The Higher Education Social and Economic Cooperation Conference, now in its eleventh year, recently reached another milestone, organized by Széchenyi István University's Department of Road and Railway Vehicles and the Automotive Industry Research Centre. This two-day scientific event, titled “Mobility and Environment”, focused on groundbreaking research in the automotive industry shaping the future.

Since 2013, Széchenyi István University has been organising the Higher Education Social and Economic Cooperation Conference in conjunction with the Hungarian Science Festival, which aims to promote effective dialogue between higher education, industry and the public sector. This year's scientific forum was entitled "Mobility and the Environment - Shaping the Future of Automotive Research" and focused on sustainability, transport safety and cutting-edge technological innovation.

The event was organised by Széchenyi University’s Automotive Industry Research Centre and the Department of Road and Railway Vehicles on 4-5 November. Dr István Lakatos, Head of Department and one of the organisers of the conference, stressed that it is important for higher education to foster excellent cooperation with industry, economy and society. "This forum will provide a snapshot of the current situation. This year, we have focused on forward-looking areas of transport in the field of road and rail mobility, but we have also looked at the law enforcement, regulatory and technical aspects of road safety," he said.

Dr István Lakatos, Head, Department of Road and Railway Vehicles at Széchenyi University, spoke about the conference as an excellent networking opportunity (Photo: András Adorján)

In his welcoming remarks, Dr József Bokor, Vice-President for Research and Innovation at SZE, referred to mobility as one of the most exciting areas of research and development in the world today, especially with regard to the challenges of the complete renewal of the automotive industry. "Széchenyi István University is at the forefront of automotive research, the development of autonomous vehicles and the application of artificial intelligence - all of which are the topics that will provide the framework for this conference," he said.

Imre Pintér-Péntek, newly elected Vice President of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and President of the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Chamber of Commerce and Industry, also stressed the importance of the event. "In Győr, it is obvious to talk about mobility, as the economy of our county is particularly exposed to the automotive industry. The topic concerns us all, because mobility research will determine our future," he said.

Imre Pintér-Péntek, Vice President of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and President of the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Chamber of Commerce and Industry, drew attention to the importance of dialogue. (Photo: András Adorján)

During the two-day conference, participants discussed a wide range of transport and vehicle development issues. Among the speakers were major industrial, research and public bodies such as BKV Zrt., the Hungarian National Police Force, HUMDA Hungarian Mobility Development Agency Zrt., CTI Mobility Research Centre, GYSEV Zrt. and Porsche Hungária. The event also featured the latest mobility research of the University, for example in the fields of fuels, internal combustion engines and e-clutch development.

The conference was attended by a wide range of domestic mobility stakeholders (Photo: András Adorján)