TÜBA established the ‘TÜBA-TEKNOFEST Doctoral Science Award’ in 2021 to reward doctoral theses produced in Turkey in fields prioritised by TEKNOFEST, the world's largest space, aviation and technology event, of which TÜBA has been a partner since 2019. These traditional awards are presented to thesis authors who have won first, second, and third place in scientific peer reviews conducted in four categories: Natural and Engineering Sciences, Health and Life Sciences, Social and Humanities Sciences, and Basic Sciences. Pursuant to the decision of the Academy Council, it is planned to award the ‘Fuat Sezgin History of Science Doctoral Award’ within the scope of the TÜBA-TEKNOFEST Doctoral Science Awards.
The TÜBA-TEKNOFEST Doctoral Science Award is presented to theses in the fields of Technology and Design, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Autonomous Systems, Robotics and Mechatronic Systems, Modelling and Simulation Technologies, Energy, Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technologies, Technologies for Air, Space and Unmanned Underwater Systems, Information and Communication Technologies, Cyber Security and Cryptology, Education, Health, Agriculture and Ecology Technologies, and Biotechnology.
Applications for the TÜBA-TEKNOFEST Doctoral Science Award can be submitted individually or institutionally in the form of nominations by TÜBA Members, the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Foundation (TÜSEB), and University Rectorates. Applications for the award must be submitted digitally to www.bilimodulleri.tuba.gov.tr by 20 March 2026 and must be doctoral theses produced in Turkey on the original thematic topics defined above, with defences completed within the last two years (2024, 2025). The selection of the application field is the responsibility of the applicant; TÜBA is not responsible for any field incompatibility issues. Applicants who have applied for the award in previous years may reapply provided that they indicate and document any additional new publications, patents, products, or other performance improvements related to their theses in their scientific files, which are important within the evaluation criteria during the referee evaluation process, and provided that they have completed their theses in the years announced in the application requirements.
Within the scope of the Award Programme, doctoral theses on topics considered priority areas by TEKNOFEST will be evaluated scientifically, and the Academy Council will award the first-place thesis author 200,000 Turkish Lira, the second-place author 150,000 Turkish Lira, and the third-place author 100,000 Turkish Lira for 2026.
Applicants must submit an application form, a CV in YÖK format, a full copy of the thesis, the YÖK/YÖKTEZ thesis number, the thesis objective and methodology, scientific ethics approval (if required for the thesis work), a list of publications and/or patents or commercial products derived from the thesis, documentation if available, national and international scientific studies, and information about the institute where the thesis was conducted (documentation proving that the thesis was conducted and carried out at institutions in Turkey). Files that do not contain this information will not be considered for evaluation.
Application deadline: 20 March 2026
