Puskás Day, organised in the Hungarian pavilion of the World Expo with the participation of Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, was an opportunity, alongside Széchenyi István University, Győr, for the University of Physical Education and the University of Debrecen to present their innovative activities in the field of sport.

"Drawing on the high quality of technical education and research at the University of Győr, I spoke about the links between sport and technical innovation and how these can be used in higher education. The most obvious example is the Formula Student racing series, very popular worldwide, in which teams compete with cars they have built themselves. Students can put what they have learned into practice and hone their engineering skills in a real-life situation." said Tamás Kolossváry, Head of the Széchenyi István University’s Innovation and Training Centre in Zalaegerszeg, who was himself a student participant in Formula Student and one of the founding members of the Arrabona Racing Team.

Presentation of Széchenyi István University at the World Expo in Dubai (Photos: Studio House DXB)

He stressed that Széchenyi University not only participates in the educational competition with a student team, but also organises major events related to it. One of these is the Formula Student Symposium, which has already featured presentations by world-renowned experts such as Luca Marmorini, former head of engine development for Ferrari's Formula 1 team, and Ulrich Baretzky, head of engine technology at Audi Sports. "Our university's sports association is also at home in the increasingly popular field of e-sports, and the SZESE e-sports department is also involved in the Formula Student online competition," added Mr Kolossváry, who also drew attention to another student racing team, the SZEnergy Team, which develops and builds electric vehicles and every year achieves significant results in the Shell Eco-marathon energy efficiency competition.

In his presentation, the Head of the Centre also highlighted other activities of Széchenyi University to support dedicated students. He mentioned the dual training programme run in cooperation with a number of corporate partners, the specialised training in competitive engineering, and the institution's incubation programme to support start-ups for young people.

Tamás Kolossváry, Head of the Széchenyi István University’s Innovation and Training Centre in Zalaegerszeg

"We have been to the future", summarised Dr Tibor Dőry, Head of Széchenyi István University’s Management Campus Competence Centre.

"One of the central drivers of Széchenyi University's research is the service of sustainability, so what we saw in Dubai was extremely inspiring, as sustainable development is also a key focus at the World Expo." emphasised the expert, who believes that the presentation about Győr was a great success and had a number of positive effects. He stressed that several networking meetings had been held, thanks to which new partnerships were being outlined.

"One of these collaborations is planned to give students from Széchenyi the opportunity to present their projects at the Design Week event in Dubai Design District in October, but we are also discussing exchange programmes and even internship opportunities. In addition, discussions have started with Minister Ottó Vincze on the possibilities for cooperation between companies implementing domestic sports innovations and our University," said Dr Dőry.

Zoltán Szujó, well-known sports reporter and advisor to the Minister of Innovation and Technology for automotive and motor sports, with Dr Tibor Dőry, Head of Széchenyi István University’s Management Campus at the Hungarian Pavilion of Expo 2020.

Tamás Kolossváry added that they met representatives of SEYU at the Hungarian pavilion of the World Expo, with whom a joint project is also in the process of being developed. SEYU is one of the world's best-known Hungarian sports technology start-ups, which, during the pandemic, created the possibility of virtual participation and fan support at sporting events. "Teqball is another Hungarian invention that has conquered the world. We have also contacted them for future partnerships," said the expert, who stressed that although the meetings were based on sport, the resulting collaborations cover a wide range of fields, from engineering through sports science to the programmes of the Department of Design in the Faculty of Performing and Visual Arts at Széchenyi István University.