Google Turkey and the Entrepreneurship Foundation, with the support of BTK, under the sponsorship of Turkish Airlines, General Mobile, and ITU ARI Teknokent, organized the Android Academy for the second time for university students.
Dr. Ömer Fatih Sayan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, who participated in the program online, reminded that data is the most valuable treasure of our time. Speaking about technology's contribution to this situation, Sayan stated that the most fundamental difference separating data and internet technologies from other discoveries is that it enables young people to stand out so prominently.
Sayan said, “For example, on the Android platform, if a game or application written is successful, it can quickly spread and be downloaded millions of times from dozens of countries, and its developers can receive the reward for their efforts. This situation provides great motivation for our young people interested in the software world. Having a good idea and putting it into practice is enough to reach billions of users. Of course, the main competition lies somewhat in the entrepreneurial spirit. A good entrepreneur is not someone who follows an existing path, but someone who charts a new path, shortens the road, or makes it more scenic and comfortable.”
Deputy Minister Sayan: New Technologies Are Important for the Development of Entrepreneurial Spirit
Expressing that they will always be the greatest supporters of young people, Sayan said, “One of the important opportunities for ideas to come to life and for the entrepreneurial spirit to develop is undoubtedly next-generation technologies. Especially 5G and beyond technologies carry great potential in terms of the opportunities they offer. A network where billions of devices can connect certainly contains important opportunities for entrepreneurs. Thanks to technology, the transformation of developed products from local to global no longer takes very long. In this sense, local startups need to plan their business plans not only for our country but also to become global players.”
Stating that we can never be sure of the security of technology if we do not produce it ourselves, Sayan said, “With the national technology initiative launched by our President, especially in recent years, the climate formed to produce domestic and national technology brings many opportunities for entrepreneurship. In addition to academy-industry collaboration, the incentive and support mechanisms developed by state institutions offer important opportunities for the design and production of domestic and national products by our youth in many areas from defense industry to health sector. The way to be in a visible place in the picture of the modern world is to develop the talents of our young people and children in science and technology, and to increase their capacities. I believe that organizations like Android Academy will contribute to this goal and carry the competition to a further point.”
Deputy Minister Sayan: There Is an Unsaturated Software Market in Our Country
Drawing attention to the existence of an unsaturated software market in our country, Sayan said, “I think Turkey's geographical location carrying features that can increase software exports, this sector being among the strategic sectors, and our young population are important opportunities for us. I believe that we will be a much more successful country in software. In 2023, the 100th anniversary of the founding of our Republic, it is important for every segment of society to take on important tasks for Turkey to be among the world's top 10 countries in every field. We need technology-intensive sectors to achieve the determined targets.”
Also touching upon the importance of safe internet use, Sayan shared, “Since 2011, the Safe Internet Service we have offered for internet users in society, including children and young people, to use internet technologies consciously and effectively is used by approximately 7.5 million people today, providing protection from harmful content on the internet. The Safe Internet Center conducts activities aimed at informing, raising awareness of children, parents, and teachers against digital problems, and creating healthy digital habits in society. The Safe Internet Center organizes various trainings, seminars, and events in schools, official institutions and organizations, and universities across the country. With 727 events in the last 3 years, it reached 115,815 people, and in 2020, despite the Coronavirus outbreak, it reached 12,027 people with 80 events. The main purpose of all these studies is to benefit at the highest level consciously from the opportunities provided by technology.”
President Karagözoğlu: The Software Sector Offers Important Advantages for Turkey
Information Technologies and Communication Authority President Ömer Abdullah Karagözoğlu also spoke about the effects of the rapid development of technology. Stating that demands for new applications and services are increasing, Karagözoğlu said, “We see that seven of the world's top ten companies are technology companies and five of these are almost entirely software-focused. While the situation in the world is like this, the software sector, one of the leading sectors of the new economic order focused on technology and information, offers important advantages especially for countries like Turkey with young population and development potential,” thus drawing attention to the importance of informatics.
Reminding that a prerequisite for a strong entrepreneurship ecosystem in our country is to create areas where our youth can bring their ideas to life, Karagözoğlu said, “We can turn this advantageous position we have as a country in terms of young population into concrete developments with the support of the business world. Long-term and sustainable projects that help young people express their valuable ideas, analyze conditions correctly, and develop a business model will be the driving force for accelerating the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Turkey.”
Karagözoğlu said, “Every year, 15,000 graduates from more than 150 universities join an army of approximately 160,000 employees working in the informatics sector. This means that qualified informatics specialists who are experts in their fields are increasing every year. With so many experts, creating new business models and opening new horizons in areas where we foresee technology will develop now seems to depend only on courage and entrepreneurship,” thus drawing attention to the importance of entrepreneurship.
Stating that as an institution, they value discovering talents with high entrepreneurial spirit who can think innovatively in our country and benefiting from this qualified force, and that they are working for this, Karagözoğlu also recommended that young people participate in BTK Academy trainings.