ISTANBUL 

The highly anticipated TEKNOFEST TRNC 2025 will open its doors on Wednesday in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), bringing together thousands of tech enthusiasts, innovators, and visitors from around the world.

The four-day event will take place at the old Ercan Airport in Lefkosa, under the auspices of the TRNC Presidency, and will feature a packed schedule of competitions, air shows, exhibitions, and workshops.

Over 47,000 people from 22 countries applied to participate in this year’s competitions, with 268 teams and 1,083 finalists making it through to the final round. Of the finalists, 334 are women and 749 are men.

The competitions will span six main categories and 13 sub-categories, highlighting innovations in aerospace, robotics, software, and other cutting-edge fields.

TRNC Prime Minister Unal Ustel, speaking in the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday, hailed the festival as a major milestone for his country.

"It is a big event for the TRNC to make its voice heard to the world. It is a great event for the TRNC to be recognized and become more known."

Organized by the Turkish Technology Team (T3) Foundation and Türkiye’s Industry and Technology Ministry, TEKNOFEST has been held annually since 2018 with the support of dozens of government bodies, private sector partners, and universities.

Anadolu continues to serve as a global communications partner for the festival.

While the event is traditionally held in various Turkish cities in even-numbered years and in Istanbul in odd-numbered years, the TRNC becomes the second international host after Azerbaijan, which welcomed TEKNOFEST for its 10th edition.

In 2024, the event in the southern Turkish city of Adana attracted approximately 1.1 million visitors.