2024-08-29

Hungary Innovation Summit: innovation = mindset

An international conference will open Hungary Innovation Week, a series of events organised by the Hungarian Innovation Agency (NIÜ). The Hungary Innovation Summit is the flagship event for those interested in innovation, technological developments and innovative ideas. The Summit keynote speaker will be Jon Medved, founder and CEO of the global venture capital platform OurCrowd. The Hungarian government aims to make Hungary one of the top ten most innovative countries in Europe by 2030.

At the Hungary Innovation Summit, national and international experts will discuss the future of innovation, the societal challenges of new technologies and internationally successful models for building innovation ecosystems through presentations, workshops and panel discussions.  The event will provide an excellent opportunity for networking, exchange of experiences and new collaborations, fostering the development of the national and international innovation ecosystem. Representatives from companies and organisations such as OurCrowd, Richter, Bosch, Wigner Physics Research Centre, SZTAKI, Evosoft, Dealroom, OECD, Deep Ecosystem, as well as Swedish, Austrian and Czech innovation agencies will present or exchange ideas on stage.

"Hungary Innovation Week is an umbrella event where we have asked organisations working with Hungarian startups, SMEs and innovation in general to organise their autumn events during this week, as it will make these events mutually reinforcing. Because if someone from abroad (as a speaker, for example) or from Hungary attends these events, they can not only visit one, but also visit several. This is taken up by the NIÜ's own event, the Hungary Innovation Summit. Our aim is to support the innovation ecosystem by showcasing internationally successful market and government solutions, providing insights into the future of technological development and a space for a clash of views. Since 2010, government R&D spending has nearly tripled, the number of R&D staff working in Hungary has more than doubled and the Neumann János Programme, which links universities, research centres and the economy, has been a success. The Hungarian government aims to make Hungary one of the ten most innovative countries in Europe by 2030. With foreign guests from more than 10 countries and from a wide range of backgrounds, the event will broaden the horizons of the participants and we expect the discussions and joint thinking to be inspiring for all", said László Bódis, CEO of the NIÜ.

At the event, experts from leading Hungarian R&D companies will discuss the impact of R&D on the business itself and the innovation ecosystem. We will also learn about the work and best practices of some international innovation agencies (Swedish, Austrian, Czech) and the rise of artificial intelligence and bionics. In addition, three sessions (Innovation, Startups, University-Business Partnerships) will discuss topics such as social innovation; successful entrepreneurs learning from failure; methods for measuring innovation; and the ideal development of startup ecosystems. But there will also be a fascinating debate on whether society needs more basic or applied research (or both).

The Hungary Innovation Summit will be accompanied by a small exhibition. The games industry has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years, affecting board games, logic games and video games alike. In addition, there are successful Hungarian companies operating in this field. Conference participants will also have the opportunity to discover and try out some exciting and innovative board games and logic games. "In addition to the exhibition, Hungary Innovation Week will also provide an opportunity to meet innovative players from the games industry in person. On 25 September, the NIÜ will organise two round tables, free of charge, where board game, logic game and video game makers and distributors, as well as some vloggers, will share their experiences on current trends. More details will be announced soon", said László Bódis.

Hungary Innovation Week will feature innovation events organised by organisations such as EduTech Hungary, the Hungarian Venture Capital Association (HVCA), the Vienna Business Agency, the Hungarian Project Management Association, RInnoValleys and the Hungarian Business Angel Network (HUNBAN).

The detailed programme of the Hungary Innovation Summit conference is available here: https://innoweek.hu/en/hungary-innovation-summit/