Budapest, 15 May 2025 The National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI Office) is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. On this occasion, the office, in close cooperation with the Hungarian Project Management Association, is organising a four-part conference series to review the results of corporate innovation, the market introduction of scientific outcomes, new paths for innovation financing, and the effective exploitation of synergies in the innovation ecosystem. The first event, which focused on successful businesses in innovation – thanks, among other things, to the support from the NRDI Office – was recently held in Budapest.
The concept of innovation for many people represents the spark of a new invention, but the speakers and participants of the event demonstrated that innovation is much more than that: it is the joint result of strategy, perseverance, collaboration, and market-driven thinking.
The conference was opened by Ádám Kiss, President of the NRDI Office, who has led the organisation since 2023. As he stated, the innovation-driven economy is the only real growth opportunity for the Hungarian economy. “Innovation is successful when research and the market go hand in hand,” he said, emphasising the importance of a market-oriented approach. In his speech, he highlighted the office’s catalytic role, thanks to which nearly 3000 businesses and more than 4400 scientific projects have been able to access over HUF 700 billion in funding over the past decade, and more than 13,000 university students, doctoral candidates and young researchers have received scholarships.
László Bódis, Deputy State Secretary for Innovation at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, presented the strategy for innovation-driven growth in the Hungarian economy in his introductory speech. He stated that between 2010 and 2015, the main driver of economic growth was the dynamic expansion of employment, which resulted in significant GDP growth. However, between 2015 and 2019, two-thirds of GDP growth came from increased productivity, mainly driven by innovation. He highlighted that Hungary is currently ranked around 20th on the European Innovation Scoreboard, but the goal is to reach the top third. To achieve this, it is crucial to increase the GDP ratio of research and development (R&D) expenditures from the current 1.7% to 3%, with greater involvement from market players being essential, as in developed countries, two-thirds of R&D spending is financed by the business sector, while in Hungary, the ratio is reversed.
The corporate presentations were opened by Dr. István Greiner, Research and Development Director at Richter Gedeon Nyrt., who showcased one of the largest success stories in the Hungarian pharmaceutical industry. He emphasised that significant support from the NRDI Office and the government played a major role in this success: over the past decade, Richter has received HUF 16.9 billion in funding, which has helped finance dozens of successful R&D projects, including drug developments that represent global innovations, with the company spending a total of HUF 44 billion on these projects.
Gábor Kiglics, Managing Director of eCon Engineering Kft., presented the example of a 110-person independent engineering office, demonstrating how Hungarian expertise can be leveraged in global markets. According to Gábor Kiglics, for an innovative technology company, the optimal balance between profitability and investment in the future is achieved by dedicating a portion of revenue to R&D. “Innovation is not a sprint, but a marathon, where both knowledge and perseverance count,” he said.
András Szigethy, Managing Director of Technoorg Linda Kft., gave an inspiring presentation on how a small business can become a global market leader. “Technological brilliance alone is not enough if sales, distribution, and marketing are not working well,” he stated. According to András Szigethy, the key to success for them was the shift to modern, market-driven thinking and bold redesign.
At the end of the event, a roundtable discussion was held on the future of domestic innovation support policy, with distinguished representatives from the profession: Dr. Arnold Steiner from MEDICOR Elektronika Zrt., János Pereczes from First Principle Innovation, Dr. Zsuzsa Szabados from the NRDI Office, Viktória Kovács from the National Innovation Agency, and Dr. István Greiner from the Hungarian Association for Innovation. The discussion was moderated by Áron Boros, Vice President of the Hungarian Project Management Association and CEO of Stradamus Zrt. The exchange of ideas focused on the more targeted distribution of funding, strengthening collaboration between the corporate and academic sectors, and supporting the market entry of startups and SMEs. The participants agreed that the key to a successful innovation ecosystem is a flexible, segmented support policy that takes into account the differences in the needs of various companies and market environments.