The Biotechnology Innovation Competition, organized in cooperation with TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (MAM) and TÜBİTAK Science and Society Directorate (BİTO), was held at ANFAŞ International Fair and Congress Center in Antalya between 5-8 September 2024.
The competition, which aims to encourage innovation and high-tech studies, raise awareness in different areas of Biotechnology and reward innovative ideas to be realized in this field, has the mission of increasing the interest in this field across the country and encouraging participants to gain competence in this fast-rising field.
In the idea-based projects of the competition, teams were expected to conduct original studies in the field of Biotechnology and present them on theory, while in the project-based projects, teams were expected to transform their studies in the field of Biotechnology into a prototype product.
The Biotechnology Innovation Competition, in which high school, undergraduate and graduate students participated, was held in four different categories: High School Category, University and Above Idea Category, University and Above Project Category and Rare Diseases - Genetic Treatment Category (RaDiChal).
A total of 13,749 applications were made to the Biotechnology Innovation Competition, which has been held since 2019, including 1645 in the University and above Project Category, 2276 in the University and above Idea Category, 9586 in the High School Idea Category, and 242 in the Rare Diseases University and above Category. Among the 13,749 applications, 10 teams from the University and Above Project Category, 40 teams from the University and Above Idea Category, 27 teams from the High School Category and 22 teams from the Rare Diseases-Genetic Treatment Category, a total of 99 teams qualified to come to the final stage in Antalya as finalists.
On Sunday, an award ceremony was held with the participation of TEKNOFEST Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar. At the ceremony, VEGF Detectors received the Biotechnology Innovation Competition High School Category Commercialization Potential Award and PCRd team received the Best Presentation Award. The Biotechnology Innovation Competition IdeaBioTek team received the Biotechnology Innovation Competition Ideas Category University and Above Commercialization Potential Award, and the CRISPR-TR team received the Best Presentation Award. ProtCloning received the Biotechnology Innovation Competition Project Category Commercialization Potential Award, while the BioBubble team received the Best Presentation Award. In the Biotechnology Innovation Competition Rare Diseases Genetic Treatment Category, the Phylogenetica team won the Best Presentation Award.
The first, second and third prizes will be awarded at the TEKNOFEST Aviation, Space and Technology Festival to be held at Adana Şakirpaşa Airport between Wednesday, October 2, 2024 and Sunday, October 6, 2024.
The awards given to the winners of the Biotechnology Innovation Competition are as follows:
- First team in the High School Category 50.000TL second team 40.000TL third team 30.000TL
- First team 100.000TL second team 80.000TL third team 60.000TL in the University and Above Idea Category
- In the University and Above Project Category, the first team will receive 150,000TL and the second team will receive 120,000TL and the third team will receive 100,000TL.
- Rare Diseases - Genetic Treatment Category, first team 150.000TL second team 120.000TL third team 100.000TL
In addition, the advisors of the first place teams were awarded 9000TL and the advisors of the second place teams were awarded 7500TL and the advisors of the third place teams were awarded 6000TL.
