"Young Brains, New Ideas" Competition Held in TRNC for the First Time with High Participation
The "Young Brains, New Ideas" (GBYF KIBRIS) project competition, organized in collaboration between the Information Technologies and Communication Authority (BTHK) and the Turkish Informatics Association, was held on Friday, May 8, hosted by the European University of Lefke (EUL). The competition brought together university students studying in the field of information technology across the country, with project exhibitions and project evaluation sessions taking place throughout the day. Students from 10 universities participated in the competition.
The competition, which aims to develop students' innovative thinking skills, bring new ideas to light, and connect qualified human resources with the industry, concluded with the final voting and award ceremony held after the finalist project presentations. It was announced that the "Young Brains, New Ideas" competition, which has been held in Turkey for 15 years, was organized in TRNC for the first time this year and that the event will continue in the coming years.
The event was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Nicosia Ali Murat Başçeri, Minister of Public Works and Transportation Erhan Arıklı, Chairman of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority Kadri Bürüncük, President of the Turkish Informatics Association (TBD) Kenan Nurhan Altınsaat, senior officials, sponsors, academics, and students.
BÜRÜNCÜK: "SUCH EVENTS SHOULD CONTINUE AND GROW FURTHER"
Chairman of the Information Technologies and Communication Authority Kadri Bürüncük thanked those who contributed to the event and the young people who prepared projects. Bürüncük shared his excitement about evaluating numerous projects throughout the day and congratulated all project owners for their efforts.
Bürüncük, expressing his hope that the event will continue with broader participation in the coming years, said, "Everyone's contribution is needed to ensure such events continue." Bürüncük stated that they will continue to contribute to the process as the BTHK.
ARIKLI: "THE PROJECTS OF THE YOUTH DESERVE PRAISE"
Minister of Public Works and Transportation Erhan Arıklı spoke highly of the projects featured in the "Young Brains, New Ideas" competition and congratulated the participating students. Arıklı expressed his belief that the organization will be held with even more participants next year, stating that the gap with other countries will be closed thanks to the determination and efforts of the youth. Arıklı thanked all those who contributed, the sponsors, the organizers, the European University of Lefke, and the Information Technologies and Communication Authority, and wished the young people success.
BAŞÇERİ: "GBYF CYPRUS IS BEYOND A STANDARD STUDENT COMPETITION"
The Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey in Nicosia, Ali Murat Başçeri, in his speech at the event, thanked the universities that contributed to the competition and the Turkish Informatics Association for bringing the "Young Brains, New Ideas" competition to life.
Başçeri stated that the association has brought to TRNC the experience and knowledge accumulated through the "Young Brains, New Ideas" concept, which has driven a significant transformation in Turkey's technology ecosystem.
Başçeri, expressing his belief that the competition will produce ideas that can be utilized in industry and the sector, said that GBYF Cyprus is beyond a standard student competition.
WINNERS WERE DETERMINED BY LIVE VOTING
Following the protocol speeches, presentations of the projects that advanced to the finals through evaluations conducted throughout the day were held. The finalist projects were voted on in real time by the jury and protocol members. The results were announced as follows:
"SOFTWARE, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DIGITAL PLATFORMS" CATEGORY:
1. EUL – AI-Powered Skin Analysis System
2. EMU – Web Application for Education: Question & Answer Sharing System
3. METU NCC – Secure Online Voting System (SOVS)
"ENGINEERING, HARDWARE AND SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGIES" CATEGORY:
1. CIU – Structural Acoustic Objects and Critical Monitoring System (Y.A.N.K.I. – Yield Analysis & Networked Kinetic Intelligence).
2. NEU – Alzheimer's Early Diagnosis Sensor (Innovative Point-of-Care Biosensors Targeting SMAD3 for Early Detection of Alzheimer's Disease).
3. EMU – NYSME (Now You See Me): Assistive Navigation System with AI-Based Perception and Multimodal Feedback with Sensor Fusion for Real-Time Environmental Awareness
The competition was concluded with the presentation of prize cheques worth 10, 20, and 40 thousand TL to the winning teams respectively, and the presentation of plaques to the contributors.
