Mobility ideathon in Izmir encourages university students to develop sustainable projects

An ideathon event on electric, fuel cell and autonomous vehicles, renewable or alternative energy sources, electric charging stations and hydrogen filling stations organized under BEST For Energy project in Izmir on Saturday calls for university students to develop sustainable projects.

The event is hosted by Dokuz Eylul University (DEU) Technology Transfer Office (DETTO) and DEU Energy Application and Research Center, and organized as part of the BEST For Energy Project being conducted in partnership with the Izmir Development Agency (IZKA) and the Energy Industrialists and Business People Association (ENSIA).

Under the scope of the event, the students will work in teams to produce innovative ideas and applicable solutions for 24 hours, while industry companies and academicians will contribute to the teams with mentorship support.

Speaking at the opening of the two-day event, ENSİA Chairman of the Board Alper Kalayci said that despite the COVID-19 pandemic, greenhouse gas emissions increased by 3.1% last year in Türkiye compared to the previous year.

Reiterating that new figures for greenhouse gas emissions will be announced in March 2023, Kalayci said, “Very likely, we will see a double-digit increase compared to the previous year. In other words, we will see an increase of 10% or more.’

Kalayci emphasized that a significant success has been achieved in renewable energy in the last 25 years in Türkiye, but transportation is also important because it has a large share in emissions.

‘As technology transfer offices, our only aim is to transfer the academic knowledge that originates from the universities to the respective sectors. 30% of Türkiye’s emissions come from the mobility sector, as is the case all over the world. The only way to reduce this figure is the creative ideas that will come up from efforts like this,’ DETTO Coordinator Istemi Berk explained.

DEU Energy Application and Research Center Deputy Director Azize Ayol also said that population growth, technological developments and industrialization cause major environmental problems and difficulties in living conditions of the people.

‘Therefore, we need to start producing permanent and sustainable solutions. In this sense, ideathons are one of the most important and productive platforms,’ she said.

• Technology Transfer Office