Organised by Széchenyi István University and held at its Budapest Innovation and Training Centre, a series of panel discussions, entitled Women in Family, Science and Society is in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. At the latest event, speakers discussed the international World Day of Creativity and Innovation.

The international World Day of Creativity and Innovation will be celebrated on 21 April. The UN initiative aims to raise awareness of the role of creativity and innovation in global sustainable development. According to a UNESCO report, the cultural and creative industries generate $2,250 billion a year (3 percent of global GDP), and employ 29.5 million people (1 percent of the world's working population). Their significance is shown by the fact that their revenue exceeds that of the telecommunications services industry, and employs more people than the automotive industry of Europe, Japan and US combined.

The event was opened by Dr Eszter Lukács, Vice President for International Affairs and Strategic Relations at Széchenyi István University.

Széchenyi István University organised a panel discussion on the occasion of the World Day at its Budapest Innovation and Training Centre. At the event, participants sought answers to questions such as how to create the next generation of innovators and where Hungary stands on the international stage in terms of creativity and innovation.

Dr Krisztina Somogyi, Associate Professor at Széchenyi István University’s Department of Design in the Faculty of Performance Arts and Design and Head of the Studio of Basic Training and Theory, said that students should be taught that the humility of learning, the process of cognition, perseverance and occasional failure should be part of every work process in order to be able to think differently and creatively about new topics and to develop ideas. She believes that we should strive to think methodically, to have a complex vision and to increase the number of creative impulses we receive. "Creative thinking, a curiosity about aesthetics and our built world must be cultivated from an early age," she said, adding that “the University's design programmes are extremely popular with young people because they can solve real problems via practice-oriented education and strategic partnerships with industry".

Annamária Steiner-Isky, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Hungarian State Opera House Ballet Students’ Foundation, is creator/organiser of the Hungarian Ballet Grand Prix international ballet competition, launched for the first time this year as part of the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture programme for children and young people. She said that pupils join the National Institute of Ballet at the age of four or five, where their attitude, work and dedication are assessed, based on strict dance criteria. "Over the years, perseverance and commitment to the creative process are the driving force behind success," she said. She added that one of the Foundation's main goals is internationalization, with students travelling to compete in the most prestigious ballet competitions around the world, from Europe to America.

Annamária Steiner-Isky, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Hungarian State Opera House Ballet Students’ Foundation and Dr Krisztina Somogyi, Associate Professor at the Department of Design, Faculty of Performance Arts and Design at Széchenyi István University.

Dr Zsuzsa Szabados, Deputy Managing Director of Neumann János Nonprofit Public Benefit Ltd., responsible for the Input Programme aimed at developing start-up ecosystems outside the Central Hungarian region and helping start-ups to enter the foreign market, stressed the importance of early introduction and acquisition of an innovative mindset. Since 2019, this has been supported by the very successful Hungarian Startup University Program, of which Széchenyi István University is an active member. In their experience, the increasing emphasis on the development of the university innovation ecosystem is highly effective, but she noted that the development of foreign language competences should be an even higher priority in Hungary, so that Hungarian students "not only dream up and develop their innovative ideas, but are also able to convince potential investors of their viability and marketability".

Dr Krisztina Somogyi, associate professor at SZE, Lucia S. Hegyi, founder and owner of Luan by Lucia Fashion House and Dr Zsuzsa Szabados, specialist in SMEs and start-ups at the National Research Development and Innovation Office

Lucia S. Hegyi, founder and owner of Luan by Lucia Fashion House, emphasized that a solution-oriented and entrepreneurial approach, as well as practical professional immersion, is essential in the implementation of creative processes in fashion design. She explained that Luan by Lucia Fashion House offers a great deal of practical training to young people who come to them for further professional training in creative design from higher education. "Ten thousand working hours are needed for a good professional foundation. The Fashion Academy provides an opportunity to bring together the mind sets of the fashion designer and the seamstress - this is what makes the perfect creative product," she said, adding that they design holistically for the person and the fashion designer must be authentic.

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