Hungary is the guest of honour at one of the world's most prestigious innovation events, the Pujiang Innovation Forum in Shanghai, China. Hungary will be represented by a 40-member delegation of policy makers, scientists, business and academic leaders at the event, which will take place from 7-10 September. The delegation will be led by László Bódis, Deputy State Secretary for Innovation at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation and CEO of the Hungarian Innovation Agency.
On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and China, Hungary is the guest of honour at the Pujiang Innovation Forum (PIF) in Shanghai. The 40-strong delegation includes policy makers (including representatives of organisations that play a key role in the development of the domestic innovation ecosystem, such as the National Research, Development and Innovation Office and the Hungarian Innovation Agency), scientists, business and academic leaders at the large-scale event. Thanks to the Guest of Honour status, the Chinese professional and investment community will pay special attention to the presentation of Hungarian science and innovation achievements.
As a Guest of Honour, Hungary has the opportunity to present its culture, gastronomy and national values, as well as organise its own sub-forum. The Hungarian sub-forum on 8 September focused on healthy living, Hungarian medical and health research and innovation. This is one of the key focus areas of the government's innovation strategy package, the Neumann János Programme, in which Hungary can boast impressive results.
"The Forum was a great opportunity to showcase Hungary's scientific, research and innovation strengths and world-class achievements at one of the largest innovation conferences in China and the world. With our own Hungarian stand, we were able to showcase our research institutes, universities and many of our innovative companies to decision-makers and innovators from many countries. Innovation and science are international disciplines: we Hungarians can only be successful if we strengthen our cooperation in these fields with both the West and the East", said László Bódis, head of the Hungarian delegation.
As the opening speech of the Pujiang Innovation Forum, Szilárd Bolla, the Hungarian Consul General in Shanghai, read out a letter from Tamás Sulyok, President of the Republic of Hungary, and then László Bódis, the keynote speaker of the event, welcomed the participants of the exhibition. In his speech, he stressed that this occasion is a testimony to the shared commitment to innovation and the promotion of global cooperation. He added that China is also an important partner for Hungary, as it has become an absolute global leader in science and innovation in recent years, so we have a lot to learn from them.
Our country has set itself 3 important goals with this journey. Firstly, to create as much research and innovation cooperation as possible between Hungarian and Chinese universities and research institutes, as this is how successful joint technologies are created and we can learn from each other (for example, how a small nation can boast so many Nobel Prize winners and so many top-ranked universities).
On the other hand, it is important that as many Hungarian start-ups and innovative companies as possible can gain a foothold in the world's largest market of 1.4 billion. To this end, the National Innovation Agency's XPAND programme has introduced 18 companies (in the fields of agriculture, water technology and holistic technology) to China.
Thirdly, the Hungarian government aims to encourage Chinese companies to set up research and development centres in Hungary to create high value-added jobs, which could even help Hungarian start-ups.
The delegation took part in an intensive programme alongside the PIF. Among others, they were hosted by the Mayor of Shanghai, China's largest industrial city with a population of about 25 million, Gong Zheng; the Vice-Minister of the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Jia Chang Chen; and they also had discussions with several organisations and companies interested in science, technology and innovation about the opportunities for Hungarian businesses in China. Hungarian experts were welcomed with great openness and concrete cooperation opportunities have already been outlined with several partners. For example, an agreement has been reached with the Deputy Minister of MOST to set up joint laboratories and joint mobility and R&D programmes.
The Shanghai Pujiang Innovation Forum has been held since 2008 and this year is the 17th edition. The event brings together key players from the Chinese innovation ecosystem, government officials, innovators and academic researchers from around the world. The thematic forums, trade exhibitions, seminars and other interactive events following the grand opening event and plenary session covered a wide range of important topics with a major impact on the future of humanity, from quantum technologies to technologies for healthy living, space and ocean exploration, and even ethical issues raised by technological advances.
