The opening ceremony of Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center located in Gaziosmanpaşa, Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank, Deputy Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Gaziosmanpaşa District Governor İskender Yönden, Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hasan Tahsin Usta, TÜBİTAK President Hasan Mandal, Industry and Technology Ministry of Istanbul Provincial Director Abdurrahman Aydın, Boğaziçi University Rector and TÜBİTAK Board Member Prof. Dr. Mehmet Naci İnci, Turkey Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation) Chairman of the Board and Baykar General Manager Haluk Bayraktar, T3 Foundation General Manager Ömer Kökçam, AK Party Istanbul Provincial Youth Branch President Muhammed Cem Çekerek, AK Party Gaziosmanpaşa District President Fatih Aydemir, Nationalist Movement It was held with the participation of Başar Ünal, Deputy Secretary of the Istanbul Provincial Party and many citizens.
The opening ceremony started with the promotional video of Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center and the video showing Özdemir Bayraktar’s life.
In his speech at the opening ceremony, Minister Varank stated that the opening of the Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center was very meaningful to them and said that they will keep the cherished memory of Özdemir Bayraktar, the pioneer of UAVs and SİHAs, alive in this beautiful science center for generations.
Emphasizing that Özdemir Bayraktar’s dreams for Turkey and the cherished children of this nation will continue to come true in this beautiful science center, Varank said, “This science center that will raise future science stars, new Özdemir Bayraktars, Selçuk Bayraktars, good luck to all Istanbulites. I would like to thank everyone one by one, especially our Mayor of Gaziosmanpaşa, TÜBİTAK, and all our stakeholders.” said.
“We see innovation as the key to Turkey’s future”
Mustafa Varank stated that the world is going through a chaotic period when it is faced with epidemics, wars and the devastating effects of climate change, and said:
“All these global problems are reshaping our world. The future of the reshaped world is determined by digitalization and technological developments. Countries that develop critical technologies accelerate their development by increasing their competitiveness as well as gaining the reflex to combat global problems. In today’s world, owning critical technologies and developing your own technology It is no longer a choice but a necessity.It is the countries’ R&D and innovation ecosystems that enable the development of these technologies.In this sense, we see innovation as the key to development and prosperity, and Turkey’s future.
Our human resources and human infrastructure are at the center of our innovation ecosystem, which we have built from scratch in 20 years with this awareness. Because we are aware that the most powerful capital of our country is the young human resource. As the Ministry of Industry and Technology, we are taking very different steps towards our youth, who will carry us to our goals of the Turkish Century. Every year, we organize TEKNOFEST, the world’s largest space, aviation and technology festival, in order for science and technology to penetrate all layers of society from 7 to 77. Our bright young people, also from Gaziosmanpaşa, develop rockets, build industrial robots, design and race autonomous underwater vehicles, and gain experience in chip design at TEKNOFEST competitions.
In the first year of TEKNOFEST, while 20 thousand young people took part in the competitions in 14 categories, Varank said that more than 600 thousand competitors were reached in 40 different categories last year, “I hope the fire of TEKNOFEST that we spread to Anatolia and Baku will burn in 3 cities this year. TEKNOFEST 2023, 16 – It will take place in İzmir on March 19, in Istanbul between April 27 and May 1, and in Ankara between August 30 and September 3. I hope the TEKNOFEST generation will continue to grow.” used the phrases.
“The science centers we have established increase the interest in science in our country”
Minister of Industry and Technology Varank stated that another project they carry out to make young people the technology stars of the future is the DENEYAP Turkey project, “At 100 DENEYAP Technology Workshops spread across 81 provinces, our children will undertake a wide range of projects from artificial intelligence to the internet of things, from design to coding. On the other hand, we organize sky observation activities to increase the interest of our young people in space and astronomy. Last year, we brought together 34 thousand astronomy and space enthusiasts in Diyarbakır, Van, Erzurum and Antalya with the stars. will carry him to the Champions League in the space race.” said.
Noting that Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hasan Tahsin Usta talked about a memory from his childhood, Varank continued his words as follows:
“Our president, Hasan Tahsin, said, ‘I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a student. I told my geography teacher that I wanted to be an astronaut. Our teacher said to me, ‘They won’t let Turks into space. We won’t have a chance to go there.’ He said. He will represent us at the International Space Station. Our friends who will go are very qualified. Soon, our President will announce our two candidates to the public. We will experience this pride together as Turkey.
Science centers that we have established in different cities with the support of TÜBİTAK increase the interest in science in our country. In these centers, we bring our children together with science and raise awareness in the field of science and technology through applied activities. Last year, 1 million citizens visited the science centers we established. More than 275 thousand of our children participated in different education programs in these science centers. We are proud and happy to bring one of these science centers, where future engineers, respected scientists and successful designers are trained, to Gaziosmanpaşa.”
“We will endeavor to train new Saint Sancars”
Minister of Industry and Technology Varank stated that they provided support of approximately 4 million liras to Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center with the help of TÜBİTAK, “Our Gaziosmanpaşa Municipality has allocated a budget of 6 million liras on top of this. This science center includes technology, mathematics, natural sciences, design, astronomy, space and aviation and DENEYAP Workshops.” said.
Stating that the future Özdemir Bayraktars will grow in this science center, Varank concluded his words as follows:
“I have to touch on a subject. What did he say recently? when they see us they will say well done.’ “A misery that thinks grabbing a good job from the Europeans is a virtue. We wouldn’t be able to explain it so clearly if we explained that the ropes of these are in the hands of others. At this point, we should remember a word of the late Özdemir brother. The deceased always used to say: ‘The necessity of being dependent on someone abroad is our responsibility to our nation. can’t get in the way.’ Yes, they may be deeply dependent on abroad, but we are loyal to this nation.
While they dream of touching UAVs and stopping national projects, we will strive to train thousands of new Saint Sancars. We will build the Turkish Century together with the science, technology and innovation fire we caught in Turkey. 2023 is very important in this sense. The appreciation that our nation will show here is very important in this sense. We have always seen the support of the people of Gaziosmanpaşa behind us, they will make the right choice in 2023, and they will not lose their support behind our President. I hope we will build a very different, much more prosperous and much more successful Turkey together in 2023 and beyond.”
“We want many Baykars, initiatives to come out”
T3 Foundation Chairman of the Board and Baykar General Manager Haluk Bayraktar also stated that as the T3 Foundation, they own and support such projects, adding that there are 11 science centers in Turkey, Istanbul and various provinces.
Stating that there is Science Baku in Baku abroad, Bayraktar said, “There are also ongoing projects in different countries. Whether it is a science center, DENEYAP Technology Workshop or TEKNOFEST, these are elements that complement each other. We want our country to be a National Technology Center. Let him build his own strong future on the way of his move. Only our youth will build this future. Last year, tens of thousands of our young people came together with technology and science, they created dreams. We want these dreams to turn into projects and projects into initiatives.” he said.
Recalling that 20 thousand students applied when TEKNOFEST was first organized, Bayraktar said:
“This year, 1 million young people applied to TEKNOFEST. There is almost a mental revolution going on in Turkey. There is a huge social wave. Our people, our nation, our youth are running to this field. 15 years ago, we were at a workshop in Topkapı. Özdemir Bayraktar In a workshop within Baykar, which we established under the leadership of, we said, ‘We will save our country from dependence on unmanned aerial vehicle technology.’ We started to work in this field with our own means.Who would have said that a place in a workshop in Topkapı, where those 5 people started, will today be the world’s largest armed drone manufacturer, the world’s largest exporter, in this field, which our country cannot afford by paying much better technology. It will become a developer and a service provider to its country, and it will become Turkey’s largest defense and aerospace exporter.
We want many Baykars and initiatives to emerge with examples like Bilim Gaziosmanpaşa. Now there is a suitable ground for it. The building blocks of a strong Turkey pass through here. If I had told you something like this 15 years ago, ‘One day, hundreds of thousands of citizens of European countries will come together, organize campaigns, raise money, to buy the unmanned aerial vehicle technology developed by Turkey’. Would you believe this? Today, Turkey is at this point. Hopefully this will get stronger and move forward. My late father, Özdemir Bayraktar, used to say, ‘If we were fire, we would burn as much as our skin’. We will light a spark, it will be fire, and this is how we will build our strong future. This fire has now been lit, spread, has been accepted by the whole society, and I hope it will continue forward with your support.”
“I hope our young people here will meet with technology and improve themselves”
Stating that Özdemir Bayraktar was the pioneer in the establishment of the T3 Foundation, Bayraktar said, “When we established the foundation, he said to us, ‘You will not receive support from anyone.’ Today, we are giving scholarships to 4,000 students on his behalf, we support technology teams, we support organizations such as TEKNOFEST, we try to support Science Turkey organizations as much as we can. Therefore, I would like to express my gratitude to our president for giving this name here. I hope our young people here will meet with technology and improve themselves.” said.
Haluk Bayraktar asked all citizens of Gaziosmanpaşa to direct their children to Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center and spend time there.
Gaziosmanpaşa Mayor Hasan Tahsin Usta said that the Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center was established with the cooperation of T3 Foundation, TÜBİTAK and Gaziosmanpaşa Municipality.
Usta said, “Under the leadership and support of our Minister, who pioneered technology and science in Turkey, the Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center was made this way. We brought 45,020 students together with science in Gaziosmanpaşa in one year. Our 2023 goal is to reach 70 thousand, I hope.” made its assessment.
After the speeches, Minister Varank and his entourage cut the opening ribbon of the Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center and made investigations at the center. Minister Varank visited the workshops in the center and chatted with the children.
