Those departments with the closest links to industry at Széchenyi István University, which places great emphasis on technical education, research and innovation, have presented themselves at China's number one technology fair. The institution further strengthened its partnerships in the Far Eastern country.

The China High Tech Fair is China's largest science and technology fair. The Shenzhen event attracts thousands of exhibitors from dozens of countries and hundreds of thousands of visitors. This year, Széchenyi István University also participated in the event on the online platform, due to strict entry rules in China because of the corona virus.

"Our University has very strong links with China and we have many students from the Far East. With the support of the Consul General in Shanghai, Szilárd Bolla, we have also launched a dual degree programme in Civil Engineering with Jiaxing University, which last year sent a visiting professor for our Civil Engineering programme and this year for our Master's programme in Economics. In addition to education and research, we also seek to collaborate with Chinese partners in our third missionary activity, which is why our institution's departments closely linked to industry - the Automotive Research Centre, the Centre for Higher Education and Industrial Cooperation, the Digital Development Centre, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Informatics and Electrical Engineering, the Zalaegerszeg Innovation and Training Centre and Uni-Medicampus Ltd. - were represented at the fair. We are confident that this will enable us to further expand our relations and look forward to Chinese investments in Győr, our Science and Innovation Park in Zalaegerszeg and our Health Technology Campus in Győr", said Dr Eszter Lukács, Vice President for Global Strategy of Széchenyi István University, who thanked Zsófia Szokó, Foreign Economic Attaché at the Consulate General of Hungary in Guangzhou, for her assistance in the exhibition.

The China High Tech Fair is very popular with exhibitors and visitors alike (Photo: China High Tech Fair/Facebook)

At the fair, SZE’s Automotive Research Centre (JKK) presented its research and development potential, with a strong emphasis on autonomous transport, mobile robotisation, electromobility and the institution’s infrastructure adjacent to the ZalaZONE test track - we learned from Dr Dénes Fodor, scientific director of the JKK's e-Mobility Centre and Dr Ernő Horváth, research topic leader. They added that the University's participation in this event is extremely important, as it raises the university's profile and expands its network of contacts.

Dr Tibor Dőry, Head of the of the institution’s Centre for Higher Education and Industrial Cooperation, said, "It is a great honour and opportunity for our University to present its innovation ecosystem and the scientific and innovation development plans for Győr and Zalaegerszeg at the world's leading high-tech exhibition. Through our presence at the exhibition, we were able to draw the attention of Chinese and other international companies in the fields of IoT, automation and health technology to our ongoing developments."

The University's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Informatics and Electrical Engineering demonstrated the academic programmes and services it offers. "This is one of the world's most important technology fairs, with a focus primarily on information technology, automation, telecommunications and computer networks. Our faculty is extremely strong in these areas, so our presence was not in question," said Professor Zoltán Horváth, Dean of the Faculty.

The institution's Digital Development Centre also presented itself at the event. "The technological and economic development of the Far Eastern market is well known, and that’s the reason we wanted to showcase our educational, R&D, innovation and laboratory activities. We were delighted to do this, not least because we have close links with major Chinese companies such as Huawei and ZTE," said István Drotár, head of the centre.