At the 3rd Inter-Yıldız Technology Awards, organized this year by YTÜ Yıldız Technopark, 37 companies that stood out for their contributions to the technology and innovation ecosystem were honored with awards. At the ceremony, where awards were presented across a total of 13 categories, the National Technology and Artificial Intelligence Award went to TUSAŞ, while Ziraat Technology was named the "Polar Star of R&D" and NVIDIA was named the "Polar Star of Export."

As part of the award ceremony held at the YTÜ Davutpaşa Congress and Culture Center, companies operating within the YTÜ Yıldız Technology Park were evaluated and awarded based on comprehensive analyses conducted through the STARBOARD performance management system. Organized to highlight the value created within the Yıldız ecosystem, encourage technology-driven success, and support companies generating high added value, the Yıldızlararası Technology Awards once again brought together leading companies in the technology world this year.The event was attended by Dr. Damla Turan, General Director of R&D Incentives at the Ministry of Industry and Technology; Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik, Rector of YTÜ; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammet Garip, General Manager of YTÜ Yıldız Technopark; and representatives of the technology and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

During the evaluation process, companies were assessed not only based on their economic size but also on the innovative technologies they developed, the value they created, their global market presence, and their contributions to Turkey’s technology production capacity.

“We will achieve greater successes through university-industry collaboration”

In his opening remarks, Yıldız Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik noted that companies within the technology park have achieved significant successes and emphasized the need to strengthen university-industry collaboration.

Prof. Dr. Debik stated, “In addition to the award-winning companies, there are many firms in our technology park conducting highly valuable work. The successes achieved by all our companies fill us with pride and make significant contributions to our country. “In the coming period, we need to further strengthen collaboration between academia and companies. When we look at successful examples around the world, we see that universities are at the center of the innovation ecosystem. I believe that by bringing our academics and companies together more frequently, we will achieve even greater successes,” he said.

“Our 2030 goal is 100,000 tech startups and to rank among the top 10 countries in the world”

Dr. Damla Turan, General Director of R&D Incentives at the Ministry of Industry and Technology, emphasized that technology, entrepreneurship, and qualified human resources play a critical role in achieving the goals of the National Technology Initiative.

“In our National Technology Initiative journey, which we are carrying out under our Industry and Technology Strategy, technology, entrepreneurship, and qualified human resources are indispensable foundational elements on our path to achieving our goals. By 2030, we aim to have 100,000 technology startups operating in Turkey. We also aim for our country to rank among the world’s top 10 nations in the field of technology entrepreneurship. “Of course, at the heart of achieving these goals lie the ideas and projects put forward by our entrepreneurs. These ideas are born, developed, and grow in technology parks, eventually transforming into startups that add value to the economy,” he stated.

“A strong family bond is forming between our companies and young people”

Yıldız Technology Park General Manager Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammet Garip called on companies within the technology park to engage more with young entrepreneurs and students, saying:

“We expect you to contribute by sharing your success stories—and even your stories of failure—with these young people. We value your connection with them and the sharing of your experiences. Because the greatest feature of Yıldız Technology Park is the creation of a strong family structure. One of the most inspiring sights for us is seeing the startups that emerged from our clubs, project teams, and Teknofest teams transform into successful companies today, and the strong bonds formed between these companies and the young people who are still part of the project teams. This family-like environment and natural mentorship mechanism are among the most important factors enabling us to look toward the future with hope and pride in line with the goals of the National Technology Initiative. For this reason, we expect our valued companies to contribute even more to our young people, particularly in terms of sharing their experiences.”

13 different categories

As a result of this year’s evaluations, the awards include: Global Star Partnership, Export’s North Star, Export Stars, Commercialized Product Stars, R&D’s North Star, R&D Stars, Intellectual Property Star, National Technology and Artificial Intelligence Award, Sustainability Star, Hardware R&D Star, Rising Stars, Star Turcorns, and Explorer Stars.

Among the 37 companies, the Intellectual Property Star awards were presented to TUSAŞ, FEV Turkey, and Curium, while TUSAŞ received the National Technology and Artificial Intelligence Award. In the Star Turcorns category, Craftgate was recognized with an award, while the student startups supported in the Explorer Stars category—Tarlis, APEX, and Aquanomy—also drew attention for their achievements.

In the Commercialized Product Stars category, Uyumsoft and Doping Memory stood out; in the R&D Stars category, Etiya was highlighted; and in the Export Stars category, Appnation Software, Siliconroad, and İ2İ were among the leading companies.

Award-winning companies:

Polar Star of Export: NVIDIA

Stars of Export

Commercialized Product Stars

The North Star of R&D: Agricultural Technology

Stars of R&D

Intellectual Property Stars

National Technology and Artificial Intelligence Award

Sustainability Stars

Hardware R&D Stars

Rising Stars

Star Turcorn

Explorer Stars