Page 36 - Roadmap

MOMENTUM OF INNOVATION

7.3. Health and Food Sciences

Health and food sciences research covers a wide range of topics generally aimed at preserving and improving people’s
health and supplying them with safe food.

This field of science has witnessed a significant paradigm shift in recent decades. Theoretical research has been increasingly
taking advantage of the latest technological developments of data collection and analysis, and has been more and more
characterised by a systems approach and network research. The structuring and analysis of big data made it necessary to
create specialised databanks and analytical systems, and to develop biological model systems. The volume of data in life
sciences increases exponentially, so its storage, accessibility, secure use and efficient retrieval represent a growing challenge
for bioinformatics researchers.

Exploitation of basic research output has significantly speeded up, in many cases owing to the advanced technological
background. Research in this field ranges from the better understanding of diseases, early diagnosis and prevention to
effective treatments, therapies and personalised medicine.

In line with these trends, Hungarian biomedical research has gone through major developments in recent years, resulting
in the integration of services, technologies, resources and knowledge, and in a new, more advanced and more efficient re-
search infrastructure network that is better integrated into the European Research Area. In addition to biobanks, animal
core facilities, clinical research and imaging, bioinformatics and structural biology, this chapter presents the latest devel-
opments in agriculture and food science, and their connections with European research infrastructures.

Figure 3: Brain surgery operation assisted by a surgery robot installed in an R&D project within the National Brain Research Program

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