The Győr Biscuits and Wafers Factory was a key player in the city for over a century, but its former site in the Sziget district has been unused for more than a decade. Széchenyi István University is building its Science and Innovation Park in Győr on this site, just 500 metres from the central campus, on the other side of the Moson-Danube. In the first phase, the renovation and conversion of the "cube building", a landmark of Győr's industrial history, will take place this year.

Closer links to the economy

Speaking at Monday's ceremony of laying the foundation stone and handing over the site, Dr László Palkovics, Minister of Innovation and Technology, said the government is providing significantly more support for Hungarian universities than previously and, thanks to the model change, has handed over more than HUF 3,000 billion in real estate assets. In addition, a HUF 2700 billion development programme for higher education institutions will be implemented in the coming years, including the creation of Science and Innovation parks.  The minister stressed that these parks will help universities to strengthen their links with the economy, in addition to their teaching and research activities. Dr Palkovics pointed out that Széchenyi István University, which now has four sites - in Győr, Mosonmagyaróvár, Zalaegerszeg and Budapest - will create two such parks simultaneously, in Győr and in ZalaZONE.

Dr László Palkovics, Minister for Innovation and Technology (photo: Csaba József Májer)

A key to the University's future

Dr Erzsébet Knáb, Chair of the Széchenyi István University Foundation’s Board of Trustees, said in her speech that in this case it is especially true that the University is building the future based on the past, simultaneously serving its staff and students, its partners, Győr and our homeland. "Széchenyi István University is also a significant shaper of the development of the city and the region. With its international quality education and research activities, it contributes to strengthening the competitiveness of the economy. The establishment of the Science and Innovation Parks in Győr and Zalaegerszeg is another milestone on this path, for which support our thanks goes to the Government. As an innovative and creative platform, they will put our business relations on a new footing, further strengthening the openness of our institution," she said.

She stressed that Győr’s Science and Innovation Park aims to stimulate the development of the region by building on the institution's main research areas, which range from engineering, IT and creative industries to food science at the Mosonmagyaróvár Faculty 

"With the scientific potential of our university, we strive to contribute to and support the successful participation of the business sector in the international competitive world. The resulting collaborations help to create an innovation ecosystem, to create and strengthen more start-ups and spinoff companies, and to generate ever newer innovations. Building on the traditions of the past, we are creating a new location for the knowledge economy, brought to life by advanced technologies and innovative approaches," added Dr Knáb, noting that the development will enable them to contribute, together with partners, to Hungary's future development.

Dr Erzsébet Knáb, Chair of Széchenyi István University Foundation’s Board of Trustees (photo: Csaba József Májer)

Róbert Balázs Simon, Member of Parliament for Győr, said that Széchenyi István University is one of the most dynamically developing higher education institutions in the country, which supports businesses operating in Győr and the region with its knowledge capital. He added that this activity will be supported in the future by the first phase of the Science and Innovation Park, the six-storey "cube" with a floor area of more than 4,000 square metres.

Róbert Balázs Simon, Member of Parliament (photo by Csaba József Májer)

A creative, inspiring environment

At the ceremony, the University's focus areas which will be housed in the new building were presented. These include the Design Campus, which includes the Department of Design, Faculty of Performing and Visual Arts and the Design Campus Competence Centre, where Gábor U. Nagy, Head of Department and Vice Dean for Science and Research at the Faculty of Performing and Visual Arts, explained that Design is a bridge between Art, the Arts, human thinking and technology. The Design Campus brings about a creative and inspiring environment that supports start-up and spin-off companies.

The park will also be a place for the innovation ecosystem to flourish. In this context, Dr Szabolcs Rámháp, Startup Incubation Manager of the Management Campus Competence Centre at Széchenyi István University, said that in recent years, the institution has made a great effort to build an innovation ecosystem, to which the model change has given new impetus.

As an indication of the strengthening of innovation, there are already some 20 student start-ups in operation, having received a total of HUF 380 million in venture capital investment, and 13 spinoff initiatives have been launched to exploit the research results of lecturer-researchers.

The "Cube Building" will house the Centre of Excellence for Industry 4.0 Research and Innovation, jointly established by the Computer Technology and Automation Research Institute and Széchenyi István University, which will also work closely with the University's Research Centre of the Automotive Industry. According to Head of Centre, István Drotár, it will also be the new home of the institution's Digital Development Centre, the activities of which aim to support the industrial exploitation of the University’s technological knowledge in the fields of 5G, drone-driven technologies, vehicle communication, precision agriculture, ICT-enabled healthcare and digitalisation.

Robert Buttenhauser, Member of the Board of Audi Hungaria Zrt., responsible for Powertrain Manufacturing, Dr Patrick Heinecke, Member of the Board of Audi Hungaria Zrt. responsible for Finance, IT, Procurement and Compliance, Szabolcs Szeles, Deputy Mayor of Győr, Róbert Balázs Simon, Member of Parliament, Dr László Palkovics, Minister of Innovation and Technology, Dr Erzsébet Knáb, Chair of the Board of Trustees, Dr Bálint Filep, President of Széchenyi István University, Sándor Széles, Government Commissioner of Győr-Moson-Sopron County, Imre Pintér-Péntek, President of  Győr-Moson-Sopron County Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Zsolt Kovács, Chancellor of Széchenyi István University, Dr Péter Zoltán Baranyi, Rector of Széchenyi István University and Márton Maczkó, President of the University Students’ Union also placed their messages in the time capsule. (Photo by József Csaba Májer)

The first building of the Science and Innovation Park, now and in the visualization plan.