The core curriculum, daily project deployments, and tool-based workshops — covering essential technologies like Python, Docker, LLMs, and RAG pipelines — run remotely.
Academy
Istanbul Bayt Academy
The AI engineering roadmap & incubation program — from complete beginners to senior engineers, with real projects.
IBA is not a standard course, a short training session, or an ordinary webinar. It is a complete, end-to-end roadmap designed for success in the AI sector. From day one until graduation, real industry experts mentor you; our destination is for every student to become a fully capable AI engineer who can take an idea from raw data to a deployed, trustworthy AI product. Applications are open for the Fall 2026 cohort.
What it is
Istanbul Bayt Academy (IBA) is an end-to-end AI engineering roadmap and project-incubation program that teaches AI engineering skills, and it is part of Bayt Technology’s work in academic technologies.
AI engineering is the practice of building real systems with modern AI — going beyond using a model to designing, integrating, evaluating, and shipping AI-powered software responsibly.
Every participant builds real projects throughout the curriculum. We are also working toward an internship-certificate pathway with technical companies.
Format
We anchor the digital education in a local community with periodic in-person checkpoints in Istanbul: networking events, hackathons, and pitch days.
Learning tracks
Because every student starts from a different level of experience, IBA offers six customized learning tracks — all converging on the same goal: production-level AI skills.
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01
10–12 months
The Absolute Beginner · college / no coding
Covers the entire spectrum from foundational Python and Math to advanced MLOps.
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02
9–12 months
The Career Switcher · non-CS professional
Leverages your existing domain expertise while teaching Data Engineering, LLMs, Agents, and deployment.
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03
7–9 months
The CS Student · some coding experience
Skips introductory programming to focus on Machine Learning, Deep Learning, and advanced AI applications.
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04
6–8 months
The Junior Developer · 0–2 years’ experience
Builds on your coding skills by adding data structuring, AI models, and orchestration to your toolkit.
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05
4–6 months
The Software Engineer · mid-level, builds systems
Focused on making existing systems intelligent through LLMs, RAG, Agents, and MLOps.
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06
3–5 months
The Senior Engineer · architect / team lead
A rapid, high-level track prioritizing autonomous system orchestration and advanced AI architecture.
Project incubation, showcase & support
Learning at IBA is entirely hands-on. Students build real projects, and rather than leaving them in a private portfolio, we plan to treat them as real startup incubations.
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Public showcase & voting
we plan to publish student projects across IBA’s channels and website, and invite the community to review and vote on them.
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Expert scalability analysis
we aim to work with industry experts to assess the standout projects for real-world scalability and market fit.
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Awards & roadmaps
we plan to recognise the projects our panel judges successful with awards, and to build a roadmap that connects winning teams with the funding and partners they need to scale.
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Community support
we plan to build an ecosystem where the tech community can sponsor and support student projects with small contributions.
Mentors & experts
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Lead AI Architects actively deploying autonomous agents and RAG pipelines in production environments.
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Senior Full-Stack Engineers with enterprise-level MLOps and cloud deployment expertise.
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Data Engineering Specialists who build scalable, real-world data pipelines and LLM infrastructure.
Frequently asked questions
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Who can join the Academy?
Everyone from complete beginners to senior software engineers. You’re placed on one of six learning tracks based on your starting level.
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When does it start?
Applications are open for the Fall 2026 cohort. Send your application and we’ll share the details of the process with you.
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Is it online or in person?
Hybrid: the core curriculum runs remotely, with periodic in-person checkpoints, hackathons, and pitch days in Istanbul.
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What happens to my projects?
Learning is hands-on: you build real projects. We plan to give them visibility through a public showcase, community voting, and expert review — with awards and growth roadmaps for the standout projects.
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How do I apply?
Through a short application or intro call. Get in touch and we’ll take it from there.
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How much does it cost?
We share pricing during the application process — we’d rather talk through the value first: real projects and a hands-on roadmap.
Applications open for the Fall 2026 cohort
Whatever your starting level, there’s a track for you. Get in touch to apply or ask for details.