The Ministry of Innovation and Technology and the National Research, Development and Innovation Office organise a nationwide consultation that involves local and regional businesses, knowledge centres and professional organisations, covering 25 venues from 5 February until 6 March 2019. The roadshow implemented in wide cooperation of the stakeholders includes all the counties of Hungary with the objectives to ground the Hungarian innovation ecosystem being re-organised and to assess the needs relating to the system of RDI calls being renewed.
The nationwide events of the Hungarian Innovation Forum are open to all local and regional stakeholders in research, development and innovation.
RDI, digitisation and Industry 4.0 technologies are key factors in the development race in all industries. Hungary is currently a moderate innovator according to the European Innovation Scoreboard, so the aim is to become a strong innovator country by 2030. To this end, the Ministry for Innovation and Technology (ITM) and the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI Office) organise a series of events called the Hungarian Innovation Forum, between 5 February and 6 March 2019. The main professional partner of the Forum is the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MKIK).
Ádám Szigeti, Deputy Secretary of State for Innovation from the ITM pointed out: “The social importance of innovation is now widely recognised, so it is high time to create a new National Research, Development and Innovation Strategy. The European Union is expected to strongly support the improvement of Member States’ innovation capabilities from 2021, so the ITM is already planning for the next period.”
The NRDI Office considers it a key priority to provide wide access to innovation, increasing its social importance and improving its contribution to economic development. According to Dr. Zoltán Birkner, President of the NRDI Office: “We need to form a strategic partnership with the entire domestic SME sector. If we manage to improve the innovation ability of SMEs, the performance of the Hungarian economy could be significantly further enhanced. To this end, we have to make innovation attractive, understandable and widely accessible. Our goal is, therefore, that more and more inactive actors enter the innovation space and become successful.” The Hungarian Innovation Forum is also a means to assess the experience, relevant ideas, professional views and needs in relation to the renewing RDI system and funding schemes across the country. Dr. László Parragh, Chair of the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry stressed: “Improving the competitiveness of Hungary and businesses is a key issue today, and the improvement of the opportunities of domestic SMEs must be a priority. The innovation ecosystem and effective innovation funding play an essential role in this process, as they enable Hungarian businesses to enter the export market, participate in production and distribution chains, and increase the awareness and soundness of their financial culture. This can be a solid basis for social and economic development.”
Katalin Sebők, Vice President of the NRDI Office, main organiser of the Hungarian Innovation Forum highlighted: “In the framework of the series of events implemented through broad professional collaboration, the experts of the ITM and the NRDI Office will give presentations together with the representatives of the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office, Bay Zoltán Research Institute, 19 universities and 25 vocational training centres.
Detailed schedule of the Hungarian Innovation Forum events is available at:
http://nkfih.gov.hu/english-2017/events-of-the-office/hungarian-innovation-forum