The traditional competition of the Hungarian Association for Innovation (MISZ) is now in its 30th edition with the entry phase starting. Applications from businesses and organisations that have achieved significant success with a new product, process or service are welcome until 2 February 2022, Tamás Schanda, Parliamentary and Strategic State Secretary of the ITM, announced on Tuesday, according to a ministry statement.
The Hungarian Association for Innovation has been awarding the Innovation Grand Prix every year for almost three decades. The high quality of the entries shows that almost 90 percent of the more than 1300 applications were innovations that generated revenue for their inventors and made life much easier for their users. 227 of the best have received various innovation awards, making up the Hungarian Innovation Club, the “elite” of Hungarian innovation.
János Pakucs, Honorary President of MISZ, said in the statement that the jury, headed by Minister for Innovation and Technology László Palkovics, takes into account the originality, novelty, technical and economic advantages and social utility of the innovation, as well as the revenue and profit generated by it. Based on this, the most outstanding innovation achievements are selected by secret ballot. He added that details of the
2021 call for applications can be found on the website of the Hungarian Association for Innovation. Tamás Schanda stressed that the sustainable growth and long-term competitiveness of the Hungarian economy are ensured by high added value and Hungarian ideas invested in marketable products. Hungary spent a record amount of money on research, development and innovation last year. In addition to increasing spending, the government will encourage Hungarian companies and universities to improve their innovation performance by modernising institutions and research tools, and by providing targeted support for researchers’ careers.
He stressed that the pandemic has highlighted more than ever the importance of innovation, and in particular the development of the health industry. He recalled that in recent years, products that help in treatment and prevention have been found worthy of the Innovation Grand Prix. Last year, the revolutionary innovation of Richter Gedeon Plc., which successfully treats osteoporosis, and in 2019 the digital Pannoramic product line, which brings a huge advance in the field of histological diagnostics, were worthy of the prize.
The ceremony, scheduled for next spring, will also include ITM’s Industrial Innovation Award and IT Innovation Award, the NRDI Office’s Innovation Award “From Basic Research to Market”, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agricultural Innovation Award, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Environmental Innovation Award, and the Startup Innovation Awards of the National Intellectual Property Office and MISZ. The Hungarian Innovation Grand Prix is accompanied by a cash prize of HUF 1 million, and in the other categories by HUF 300 to 500 thousand, the ITM said.