For the first time since 2020, the Economic and Social Development (ESD) international conference was held in Hungary, jointly organised by the Centre for Innovation and Training of Széchenyi István University in Budapest and University North in Croatia. The Forum oganised for the 111th time brought together researchers and PhD students from eight universities from Europe and Africa.

The ESD conference series aims to provide a platform for experts in economics and social sciences to discuss sustainable development and global trends in an inspiring international environment. The 111th such event was held recently at the Széchenyi University in Budapest. The event was entitled "Building a coherent basis for sustainable development: interdisciplinarity in research and education".

The conference in Budapest was opened by Domagoj Cingula, ESD's main organiser, Barbara Huszár, Head of the Centre for Innovation and Training at Széchenyi István University in Budapest, Mladen Andrlić, Croatian Ambassador to Hungary and Dr. Zoltán Baracskai, Associate Professor.

The programme included 16 presentations covering the areas of globalisation, sustainability and digitalisation and their impact on the business environment, economy and society. The research was carried out by academics and PhD students from Morocco, Croatia, Poland, Portugal and Hungary.

Tamás Zelles, PhD student at Széchenyi University, also gave a presentation at the conference.

The opening ceremony was addressed by Domagoj Cingula, the main organiser of the ESD, representing the University of Zagreb, and Mladen Andrlić, Croatian Ambassador to Hungary. In their speeches, they both stressed the importance of knowledge sharing, joint research and transnational cooperation in higher education and research. 

Barbara Huszár, Head of the Budapest Innovation and Training Centre of Széchenyi István University, saw the main value of the conference in the common platform and networking. "A programme like this gives us the opportunity to meet talented researchers and practitioners at the forefront of their fields. Their insights, experience and innovative ideas are an inspiration to us all and can spark new ideas that can bring about positive change for the future," she said.

The conference brought together researchers and PhD students from eight European and African universities.