A Turkish foundation dedicated to transforming young people into technology producers has won one of Europe’s most prestigious science communication awards, marking a milestone in the country’s growing influence in global science and innovation circles.
The Turkish Technology Team Foundation — known as T3 — received the Bright Spark Award at the 2026 ECSITE Conference held in Gothenburg, Sweden, presented by ECSITE, Europe’s largest science communication network bringing together more than 400 science centres, museums and research institutions across 50 countries.
The award was presented during the Mariano Gago Awards ceremony, attended by approximately 900 science communication professionals, museum directors, educators and industry representatives from around the world.
The recognition puts a spotlight on the T3 Foundation’s distinctive model, one that prioritises participation and production over passive learning.
Through flagship initiatives including TEKNOFEST, the world’s largest aerospace and technology festival, DENEYAP Makers Labs, and a range of entrepreneurship and human resource development programmes, the foundation has engaged millions of young people in hands-on technology production across Türkiye.
T3’s ecosystem
