The annual conference of the Neumann Society and HUN-REN SZTAKI focuses on AI, holography and this year’s Neumann Prize winners

November 6, 2025. This year, the Neumann Society and HUN-REN SZTAKI will organize their usual major conference on November 19, 2025 under the subtitle New IT – innovation and informatics. This year’s event will present the practical application possibilities of infocommunication tools and AI in the Hungarian innovation ecosystem, covering several fields related to innovation and digital solutions, including industrial application possibilities.

The government recently announced that Artificial Intelligence Commissioners will be appointed in Hungarian ministries and AI managers in the capital and county government offices, while also expanding technology-related training to a number of new areas. Prof. Dr. László Palkovics, Government Commissioner for AI, will provide conference participants with information about measures in this area in his presentation. In his keynote speech, he will shed light on how our country’s general AI strategy is being transformed into specific government steps.

The conference will commemorate the recently deceased Dr. Bálint Dömölki, a defining pioneer of Hungarian computer science, who participated in the development of the first Hungarian computer, the M-3, as a founding member of the MTA Cybernetics Research Group, and later held senior positions at several domestic software development companies and research institutes, as well as at the Neumann Company.

The afternoon program will present, among other things, the fields of holography, petrochemicals, higher education, and environmental protection. It is a special pleasure that the young audience prize winners of the 1st innOtdk competition launched this year will also be among the speakers. After pre-registration, participants in the event, which can be attended free of charge, can get a comprehensive picture of the industrial, research, and social applications of AI and other new digital solutions. Another important topic of the conference will be how innovations introduced at a higher education institution can contribute to increasing the competitiveness of local companies.

The presentations will include the presentation of the traditional awards of the Neumann Society – the Neumann Award, the Kalmár Award, the János Kemény Award, the Tarján Memorial Medal, and the NJSZT Lifetime Achievement Award – which are given to outstanding researchers and educators in Hungarian computer science every year.

The conference is integrally connected to the series of events of the 200th Anniversary of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Science Festival.

Date:November 19, 2025 from 2 p.m.

Venue: HUN-REN SZTAKI, Budapest, Kende u. 13-17, 1111 (map)

The conference is open to the press and interested parties, participation in the event is free, but requires prior registration, which can be done on this page.The planned program of the 2025 Neumann Conference:

• 14:00 Prof. Dr. Levente Kovács, President of the National Institute of Information Technology (NJSZT)
• 14:10 Commemoration of the work of the pioneer of Hungarian IT, Dr. Bálint Dömölki, who passed away this year
• 14:30 Prof. Dr. László Palkovics, Government Commissioner for MI, presentation: Breaking down the artificial intelligence strategy into government measures
• 15:00 János Kemény Award, Tarján Memorial Medal award ceremony
• 15:15 Prof. Dr. Ákos Zarándy (HUN-REN SZTAKI) presentation on Holodetect technology: Holographic microscope for automated analysis of volumetric samples
• 15:45 Emánuel Kovács (MOL Petrochemicals Zrt.) presentation: The emergence of AI in the everyday life of MOL Petrochemicals Zrt.
• 16:15 break (snack, soft drinks)
• 16:45 Presentation of the Kalmár Prize, Neumann Prize, and the NJSZT Lifetime Achievement Award
• 17:00 Prof. Dr. Ildikó Csóka (Hungarian Innovation Association) presentation: Innovation rhythm update: how does IT change the playing field?
• 17:30 Dr. Gábor Kertész (Vice President of the Hungarian Innovation Association) will present the InnOTDK tender in his presentation