Széchenyi István University and Express Innovation Agency Zrt. have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at the establishment and development of R&D projects as well as education and training partnerships in a university-business cooperation. In connection with the Hungarian Startup University Program (HSUP), which is professionally coordinated by the agency, an Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship Research Group has been established at the University, the results of which can contribute to strengthening Hungarian innovation capacity.

Széchenyi István University is a service-oriented, open university, where industrial and economic relations that serve the development of the region are given special emphasis. The institution is committed to innovation and the practical implementation of knowledge transfer, which also provides a supportive environment for start-ups and start-ups.

As an innovation agency of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI Office), Express Innovation Agency Ltd. actively supports the development of the innovation ecosystem, from youth education to the gateway to the international market. The University and the agency already enjoy an excellent relationship, which the parties have strengthened with the signing of this cooperation agreement.

The ceremony took place at the Competence Centre of the Management Campus of Széchenyi István University, a key site for knowledge transfer within the University. The centre offers a number of programmes to support the market exploitation of knowledge generated at the institution, to develop links with business and industry, as well as supporting the entrepreneurial ambitions of researchers and students. The agreement was signed by Dr Eszter Lukács, Vice President for Global Strategy at Széchenyi István University and Balázs Fuchs, CEO of Express Innovation Agency Zrt.

Dr László Csicsmann, Dean of the Kautz Gyula Faculty of Economics, László Bódis, Deputy State Secretary for Innovation, Dr Eszter Lukács, Vice President for Global Strategy at the University, Balázs Fuchs, CEO of Express Innovation Agency Zrt. Krisztián Kölkedi, Deputy Chief Strategy Officer of Express Innovation Agency Ltd. and Dr Tibor Dőry, Head of the University's Centre for Higher Education and Industrial Cooperation. (Photo: Csaba József Májer)

Dr Eszter Lukács said that the University considers the support of start-up development a priority, and it is equally important that education is aligned with market needs.

"In this cooperation, all three dimensions of our institution are present: education and our third missionary activity as a matter of course, since HSUP is an excellent e-learning programme that contributes to business development. In addition, the partnership will strengthen our research activities by creating a research team that will produce publications," stressed the Vice-President, thanking the Express Innovation Agency for its generous support to the students.

"This cooperation represents an unparalleled opportunity for Széchenyi University and the faculty," said Dr László Csicsmann, Dean of the Gyula Kautz Faculty of Economics. He stressed that high-level publications will raise the international visibility of the institution, and the research that will be launched through the partnership is essential for this.

László Bódis, Deputy State Secretary for Innovation, said that the government adopted Hungary's research, development and innovation strategy in 2021, which set the goal of Hungary becoming one of Europe's top ten innovators by 2030.

"This requires world-class knowledge production and the use of this knowledge in the Hungarian economy. The economic exploitation of knowledge generates added value for Hungary and thus strengthens the competitiveness of the Hungarian economy. The commercialisation of ideas generated at universities in the form of spin-off companies has a key role to play in this,” underlined the Deputy State Secretary. He added that the HSUP plays a key role in helping more and more young people to think about the possibility of transforming scientific work into economic activity, as is also helped by the cooperation between the Agency and Széchenyi István University.

Krisztián Kölkedi, Deputy Chief Strategy Officer of Express Innovation Agency Ltd., pointed out that the Győr-based institution was one of the first to join HSUP and already in the pilot year, a large number of students have participated in the programme.

"In the second year, Széchenyi István University broke all records in terms of the number of students, in who we found a very good partner. In the future, we are preparing a nationwide, comprehensive research study, of which the activities of the research team in Győr are a very important part," concluded the Deputy Chief Strategy Officer.

Its leader, Dr Tibor Dőry, Head of the University’s Centre for Higher Education and Industrial Cooperation, presented the tasks lying ahead of the Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship Research Group: "This year 187 start-up projects and student teams have been launched and we want to follow their paths. We will analyse the entrepreneurial idea and the underlying motivations of the students, but we will also look at the market implementation and the possibility of starting a business."

He added that the research findings would help the agency and policy work with recommendations, and the national sample would also provide an opportunity for international comparison.

Other members of the research team were also introduced at the event, including Dr Szabolcs Rámháp, assistant professor and start-up incubation manager at the University's Management Campus Competence Centre, Attila Makai, research assistant and PhD student, Mihály Dömötör, PhD student, and Dr Ádám Novotny, head of the Department of Business Economics at Eszterházy Károly University. The possibility to join the research group is open to domestic researchers who feel they could contribute to the work in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship.

Ceremony participants at Széchenyi István University’s Management Campus of (Photo: Csaba József Májer)