknofest is an end-to-end system that links innovation with industry, strategy and real-world application. While the U.S.-based FIRST Robotics, the EU’s EUCYS or China’s Maker Carnival provide valuable exposure, they rarely feed directly into national development pipelines. Türkiye’s model does. At Teknofest, student projects evolve into prototypes, which integrate into the defense, energy, space and logistics sectors.
In this context, holding the event in the TRNC was not merely a logistical decision – it was a strategic signal. Thousands of Turkish students currently study STEM disciplines in the TRNC. Teknofest gave them a platform not just to observe, but to contribute. A finalist team from Near East University demonstrated that the island is not just a passive recipient of Türkiye’s science diplomacy – it is becoming an active node.
So yes, Türkiye is building drones, aircraft, satellites and rockets. But it is also building something far more powerful: a generation. A generation that doesn’t just follow global technology trends but defines its own. A generation that codes, designs, builds and delivers often from the heart of Anatolia.
This is why the Red-Tech Revolution is not just a metaphor. It is the name of the century Türkiye is writing with science, strategy and its youth.
