Applications for the 2026–2027 academic year of the SAYZEK Academic Thesis Program (ATP)—conducted in collaboration between the Presidency of Defense Industries of the Republic of Turkey and the Council of Higher Education for students conducting academic research in the field of artificial intelligence—have begun.
Aiming to enhance expertise in the field of artificial intelligence within the defense industry and to align students’ skills with the sector’s needs, the SAYZEK Academic Thesis Program (SAYZEK-ATP) has opened applications for the 2026–2027 academic year.
Launched in collaboration between the Presidency of the Defense Industries (SSB) and the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), the Academic Thesis Program (ATP) enables students to prepare their projects and theses in line with the needs of the defense industry. Under the program, which builds a strong bridge between academia and industry, participating students carry out their work under the guidance of expert industry mentors assigned by defense industry firms.
Third-year students have also joined the program
Previously implemented for senior undergraduate and thesis-track master’s students, the SAYZEK-ATP updated its structure for the 2026–2027 academic year. With the new structure, designed to introduce students to the defense industry and artificial intelligence ecosystem at an earlier stage, the program is now open to applications from third- and fourth-year undergraduate students as well as master’s students pursuing a degree with a thesis.
Application Requirements
The following requirements must be met to apply to the program:
• Be a Turkish citizen,
• Be a 3rd- or 4th-year undergraduate student or a master’s student pursuing a thesis-based degree,
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00 out of 4.00 (53 out of 100).
Eligible Departments
Computer Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence Engineering, Artificial Intelligence and Data Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Electronics and Communications Engineering, Communications Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Management Information Systems, Computer Systems and Technologies (CTIS), Physics Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Control and Automation Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, Mathematical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Space Engineering, Space and Satellite Engineering, Aeronautical and Space Engineering, Aviation Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Geomatics Engineering, and the Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Statistics departments within the Faculties of Science and Arts are included in the program.
Facilities Available by Grade Level
Third-Year Undergraduate Students
• Summer internship slots may be allocated at defense industry companies.
• Opportunities to participate in a winter camp are available.
• Technical training sessions are provided by industry experts.
• Technical visits to leading defense industry companies are organized.
Internship slots are secured from companies. These slots are allocated to students based on their academic standing within the program, provided they are required to complete an internship and their insurance is covered by the university.
4th-Year Undergraduate and Thesis-Based Master’s Students
• Poster presentations are given to defense industry representatives at the Final Presentation Event.
• Support is provided for academic publications.
• Technical training sessions are conducted by industry experts.
• Opportunities to participate in summer camps are offered.
Students currently completing their mandatory internship may be offered internship opportunities within available quotas. Defense industry companies give priority in hiring to candidates who have gone through the engineering and internship programs.
Program Schedule
Applications: September 18 – October 8, 2026
Announcement of Results: November 2026
1st report submission: December 18, 2026
Second Report Due: February 26, 2027
Winter Camp: March 2027
3rd report submission: May 7, 2027
Final submission and thesis presentation: June 11, 2027
Final Meeting and Poster Day: July 2027
Summer camp: August–September 2027
Application Format
Applications may be submitted individually or in teams of up to 3 people. Inclusion of an academic advisor’s information is mandatory in the application. The advisor must have a profile in the SAYZEK system and be matched with the student through this profile. To do this, the advisor must create a profile as an “Academic” at sayzek.org.tr.
Applications and all program-related processes are conducted online via tr. Instructions on the application steps can be found in the “How Do I Apply Individually?” and “How Do I Apply as a Team?” guides available in the system.
Questions about the program can be sent to iletisim@sayzek.org.tr.
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