What did TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan give us?

"We believe that children in Azerbaijan should come and touch planes or UAVs so that in the future, they can produce an aircraft that will protect the security of our countries, which could be a way to go into space."

The author of these thoughts, which have been stuck in many people's heads in recent days, is Selcuk Bayraktar, technical director of the Turkish Baykar company and chairman of the board of the TEKNOFEST Aerospace and Technology Festival. Selcuk Bayraktar, who arrived in Azerbaijan during the TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan Aerospace and Technology Festival, did not hide his surprise at the great interest in this event in Azerbaijan.

Yes, it was the event that made the last days of May 2022 unforgettable for us. Following the tradition, Azerbaijan's successful hosting of such an event again resonated not only in Azerbaijan and Turkiye, but all over the world.

Thus, during the TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan Aerospace and Technology Festival, which took place on May 26-29, about 300,000 people watched live shows and the displayed technological products. Suffice it to say that 82 teams of 188 people applied to join the Smart Karabakh Hackathon of the festival alone, but only 30 of them were selected.

There are several key points that make the festival significant and memorable.

First, the TEKNOFEST Festival was held for the first time outside Turkiye, and in this regard, the selection of Azerbaijan as the first foreign country is not an ordinary fact.

Another important aspect is the participation of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkiye in its opening, as well as the world-famous Turkish scientist, Nobel Laureate, Professor Aziz Sancar.

It is also noteworthy that the opening ceremony coincided with the Independence Day of Azerbaijan on May 28.

President Ilham Aliyev noted during his speech at the TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan Festival:

"It is a holiday in Azerbaijan today – Independence Day, our dearest holiday. This is because my dear brother, who has doubled these celebrations by his presence, is with us today. On behalf of all the people of Azerbaijan, let's please cordially welcome the President of the Republic of Turkiye and all our brothers and sisters who have come to Azerbaijan alongside him.

One hundred and four years ago, the people of Azerbaijan established the first Democratic Republic in the Muslim world. Unfortunately, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic did not exist for a long time, it broke up two years later and Azerbaijan lost its independence. It was only in the early 1990s that Azerbaijan's state independence was restored, and for 30 years the people of Azerbaijan have lived freely, in the conditions of independence, building their own lives and walking the path of independence with confidence. During these 30 years, our Turkish brothers have always been together with us. We have always felt this support, this fraternal support for 30 years, and we are still feeling it today, and Turkiye and Azerbaijan are together again today."

Noting that the Azerbaijani-Turkish relations have historical roots, President Ilham Aliyev spoke about the importance of TEKNOFEST:

"Today, TEKNOFEST is another demonstration of our unity, its manifestation. TEKNOFEST is a celebration of science, development, knowledge and technology. I am sure that the young people participating in TEKNOFEST will always remember this historic day. The young people of Turkiye and Azerbaijan, who have been together for several days, have become as close as a family, got to know each other, and I am sure that they will always be together in the future."

Speaking at TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also said that the festival would play an vital role in revealing the skills and talents of Azerbaijani youth:

"Today, we are here to share in the excitement and justifiable pride of organizing TEKNOFEST in Azerbaijan for the first time. This is an important platform for the Azerbaijani youth to demonstrate and develop their talents. Distinguished by their work in TEKNOFEST competitions, you, our young people, will be the scientists of tomorrow who produce and develop unmanned aerial vehicles, artificial intelligence, digital technologies. Together with Azerbaijan, we will continue to open new horizons for our youth in several more projects and jointly implement our national technological breakthroughs.

I am even more pleased that our guests representing the Organization of Turkic States are also present at the TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan. I sincerely believe that the Turkic world will achieve significant success with the younger generation that will produce the most modern technologies. To date, TEKNOFEST members have implemented extremely beautiful projects in Turkiye. I have no doubt that we will achieve the same success in Azerbaijan. I believe that the Organization of Turkic States will reach a stronger position in the future with new and greater cooperation, which will lay the foundation for such platforms."

Azerbaijan's Digital Development and Transport Minister Rashad Nabiyev also noted that the festival was held at a high level and that young people had a unique role in this process:

"The last 4 days have been full of excitement, tension and love. In response to what TEKNOFEST will give to Azerbaijan, I would like to note that this will be a driving force to increase the mass interest of our youth in science, technology and innovation. In this regard, it will be an excellent basis for the practical implementation of the knowledge and skills acquired by them, both at school and at university.

We thank everyone who contributed to the organization of the festival, which was attended by about 300,000 spectators. I believe that the technological competitions and events of TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan, held under the auspices of President Ilham Aliyev, will increase the interest of the younger generation in technology and make them become direct participants in innovation processes."

Noting that TEKNOFEST will make a significant contribution to the development of Azerbaijani science, Vice President of ANAS, Chairman of the Working Group on the Academy's participation in the TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan Festival, Academician Rasim Aliguliyev believes that such events are necessary to build a society that meets the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution:

"Our country's hosting of the technology festival is the result of the president's special attention to Azerbaijani science and purposeful policy in the ICT sector. During the four days of the TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan Festival, various institutes of ANAS, higher education institutions, the private sector and various government agencies shared their ideas and proposals with the guests. Of course, the exchange of views at such events gives impetus to very successful scientific discoveries in the future. Along with scientific achievements, TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan was able to play the role of a unique platform in terms of business opportunities.

The innovations created by the fourth industrial revolution require the establishment of a technological society.

The fact that our country, which is on the path of innovative development today, is hosting such an event will increase the interest of other innovative countries in Azerbaijan. TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan has also created unique opportunities for many transnational companies to choose Azerbaijan as a regional center."

Information technology expert Mehman Isgandarov was also among the participants of TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan. Sharing his impressions, the expert admits that he did not think that the festival would be this much interesting:

"During the four-day festival, we saw great interest among visitors. Honestly, we thought that TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan would be interesting but did not expect it to be so much exciting. Of course, the high level of organization allowed us to accommodate all guests and visitors properly.

I want to note that the TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan Aerospace and Technology Festival has given many participants a chance to expand new investment and business opportunities. I consider it the first and successful step to bring such innovative proposals, which are the product of the brains of the Azerbaijani youth, to the international arena."

Twenty-four Azerbaijani and 36 Turkish stands were set up in the exhibition part of the TEKNOFEST Azerbaijan Aerospace and Technology Festival held in Baku on May 26-29.

The Take Off Baku Startup Summit was attended by startups with potential access to global markets, local and foreign mentors, foreign investors and venture funds.

As many as 287 startups from 32 countries (101 of them were Azerbaijani startups) applied for participation in the event. Fifty startups were selected, including 15 from foreign countries (US, Argentina, Estonia, Jordan, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkiye) and 35 local ones.

Startups have been evaluated for pitching, innovation, customer orientation, competitiveness, product offers, commercialization potential, and team competence.

Of the 25 startups that qualified for the finals, 14 represented Azerbaijan, 4 Turkiye, 3 the United States, 1 Egypt, 1 Pakistan, 1 Argentina and 1 Estonia.

The prize fund for the Take Off Baku Startup Summit was $15,000 for the first place, $10,000 for the second place and $5,000 for the third place.

In addition, as we reported, 82 teams of 188 people applied to participate in the Smart Karabakh Hackathon. and 30 of them qualified for the finals.

Twenty teams from Azerbaijan and 10 teams from Turkiye prepared "Smart Solutions" in education, agriculture, transport, energy consumption, water consumption, environment and security in order to restore the liberated Karabakh and presented them to the jury.

The prize fund for the Smart Karabakh Hackathon was $10,000 for the first place, $5,000 for the second place and $3,000 for the third place.