“In the field of engineering, individual achievements are extremely rare, results can be achieved by cooperating together. This recognition is not only for me, but also for the whole University team,” said Dr Ferenc Szauter, who received the Count Ferenc Széchényi Prize at the ceremonial assembly of the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Municipality held in the Esterházy Palace in Győr. While Dr Szauter was being praised, it was also revealed that he has been attached to the University for a long time in numerous ways: he obtained a Bachelor's and Master's degree, a doctorate, was the founder of the SZEnergy student team and in addition, a lecturer in the institution’s Department of Road and Railway Vehicles, as well as a research engineer and head of the internationally recognised Automotive Industry Research Centre. "The results of his activities represent Győr-Moson-Sopron County in scientific life, displaying and enriching the vision and research values ​​of the automotive industry.”

Zoltán Németh, President of the Győr-Moson-Sopron County Council, presenting the award to Dr Ferenc Szauter. (Photo: József Csaba Májer)

 “I am extremely proud to be an active participant in the work of the Automotive Industry Research Centre, established in 2012, in which, building on the strengths of the University, several departments and faculties are involved in a multidisciplinary manner. The Centre’s engineering team has now become a major player in the field of electric drives in the country, and in the field of autonomous vehicles, in cooperation with the Research Institute of Computer Science and Automation, with significant expertise in both ground vehicles and aircraft. We have become partners of many industrial players, we have worked with companies, and we work together on research and development projects, which contributes to increasing the competitiveness of the economy. It was an outstanding step that with the help of Professor József Bokor, our academic contacts were strengthened, so also from a scientific point of view, we were able to move forward,” explained Dr Szauter.

The head of the Automotive Industry Research Centre also talked about the fact that in the last decade the whole of Széchenyi István University, including the infrastructure of the Centre, has developed enormously, becoming of international standard, which is of enormous help to their work.

“Thanks to investment, we have an excellent laboratory background, from environmental sensors through computing capacity to electrical test benches, we have state-of-the-art hardware, software and equipment that we can use for both research and development. Also extremely important for the supply of new researchers is our Jedlik Ányos Vocational Hall of Residence, to which our three student teams belong, and which also has state-of-the-art laboratories. In addition, we were able to extend our infrastructure to Zalaegerszeg in a unique way, where, in addition to our existing site at ZalaZONE, we will have new laboratories and testing equipment in the science and innovation park under construction. Another valuable potential is that we have almost unlimited access to the test track there, which is also useful for companies, as we can offer this as a service in the case of joint projects,” said Dr Szauter. He noted that the supportive atmosphere provided by the university management and the fact that they can work in the Automotive Industry Research Centre in a youthful, dynamic team, with a family atmosphere, helped to achieve the results.

Dr Ferenc Szauter with the Count Ferenc Széchényi Prize at the statue of István Széchenyi on the campus of the University of Győr. (Photo: József Csaba Májer)