József Bódis highlighted that the Smart Specialisation Strategy pays special attention to strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises and improving their productivity. The coronavirus epidemic has shown the potential and power of this sector. The stable functioning of SMEs, which employ more than two thirds of Hungarian employees, must continue to be supported.

The Smart Specialisation Strategy for the 2021-2027 development period maps national and regional strengths and identifies the smart specialisation pathways that can build on them. With the involvement of a wide range of stakeholders, the strategy identified eight priority areas: agri-food, health, digitalisation of the economy, creative industries, strengthening the resource-efficient economy, energy and climate, and the development of services and cutting-edge technologies.

“The development and adoption of the National Smart Specialisation Strategy is a milestone in boosting the competitiveness of SMEs, supporting entrepreneurship and leveraging strengths. In addition to boosting research and innovation performance, S3 is an important tool to effectively address the challenges of the next period, be it industrial digitalisation, the development of regional economies or even the strengthening of RDI cooperation”, stressed József Bódis. He added that the national network of Territorial Innovation Platforms, based on university knowledge centres, will be key to the long-term and effective implementation of strategic objectives.

The final version of the National Smart Specialisation Strategy is available here (Hungarian).

Budapest, July 21, 2021
Ministry for Innovation and Technology