Andrea Fekete, a paediatrician, Katalin Karikó, a research biologist, Imre Dékány, a university professor, András Kotschy, a pharmaceutical researcher and András Szecskay, a lawyer, were also honoured.

Tibor Gulyás, Deputy State Secretary for Innovation at the Ministry for Innovation and Technology, highlighted in his welcome speech that numerous research and development activities have contributed to controlling the epidemic.

He pointed out that in the past year, a number of tasks have been carried out which will support inventive activities and the protection of industrial property rights in the future. Of these, he mentioned the launch of 17 national laboratories and one research laboratory under the leadership of Katalin Sebők, Vice President of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, and the development of domestic science and innovation parks in the country’ leading higher education institutions.

Since its inception, the awarding of the Jedlik Ányos Award has been one of the most important celebrations of intellectual property protection, which is a fitting way to honour successful creative personalities, inventors of industrial and academic research and development and outstanding practitioners of intellectual property rights, said Gyula Pomázi, President of the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (HIPO) in his speech.

As he recalled, in 2021 Hungarian intellectual property protection will celebrate two anniversaries, on 1 March, the 125th anniversary of the establishment of the predecessor organisation of the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office, the Royal Hungarian Patent Office, was commemorated. And the award ceremony on Tuesday will mark the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Jedlik Ányos Award.

The Innovation Award of the Hungarian Association for Innovation supported by HIPO was also presented at the event, which this year was awarded to the managing director of Hagyó Kft. The award was presented by HIPO President Gyula Pomázi, Katalin Sebők, Vice President for Business Innovation of the NRDI Office and János Pakucs, Honorary President of the Hungarian Association for Innovation.

In her welcome speech, Vice President Katalin Sebők stressed the role of companies in society and innovation, as it is the company side that brings results to the market. The more actors we show these results to, the more they are consciously and widely generated, he added. Finally, the Vice President thanked innovators and inventors for their achievements contributing to making all aspects of our lives easier, be it health, industry or digitalisation.