The cooperation agreement between Széchenyi István University in Győr and thyssenkrupp Components Technology Hungary, signed on the 31st of August in connection with the Science & Innovation Park project established by the university, could lead to joint research, patents and the implementation of spinoff companies.
Széchenyi István University is building its activities using a wide ranging partnership model, which was further expanded with the signing of the agreement on Thursday. The institution is creating its Science and Innovation Park in Győr by transforming the iconic building of the former Győr biscuit factory under the GINOP-2.3.1-20-2020-00005 project identifier and has now entered into a long-term cooperation agreement with thyssenkrupp. Under the partnership, the parties will look for joint projects in line with their R&D and innovation activities and the objectives of the park, which may also take the form of research and joint exploitation of the precipitated cooperative fruits.
“The Széchenyi István University of Győr has always played an important role in the life of our company, and we are delighted to take this cooperation to a qualitatively higher level with this agreement. thyssenkrupp has been present in Győr for quite some time and we have been carrying out development work here. It is in the common interest of our company, the university, its students, and the country that our young people enter the world equipped with the latest technological trends and directions, and this agreement is a great step forward in this respect,” said Marc de Bastos Eckstein, Managing Director of thyssenkrupp Components Technology Hungary Kft., at the signing ceremony.
Prof. Dr. Ferenc Friedler, Rector and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Széchenyi István University said that the institution’s priority task is to ensure the supply of highly qualified professionals.
“In order to prepare the professionals of the future to solve the world’s current development tasks at a high level, professional cooperation with companies developing and applying cutting-edge technologies is indispensable. Such cooperation provides the partner company with excellent employees and our students with the opportunity for an outstanding professional career,” he underlined. He added that the long-term scientific cooperation in the university’s new innovation park aims at the joint development of advanced technologies.
Prof. Dr. József Bokor, Vice President of the institution responsible for research and innovation, said that Széchenyi István University is building an innovation ecosystem which include the institution and the companies belonging to the Széchenyi University Group – such as the Automotive Test Track Zala Ltd, ZalaZONE Industrial Park Zrt., HUMDA Hungarian Mobility Development Agency Zrt., and TECHTRA Technology Transfer Institute Non-profit Zrt.
“thyssenkrupp Components Technology Hungary Kft. is an important player in the automotive segment, in which our university also plays a significant role, so we can mutually strengthen each other in the field of innovation as well as training,” he stressed.
thyssenkrupp Components Technology Hungary Kft. is an important player in the automotive industry and the economy of Győr. As part of its E/E (electrical and electronic) competence centre in Budapest, it opened an engineering service centre in Győr this year to support the German company’s specialised Hungarian automotive R&D activities, which are unique in the world. Developed in Hungary for the world’s largest car manufacturers, thyssenkrupp’s “smart” electromechanical steering controls provide the latest in a wide range of driving assistance solutions and are also suitable for integrating with self-driving systems. In addition to automotive R&D in Győr, thyssenkrupp has other sites in the city involved in manufacturing and assembly, with a chassis assembly plant and a Steel Service Center. As mentioned the company opened a regional engineering office in the city earlier this year within the confines of the Széchenyi University Innovation Park Győr, where it is currently recruiting engineers.
Széchenyi István University bases its vision on sustainable development and advanced technologies. The institution’s wide-ranging competences in 11 disciplines will help to strengthen the region’s competitiveness and increase global knowledge in its specialised fields. The university carries out valuable research, development and innovation activities in areas such as the future of the automotive industry that include electromobility and autonomous vehicles. It offers its international student community and has an enrolment of around 14,000 students, it collaborates with more than 3,000 corporate partners, provides both academic and practical training, provides contemporary up-to-date knowledge to its students and partners and in hence creates a valuable diploma for the labour market to have access to.