As part of the TEKNOFEST technology competitions, the results of the 2025 Nuclear Energy Technologies Design Competition, organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources of the Republic of Turkey, were announced last September. According to the results, HÜRKOR, one of our university teams, was awarded second place in the Basic Category Detailed Design Category. HÜRKOR, the only school team in its category, was also awarded the Academic Incentive Award by the Turkey Technology Team Foundation (T3 Foundation) as a result of their evaluation.
Our university also received a prize worth 15 million Turkish Liras, which is an important resource that will enable it to make the technological investments required for scientific studies, thanks to the success of its representative. The TEKNOFEST Nuclear Energy Technologies Design Competition Academic Incentive Award Signing Ceremony, organized for the transfer of the monetary prize won by our university, took place on December 19. The ceremony, held at 2:00 p.m. in the Senate Hall of the İhsan Doğramacı Building on the Beytepe Campus, was attended by our Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cahit Güran and T3 Foundation Board Chairman Dr. Elvan Kuzucu Hıdır , along with Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Şahap Armağan Tarım, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Prof. Dr. Halil Vural, Coordinator of the Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit Prof. Dr. Mehmet Erdem, numerous faculty members, and members of the HÜRKOR team.
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cahit Güran: “Technological capabilities will advance to even greater heights.”
In his speech at the signing ceremony, Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Cahit Güran expressed his gratitude to the T3 Foundation, the HÜRKOR Team, the HÜRKOR Team advisor, and the faculty members of the engineering department, emphasizing the importance of nuclear energy. Using the words, “Many countries around the world meet their energy needs by utilizing nuclear energy, and it was expected that Turkey would take action in this regard,” Prof. Dr. Güran said, “With the contributions of the T3 Foundation and other professionals working in this field, the knowledge base, experience, and technological capabilities in this area will undoubtedly advance to higher levels.”
Our Rector, Prof. Dr. Güran, emphasized that the financial award provided by the T3 Foundation is very important for infrastructure or research projects that will enable scientific studies to move forward. Prof. Dr. Güran continued his remarks with the following statements:
“As a university, I would also like to express that we are open to all kinds of cooperation not only in this field but also in other areas, as well as to all kinds of material and moral support from the foundation.”
Dr. Elvan Kuzucu: “Turkey is no longer an observer in this field, but a developer.”
Another speaker at the ceremony was Dr. Elvan Kuzucu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of T3. Stating that establishing a nuclear technology infrastructure at Hacettepe University was an honor for the T3 Foundation, Kuzucu emphasized the importance of the nuclear energy vision and said:
“We are deeply honored to share this vision in establishing this technology infrastructure at Hacettepe University, one of our country’s most established universities. For many years, the field of nuclear energy was seen as one dominated by only a few countries. But today, we can clearly state that Turkey is no longer a follower in this field; it is advancing to become a developer.”
Noting that these studies are still in their infancy, Kuzucu continued:
“These are just the beginning, but the technical infrastructure that will be established at our university, the knowledge base, the experience of our academic staff, and the work of our university students who will develop projects here as TEKNOFEST competitors will be a valuable step towards our energy independence. Of course, this is only the beginning.”
“It will provide the opportunity to truly practice engineering.”
Prof. Dr. Şule Ergün, who served as the advisor to the 23-member HÜRKOR team, emphasized the importance of the team's interdisciplinary character. Prof. Dr. Ergün made the following assessment regarding the significance of the award:
"We are conducting high-quality thesis work. We have high-quality publications, but this award has brought a completely different opportunity to actually do engineering. I would like to thank the T3 Foundation and our Rector Mehmet Cahit Güran very much."
Following the speeches, HÜRKOR team leader Research Assistant Ecem Çimen and team members expressed their gratitude to the Hacettepe University administration and the T3 Foundation for their support throughout the process. The ceremony concluded with a commemorative photo.
