TİKA Built the Best Equipped Production Laboratory in Bosnia and Herzegovina

DŽEZERI LAB, the best-equipped production laboratory in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been built by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) within the International University of Sarajevo Research and Development Center.

DŽEZERI LAB, the best-equipped production laboratory in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has been built by TİKA within the International University of Sarajevo Research and Development Center in order to contribute to the social and economic development of the country and allow different stakeholders to work together.

Built as a continuation of the 3D Design and 3D Printing training programs organized by TİKA, the laboratory was named DŽEZERI LAB after Ismail al-Jazari, who lived in the Artuqid State, the first Turkish state in Anatolia, and has been regarded by the world’s leading scientists as the “father of robotics,” in order to promote our national values and keep them alive.

In the laboratory, which was put into service for the academics, students, and external stakeholders of all the universities in the country, the devices brought from Turkey were installed, and specialists provided training on these devices and their operating systems.

The opening ceremony of DŽEZERI LAB was attended by Haldun Koç, the Republic of Turkey’s Ambassador to Sarajevo; Prof. Ahmet Yıldırım, Rector of the International University of Sarajevo; Muhammed Ünal, TİKA’s Sarajevo Coordinator; academics; university students; and vocational and technical high school teachers across the country.

In his speech at the ceremony, Ambassador Koç stated that Bosnia and Herzegovina has a very special place for Turkey and that the development investments made in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the initiatives for the future of the country were extremely important both for the relations between the two countries and for the development of the region. Stressing that countries isolated themselves during the pandemic but also realized the importance of technology, Koç said, “We are putting such a pioneering laboratory into service at the IUS with the support of TİKA in such a context. Its contribution to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the opportunities it will provide, and our ability to make such an investment for economic development during the pandemic made us feel even more excited and honored to open this laboratory.”

Stating that the fabrication laboratory was an investment in the youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ambassador Koç said, “We can only prevent brain drain and keep young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina through such laboratories and technological opportunities.”

“We will carry out both student and research projects”

Rector Yıldırım stated that the laboratory was highly important not only for the university, but also for secondary and higher education in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Noting that TİKA’s officials accepted the project they submitted, Yıldırım said, “Now, we aim to launch certain programs of study in high schools and other universities thanks to this infrastructure. We will organize various courses for them here and help them organize similar courses for students at their own universities and schools.”

Yıldırım stressed that they aimed to ensure that the products and prototypes to be produced here would be used in the industry and contribute to the development of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He said, “In order to achieve this goal, we will conduct various studies, especially in the fields of mechanical and electrical engineering and architecture. We will carry out both student and research projects. I hope all of these efforts will contribute to increasing the level of education, modernizing education, and improving the quality of research in Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

At the end of the speeches, certificates were presented to the university faculty members and high school teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina who participated in the 4-day programming training organized by TİKA.