On 26 March 2025, in the Upper House Chamber of the Hungarian Parliament, the Hungarian Innovation Grand Prize recognising innovation achievements in 2024 was awarded, along with six additional sectoral prizes. The evaluation committee, comprising scientists and renowned economic experts, chaired by the Minister for Culture and Innovation, selected the most outstanding innovation achievements primarily based on economic impact and societal relevance.
The Grand Prize was awarded to Cloud Network Technology Kft., which secured the top position among a distinguished range of contenders with an internationally outstanding IT testing system.
This year marked the 33rd occasion that the Hungarian Innovation Grand Prize was awarded. It is granted annually to a company registered in Hungary that, in the calendar year preceding the award ceremony, achieved significant business success through outstanding technical and economic innovation performance. The results achieved in 2024 strongly support the performance-oriented approach of the prize: based on the compiled data from applications meeting the eligibility criteria, the innovations entered for this year’s award generated over HUF 900 billion in additional revenue for the applicant enterprises, while savings, environmental impact reduction and other positive effects contributed a further HUF 20 billion in societal benefit. Most project proposals came from the agricultural and IT sectors, and geographically, less than half originated from Budapest. Domestic and foreign markets were equally represented in the number of applications, while the vast majority of the additional revenue was realised through export markets.
In his welcome speech, Dr János Pakucs, Chair of the Organising Committee of the Hungarian Innovation Grand Prize, highlighted: “This year we received numerous applications of international calibre that were rightfully awarded. However, to sustain the dynamic development of the Hungarian economy, we need even more such innovations. That is why this year’s awardees may also serve as a guiding example for other market participants.”
Dr Gábor Szabó, President of the Hungarian Association for Innovation, highlighted in connection with this year’s awards: “The Innovation Grand Prize offers a snapshot of the market in a given year. This year, the advance of information technology appears to be the defining trend. At the same time, the winning project proposals also demonstrate that IT alone does not constitute innovation, but it can significantly support the achievement of an innovative goal.”
The 2024 Hungarian Innovation Grand Prize was awarded to Cloud Network Technology Kft. for the development of the “TestHall AR System.” The Komárom-based company, a member of the Foxconn group, developed an Augmented Reality (AR)-based solution that accelerates the testing process of server racks through a unique monitoring system. This enables technicians to carry out testing procedures more easily, more quickly and in a live test environment, without relying on their usual physical tools. This innovation is globally unique, giving the company a significant market advantage. It also contributed to a substantial increase in local production and resulted in major revenue growth. The Innovation Grand Prize was presented by Dr. János Latorcai, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, and Dr. Veronika Varga-Bajusz, State Secretary for Higher Education, Vocational and Adult Training and Youth.
The 2024 Industrial Innovation Award, announced with the support of the Ministry of National Economy, was granted to C3S Elektronikai Fejlesztő Kft. for the development of a remote sensing small satellite platform, which provides valuable data for a client engaged in drought monitoring. Launched in August 2024, the device named WREN 1 is the largest satellite developed in Hungary to date and also the first Hungarian satellite realised on a platform optimised specifically for remote sensing purposes.
The 2024 IT Innovation Award, also announced with the support of the Ministry of National Economy, was granted to Ericsson Magyarország for its contributions to and development work in 5G mobile standardisation. The primary aim of their patented technologies included in the standard is to ensure that mobile devices can always connect to the cell providing the best possible connection during mobile network operation. Their greatest achievements in this field, leading to their award, lie in four key areas: measuring radio resources of the cells, optimising cell handovers, avoiding latency fluctuations and harmonising various protocols.
The 2024 Agricultural Innovation Award, announced with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, was awarded to AGRON Analytics Kft. for developing “AGRONmaps Pro,” a precision farming software tailored to individual needs. With this software solution, traditionally complex and expertise-intensive geoinformatics has been made accessible in the form of a widely applicable, easy-to-use decision support system for advisors and farmers. The software is already helping farmers on over 40,000 hectares to optimise nutrient distribution, reduce environmental impact and take advantage of digitalisation.
The 2024 Environmental Innovation Award, announced with the support of the Ministry of Energy, went to Innomedio Kereskedelmi és Szolgáltató Kft. for the development of the innoTMS transport management system. The solution, developed for domestic and international freight carriers, goes far beyond basic route planning. It provides dispatchers with real-time vehicle location, speed, direction of travel and numerous other data. In addition, a mobile app allows drivers to download pre-planned routes and manage transport documents more easily. The use of this system drastically reduces the number of empty runs – this sustainability aspect was the primary consideration for the environmental award.
The 2024 Innovation Award of the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office was awarded to Bay Zoltán Nonprofit Ltd. for Applied Research for developing an efficient microbiological solution to treat by-products from battery manufacturing. This biological industrial wastewater treatment technology uses a specific bacterial strain to break down certain components of wastewater generated during production, without producing by-products harmful to human health or the environment. The innovation offers an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to industrial wastewater treatment and also opens up possibilities for other industries, such as the pharmaceutical sector, to apply customised biological degradation solutions for specific pollutants.
The 2024 Startup Innovation Award of the Hungarian Association for Innovation was granted to FraudShield Security Europe Kft. for developing the “FraudShield Anti-phishing prevention” software. This solution protects financial institutions and companies from phishing attacks in real time, instantly recognising and blocking the latest attack methods before any damage can occur. The software effectively reduces the likelihood of falling victim to phishing scams, safeguarding the savings of Hungarian citizens.
About the Hungarian Innovation Grand Prize
The aim of the call, announced annually for over three decades, is to recognise the most outstanding domestic innovation achievements and thereby strengthen a business mindset built on innovation.
The Hungarian Association for Innovation decided to establish the Hungarian Innovation Grand Prize at its third general assembly in 1991. The Grand Prize, awarded once a year, may be granted to companies registered in Hungary that, in the year preceding the award, achieved significant business success through outstanding technical and economic innovation performance (such as the commercialisation of new products, new procedures or new services). Innovation may be based on scientific research, technical development results, patents, know-how, technology transfer and similar sources.
The Foundation’s Board of Trustees first announced the Innovation Grand Prize Call for Proposals on 21 January 1993. Since then, not including the 33rd call, a total of 1453 project proposals have been submitted, of which 1294 were successfully implemented, and 248 of them received various innovation awards. Further information on past awardees is available at www.innovacio.hu.
The publication on the 2024 awardees and the other project proposals can be accessed at the following link.
The 33rd Hungarian Innovation Grand Prize call for proposals was implemented with the support of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, funded by the NRDI Fund.
Source: Hungarian Association for Innovation