Széchenyi István University played a significant role in the success of ABZ Innovation Kft., a drone development company established three years ago in collaboration with a professional partner and an investment firm. The company’s market success stands as a testament to this partnership. At the end of November, the University sold a substantial portion of its ownership stake in the startup focused on drone development and manufacturing.

One of the key factors behind the success of leading global universities is their ability to contribute to the economy by fostering innovative startup enterprises. This opportunity became available to Hungarian higher education institutions following a recent model shift, which Széchenyi István University leveraged when it partnered with ABZ Drone Kft. and investment firm MIB Invest Group Kft. to establish ABZ Innovation Kft. in 2021. The company was founded to develop and manufacture drones and related accessories.

The collaboration proved exceptionally fruitful, as evidenced by market validation. The company’s first product, a spray drone, performed excellently at international events, including last year’s Fruit Logistica in Berlin. It also won an award at the International Agricultural Fair in Serbia. Additionally, the company developed a heavy-duty drone and a cleaning drone. Within a short time, ABZ Innovation Kft. reached a level of growth where reduced involvement in research and development by the University was sufficient. Consequently, the institution sold 9% of its 10% stake to the co-owners at the end of November.

"Through its Digital Development Center, the University provided significant added value to ABZ Innovation Kft.'s drone development efforts. The collaboration was also valuable in terms of learning how the institution can contribute to the technical development of a market-oriented company. Along with the revenue from the sale of our stake, this knowledge is of great importance to us," said Gábor Dósa, CEO of Uni Inno Zrt., the University's technology commercialization company.

"The new, innovative approach to operations at Széchenyi University aligns perfectly with such a business-based partnership. ABZ Innovation Ltd., on the other hand, needed the University’s high-level expertise, primarily in software and various application development. This justified the collaboration, which has become a model project: the joint effort is an excellent example of how the University, through its engineers and researchers, can successfully participate in the scaling of a startup," explained István Szekeres, Managing Director of MIB Invest Group Ltd. He emphasized the importance of the institution’s retained 1% ownership stake, as there will be future developments where it can contribute on a business basis. "Such collaborations hold immense potential, as evidenced by Western examples. From personal experience, I know that one of the world’s top universities, Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, similarly supports the launch and growth of startups, and after a certain point, takes on more of a background incubator role while venture capital investors take on a stronger role," he remarked.

"There is a significant demand for European drone manufacturing, as China currently dominates this field. We are proud that our new products have successfully entered the global market. This success is also due to the innovations developed by Széchenyi University, which are groundbreaking on a global scale. We plan to continue collaborating with the institution on strategically important projects in the future," stated Gyula Török, CEO of ABZ Drone Kft.

Széchenyi István University played a pivotal role in developing the spray drone. (Photo: ABZ Innovation Kft.)