The inauguration ceremony of the Science and Innovation Park of Széchenyi István University in Győr was held on 7 November, just 500 metres from the central campus, on the former site of a Biscuits and Wafers Factory. An emblematic industrial landmark of the city, the "cubic building" will become a bastion of the dynamically developing university innovation ecosystem, where the institution will provide a space for higher education and industry collaborations, new research and development projects and the implementation of innovative ideas.

Széchenyi István University has established its Science and Innovation Park in Győr with the help of a HUF 6 billion 766 million non-refundable grant from the European Union, awarded within the framework of the GINOP-2.3.1-20-2020-00005 project. The aim of the investment is to further strengthen the links between the university and the region's economic actors, to provide an incubation environment for new research and development projects and to further expand the opportunities for talent management. The park is intended to stimulate the development of the region by building on the university's core research areas. In the first phase of the project, the former cube building of the Biscuits and Wafers Factoryhas been converted and renovated: half of the 3,860 square metres of space will be used for educational purposes, one third for R&D offices of companies and the remaining area for professional workshops, events and lectures.

"Our Innovation Park will further strengthen the university's impact on the labour market. It will also contribute to providing young people, especially those preparing for technical and IT careers, with more opportunities to integrate into the workflow, from start-ups and spin-offs to multinational companies. Indirectly, the park will also be a platform for connecting the domestic SME sector and large companies."- said Dr Bálint Filep, President of Széchenyi István University, at the ceremony. In his speech, he looked back on more than half a century of the institution's history and outlined the path of development, the latest stage of which is the opening of the Innovation Park.

"The quality of our work at the University is demonstrated by the fact that we are now ranked in the most prestigious international rankings, including the QS World and European rankings and the Times Higher Education World Ranking, which is a very rigorous measure of academic performance. The latter places us in the top five per cent of universities worldwide. We are confident that, through the cooperation between the companies setting up in the park and the university, we will be able to further improve our position in this area," he said. The President thanked the government for supporting their efforts, as well as corporate partners, collaborating organisations and university staff who have also contributed significantly to the dynamic development of the institution.

Dr. Bálint Filep, President of Széchenyi István University (Photo: András Adorján)

In his welcome speech, the Minister of Culture and Innovation János Csák underlined that the government's goal is for Hungary to be among the top ten countries in the world in terms of innovation by 2040. To this end, he said, the government is spending around HUF 300 billion a year on innovation, with HUF 2,100 billion in the last seven years. He added that the Neumann János programme was also launched to help link universities, research institutions, businesses and the financial world to strengthen the economy. The minister said he saw Széchenyi István University as an example and an inspiration because it was young enough to be dynamic, old enough to have a tradition and close enough to companies to feel the expectations of the market. He pointed out that Győr is not a rural town, but a centre between Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava.

The Minister also spoke about the need to focus on projects - in the field of digitalisation, green transition and health industry - where we have a tradition paired with a strong global demand.

János Csák Minister of Culture and Innovation (Photo: András Adorján)

The exterior of the renewed building is distinguished by a unique architectural solution, a LED mesh. Tamás Kolossváry, the head of the Győr Innovation Park, reported on the activities starting in the new building. He said that the ground floor will host an event space and the business development office of the National Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers (VOSZ), as well as the Green Traffic Cloud project office, which will be set up by the university, the university foundation and the Humda Mobility Development Agency. "The next floor will host  the Győr site of Bosch Hungary, where the development of intelligent mobility products and services will be carried out in close cooperation with the competence centres and faculties of the university," he said. The second, third and fourth floors will be home to the university's Design Department and the Design Campus Competence Centre.

He explained that Audi Hungaria Zrt., which operates in close partnership with the university, will be located on the top floor of the building, where engineers and students will develop the hardware and software functions of the vehicles of the future. "It will also house the development base of Huawei, Telekom and Rotors and Cams, a leading developer of digital and telecommunications technologies and a leader in drone technology. The academic side of the joint competence development will be provided by colleagues from the Digital Development Centre," said the head of the centre. Finally, he said that preparations are already underway for next two phases of the park, which will further expand the opportunities for collaboration between higher education and industry.

The building of the first phase of the Győr Innovation Park contributes to the competitiveness of the region (Photo: András Adorján)

Prof. Dr. Csaba András Dézsi, Mayor of Győr, stated in his speech that Széchenyi István University, Audi Hungaria and the city of Győr live in an exemplary symbiosis, which shows that if we work together, we can achieve a lot. "The success of our city is not based on factories, buildings or shops, but on the knowledge, diligence, talent and work of the people who live here. And our economic success is what allows our health, culture and many other sectors to flourish. As a citizen of Győr, it is a great experience that the once legendary biscuit factory can now serve knowledge and production. I hope that this development, not only material but also intellectual, will continue as dynamically as it has done so far, and that it will enable Széchenyi István University to become as important as the engine and car manufacturing industry in Győr on a global scale," he said.

Prof. Dr. Csaba András Dézsi, Mayor of Győr (Photo: András Adorján)

Róbert Balázs Simon, Member of the Parliament for Győr, said that the building of the Science and Innovation Park  is worthy of Győr and Széchenyi University, the city has been enriched with a modern and impressive building.

"However, the walls must also be filled with content: this requires the outstanding knowledge of the university and the companies that are located here and whose activities strengthen our economy," he said.

Simon Róbert Balázs, Member of Parliament from Győr (Photo: András Adorján)

"As well as celebrating the 30th anniversary of our company, this year we are also celebrating another milestone in our scientific collaborations. Audi Hungaria's success over the past thirty years is the result of our expertise, our innovative thinking and our connections with our partners. Knowledge transfer between science and industry is essential for the transformation of the automotive industry, which is why we are delighted that the Győr Science and Innovation Park will create an ecosystem that will stimulate innovation, research and contribute to the high-level, practice-oriented training of the next generation."

- said Alfons Dintner, Chairman of the Board of Audi Hungaria.

Alfons Dintner, Chairman of the Board of Audi Hungaria (Photo: András Adorján)

Dr. Bálint Filep, President of Széchenyi István University, Prof. Dr. Ferenc Friedler, Rector and Vice President for Academic Affairs of the institution, Prof. Dr. László Palkovics, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Széchenyi István University Foundation, Alfons Dintner, Chairman of the Board of Audi Hungaria Zrt. and Robert Buttenhauser, Member of the Board of Management of the company responsible for engine production and vehicle drives, signed a strategic cooperation agreement at the opening ceremony of the Győr Science and Innovation Park. The document covers, among other things, the practice-oriented development of training courses, the organisation of career guidance and admission preparation programmes, the operation of the Audi Hungaria Faculty of Automotive Engineering and the Audi Hungaria External Department, an industrial internship programme for trainers, high-quality laboratory services, and joint research, development and innovation projects related to state-of-the-art technologies and sustainability.

Széchenyi István University and Audi Hungaria Zrt. signed a cooperation agreement at the ceremony (Photo: András Adorján)

The new facility represents both modernity and tradition. The former Győr Biscuits and Wafers Factory will be commemorated in the lobby, where an exhibition will also be opened on the work of Béla Barényi, a Hungarian inventor who was a leading figure in the field of vehicle safety. In the staircase of the building, visitors will be able to see a Formula Student racing car, an electric vehicle, a custom-designed engine block and a concrete sledge designed and built by teams of students from the university.

The building was inaugurated with the cutting of the national ribbon by (from left to right) Dr. Bálint Filep, President of Széchenyi István University, Prof. Dr. Ferenc Friedler, Rector and Vice President for Academic Affiars of the University, Robert Buttenhauser, Member of the Board of Audi Hungaria responsible for engine production, Róbert Balázs Simon, Member of the Parliament for the region, János Csák, Minister of Culture and Innovation, Prof. Dr. András Dézsi Csaba, Mayor of Győr, Alfons Dintner, Chairman of the Board of Audi Hungaria Zrt., Attila Paár, Managing Director of the contractor West Hungaria Bau, Prof. Dr. László Palkovics, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Széchenyi István University Foundation, Zsolt Varga, Head of the contractor Euro Generál Zrt. and Tamás Kolossváry, Head of the University's Innovation Park in Győr.