Near East University experienced great pride by winning two championships in the TEKNOFEST 2025 finals, where it participated with five different projects. This historic success was crowned with an enthusiastic night held at the Cyprus Car Museum. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Near East Institution, Prof. Dr. İrfan Suat Günsel, congratulated all the teams competing in the finals and stated that they proudly announced the name of the university and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
They Became the Pride of TRNC at TEKNOFEST 2025
Near East University became the university that represented the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus with the highest number of projects by participating in TEKNOFEST 2025 with five original projects developed on its campus. This ambitious participation resulted in two important championships and wrote the name of Near East University in gold letters in TEKNOFEST history. This success also gained a special meaning by making Near East University the only Cypriot university to take the podium in the TEKNOFEST finals. The special night organized to celebrate this great success was attended by a large number of university administration, academic staff and students.
Champions Had Fun at Cyprus Car Museum
The event, organized in the unique atmosphere of the Cyprus Car Museum, was held to honor all project teams and their valuable academic advisors who successfully represented the Near East University and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the TEKNOFEST 2025 finals. One of the most applauded teams of the night was “Heavy Metal”, who became champions in the Agriculture Category of the Research Project Competition. This successful team received their awards from the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the President of the TRNC Ersin Tatar. The “Heavy Metal” project developed by Near East University students aims to detect hazardous heavy metals such as lead in fields quickly and on-site using portable sensors. Thanks to this innovative system based on electrochemical principles, soil and water quality can be analyzed instantly, increasing agricultural productivity and ensuring food safety to a significant extent.
Another champion honored at the night was the EcOceanX team, which won the Prestige Award for the Research Project Competition. The groundbreaking project developed by EcOceanX offers an innovative system that effectively collects the increasing amount of marine litter on the coastlines and transforms this waste into recycled energy and valuable reusable materials. The fact that this system not only provides a solution to the waste problem, but also protects sensitive coastal ecosystems and makes significant contributions to biodiversity in the region strengthens the environmental sustainability dimension of the project.
Other Projects Also Became a Source of Pride
The other projects of Near East University, which successfully represented the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the TEKNOFEST 2025 finals, were also highly appreciated. The MG-COP team's project titled "Microbiota and Geochemistry of Copper Mine Tailings in Northern Cyprus" competed in the "Environmental Research" category. This important project aims to analyze the environmental effects of old copper mine tailings in the Lefke region in detail with modern microbiological and geochemical methods and to discover new and effective bacterial species that can be used to purify these harmful wastes naturally. Another remarkable project, "Sterile Vegetable", offers a smart agricultural system specially developed to ensure healthy and safe nutrition for individuals whose immune systems are suppressed for various reasons. This project promises an important solution for sensitive groups by enabling the production of sterile vegetables in a controlled environment.
Prof. Dr. Irfan Suat Günsel: “We are proud of you!”
Congratulating each and every successful student team competing in the final, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Near East Organization, Prof. Dr. İrfan Suat Günsel, emphasized in his meaningful speech at the event that these outstanding achievements are not only a source of pride for the Near East University but also for the entire Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. Prof. Dr. Günsel said, “Competing in the TEKNOFEST finals among 15 teams requires only superior talent and foresight. At the same time, this great success is the most concrete manifestation of an unwavering belief, meticulous discipline, flawless coordination and continuous scientific productivity.”
Prof. Dr. Günsel continued his words as follows: “These results, which enable us to celebrate these meaningful achievements together here today, are the most concrete and proud reflection of the deep-rooted research-oriented education approach of Near East University, our deep passion for science and technology, and most importantly, the boundless creativity of our youth, who are the guarantors of our future.” Addressing the students, Prof. Dr. Günsel said, “This valuable achievement, shaped by the great effort and devotion of each of you, carries a great value that illuminates not only today but also our future. We cannot be proud enough of you!”
Prof. Dr. İrfan Suat Günsel, who said, “I wholeheartedly congratulate all our student teams who took part in such an important platform as TEKNOFEST 2025, our valuable academic advisors who meticulously supported their projects from the very beginning, all our faculty members who successfully managed this difficult and challenging process, and you, our valuable, brilliant students,” concluded his words with a meaningful sentence that received great applause from all participants: “Remember that if there is a Near Easterner somewhere, there is definitely success there!” The champion teams and their advisors celebrated this great success to the fullest and had an unforgettable night.
