A cooperation protocol was signed between Mevlana Development Agency, which continues its work in the TR-52 Konya-Karaman Region under the coordination of the Ministry of Industry and Technology General Directorate of Development Agencies, and Konya Technical Üniversitesi to meet our country's need for cybersecurity experts, increase the awareness of university students, and identify potential talents to direct and support them in the field of digital and cybersecurity technologies.

Evaluating the signed protocol, Mevlana Development Agency Secretary General Dr. İhsan Bostancı said, “The use of information and communication systems has rapidly become widespread in the world, and these systems have begun to play an important role in almost every aspect of our lives. The increasing digitalization of technology also increases the importance of security. According to recent workforce studies, there is a need for a significant number of human resources in the field of cybersecurity. At this very point, it is aimed to train qualified human resources in the field of cybersecurity and increase youth employment through Development Agencies nationwide with the program carried out in 20 provinces covering 16 Development Agency regions of Turkey, in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Technology, the Presidency of Defense Industries, and the Digital Transformation Office, under the coordination of the General Directorate of Development Agencies. We are extremely pleased that our Agency is included in this program, which is carried out on a national scale and will make great contributions to the training of future cybersecurity experts. As an Agency, since our establishment, we have carried out and continue to carry out programs and projects consisting of various modules to develop technology-focused entrepreneurship in areas such as cybersecurity, software and artificial intelligence, robotic coding and design, and Arduino trainings, in order to increase the awareness of our youth in our region about digital technologies. The protocol we signed with our Konya Technical Üniversitesi also covers training activities on cybersecurity and the infrastructures to be provided for undergraduate, associate, and graduate students studying in different departments of the university within the 2024-2025 academic year. With the Cyber Homeland Program to be organized, an entrepreneurship ecosystem will be created and developed by organizing technical trips, master-apprentice meetings, conferences and seminars, one-on-one studies with mentor firms, and Capture the Flag (CTF) competitions, in addition to the trainings. We thank everyone who contributed, especially Konya Technical Üniversitesi Rector Prof. Dr. Osman Nuri Çelik, for their valuable support to this program, which we believe will make very valuable contributions to the cybersecurity of both our country and our region, and we invite our youth to experience together the unique happiness and pride of developing new products/services that will accelerate and strengthen the development of digital sectors in our cyber homeland.”

Konya Technical Üniversitesi Rector Prof. Dr. Osman Nuri Çelik also said regarding the protocol, “I am very happy to announce that we, as Mevlana Development Agency and Konya Technical Üniversitesi, have signed an important cooperation protocol in the field of cybersecurity. This step, which reinforces our determination to meet our country's need for cybersecurity experts, increase our students' awareness in this field, and identify potential talents, will also make a significant contribution to increasing our country's competitiveness in the field of digital and cybersecurity technologies. We aim to provide the necessary infrastructure for our youth, who are the guarantee of our future, to be trained as competent individuals in the field of cybersecurity. This protocol will include various programs, seminars, and applied trainings that will develop our students' knowledge and skills. I hope that our cooperation will be a beginning to close the talent gap in the field of cybersecurity in our country. I thank everyone who contributed to this important step and I want to emphasize that we will proceed with determination on the path to building a safer digital future together.”