Launched by Samsung Electronics Türkiye in collaboration with UNDP Türkiye, the Innovation Campus program has reached thousands of students over the past five years, equipping young people with digital skills for the future. To date, over 24 thousand young individuals from 81 provinces and 200 universities have applied to the program, which stands out with a female participation rate exceeding 50% and an employment rate of 90% among its graduates. With Samsung sharing its expertise in innovation and responsible artificial intelligence and UNDP Türkiye strengthening the program with its focus on the Sustainable Development Goals, the goal is to increase the number of students participating in the program by 30% annually until 2030.

Launched by Samsung Electronics Türkiye in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Türkiye in 2019, the Innovation Campus program provides training in AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), and coding, helping young people gain the digital skills needed for the future. As Samsung Türkiye and UNDP Türkiye reflect on the program's five-year journey of success, they have announced plans to expand its reach to even more young individuals, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industry and Technology, by bringing the initiative to university students across the country.

Jeff Jo: "Samsung is committed to bringing its AI and innovation strength to Türkiye"

Jeff Jo, CEO of Samsung Electronics Türkiye, emphasized Samsung’s long-standing investments in technology and its mission to prepare young people for the future with the necessary knowledge and skills.

"At Samsung, we are at the forefront of the AI revolution, and we wholeheartedly believe in AI’s potential to create new experiences, opportunities, and innovations for everyone. We see young people as the driving force behind this revolution, and we are committed to sharing our technological expertise and capabilities with them to build a sustainable future. Samsung is determined to bring its responsible AI and innovation power to Türkiye to contribute to sustainable development. Türkiye, with its young, dynamic, and tech-savvy population, holds immense potential and is a strategically important country for us," he said.

Monica Merino: “We ensure no one is left behind” 

Emphasizing the transformative impact of the Innovation Campus program, UNDP Türkiye Resident Representative Monica Merino indicated the critical role this initiative plays in equipping young people with digital skills:

"UNDP and Samsung joined forces to provide young people with digital skills essential for their employability and future jobs. This initiative is not just about technology – it is about empowering the youth to be part of a rapidly changing global economy. Together with Samsung, we are bridging education, technology, and real-life application, ensuring no one is left behind.”

The growing demand for digital skills in the global business world

Murat Azdemir, Vice President of Samsung Electronics Türkiye, highlighted the company’s multifaceted presence in Türkiye since 2009, operating as a consumer electronics brand, a manufacturer, and a responsible corporate citizen. "As a leading consumer electronics company, Samsung maintains a strong market presence across all product categories in Türkiye. We hold another identity in every country where we operate: being a good corporate citizen.  In Türkiye, we create value by making significant investments in social and environmental issues in order to build a better world. The Innovation Campus training program, launched in 2019 in collaboration with UNDP Türkiye, is a reflection of this vision. Through Innovation Campus, we aim to support Türkiye’s sustainable growth, bridge the digital skills gap, and train young talents who will develop innovative projects aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We take great pride in this collective effort that allows us to contribute to a better future for all.”

Underlining the transformative impact of advanced technologies and the growing need for digital skills, Azdemir said, "According to the World Economic Forum's Future Jobs 2025 Report, 60 percent of employers around the world see digital business transformation as the biggest trend in the next 5 years. In Türkiye, this figure stands even higher at 62%, surpassing the global average. While 39% of those worldwide anticipate a need for new skills, this rate rises to 44% in Türkiye. The Innovation Campus program was designed precisely to address this rapidly growing digital skills gap.”

Aiming for a 30% annual increase in graduates

Azdemir also pointed out that 86% of global businesses and 78% of Turkish businesses consider AI and information technologies to be the most transformative trends in today’s business world. He added: "In the light of these figures, we anticipate that the demand for technology-related skills will increase rapidly over the next 5 years. And as a responsible corporate citizen, we recognize our role in addressing this challenge. Through the Innovation Campus program, which continues in 33 countries worldwide, we are equipping young people in Türkiye with digital skills to prepare them for the future. In line with our commitment to equal opportunities in education, we aim to increase the number of graduates by at least 30% annually over the next five years. We also integrate Samsung’s latest technologies into the program rapidly and prioritize the development of soft skills just as much as digital skills. With women making up 51% of our participants, we are dedicated to promoting gender equality and encouraging even more women to join the program.”

“For sustainable development, it is important to utilize the benefit-creating potential of technology”

Hansın Doğan from UNDP Türkiye emphasized that when AI is designed and implemented responsibly and fairly, it can serve as a powerful driver of sustainable development and an accelerator for the SDGs. Doğan stated: "The Innovation Campus program, which we launched with Samsung with shared goals, stands out as a training program that covers all of the SDGs, as students create projects on almost every subject that will generate solutions to the global problems at the root of the SDGs and the challenges faced by societies, and provide benefits. As AI continues to transform industries worldwide, it is crucial that its development aligns with social values, particularly those associated with gender equality. To overcome these barriers, we offer courses on 'Gender Equality in AI' and 'Ethics in AI', alongside our Women in AI class, which graduated its first cohort last year. Also, SDG AI Lab, which provides research and consultancy support through the latest digital solutions in leveraging the potential of AI and machine learning for sustainable development, contributes to the program and helps our youth develop projects in line with these goals by providing 'Data Science for Sustainable Development Goals' trainings in addition to Samsung's global education curriculum."

Designed as a comprehensive and intensive learning program

Innovation Campus targets job-seeking young adults aged 18-29. Over the past 5 years, the program has attracted more than 24 thousand applicants from 81 provinces and 200 universities. So far, 434 students have graduated, with 90% entering the workforce while the remainder pursued further education. Structured similarly to a master’s program, the curriculum covers 350 hours of AI training, 240 hours on the IoT, and 87 hours of coding and programming, providing in-depth knowledge on advanced technologies. Within the scope of the program, which aims to provide students with social skills as well as digital training, trainings are also provided for the job preparation process. Students have developed over 50 graduation projects, all aligned with the SDGs, with six SDGs directly integrated into the curriculum.

Artificial intelligence class specifically for women

Also contributing to Türkiye’s national AI strategies, the program, with the support of UNDP Türkiye, includes specialized training on gender equality and prejudices in AI to promote awareness and inclusion. With the women's artificial intelligence class launched last year in the program, which reached 51 percent of total female participants, young women are trained in areas such as machine learning, natural language processing and language models, as well as exploratory data analysis and presentation skills from the perspective of SDGs. Additionally, as part of its commitment to expanding AI education, Innovation Campus has partnered with the Ministry of Industry and Technology’s National Technology Academy through its Sector on Campus Program, bringing AI courses to more universities. With this collaboration, the program opened its doors to new students at Yıldız Technical University on 17 February.