Training and innovation: Széchenyi István University establishes joint venture with Agrofert Hungária

Participants in the signing ceremony: Dr. Balázs Ásványi, Deputy Dean for Corporate Relations of the Albert Kázmér Faculty of Medicine in Mosonmagyaróvár, Dr. Zoltán Drucskó, Operational Director, Deputy Country Manager, on behalf of Agrofert Hungária Kft., Marica Pintér-Péntek, Facility Manager of Széchenyi István University in Mosonmagyaróvár, Professor Ferenc Friedler, Rector and Vice President of Science of the University, and Dr. Tamás Tóth, Research Professor, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in Mosonmagyaróvár. (Photo: András Adorján)

Following the opening of the academic year at the Albert Kázmér Faculty of Mosonmagyaróvár, another ceremony took place: Széchenyi István University, its utilization enterprise, Uni Inno Zrt., and Agrofert Hungária Kft. signed a cooperation agreement with each other. The aim of this is to create market-based, economically sustainable services that promote the direct economic utilization of scientific innovation and strengthen the integration of industry and higher education in the long term. It was announced at the event that the faculty has signed 18 agreements with various companies in the past two years, which have resulted in more than thirty joint projects, contributing to sustainable development and the spread of environmentally conscious solutions. On the occasion of the signing, Dr. Balázs Ásványi, the faculty’s deputy dean responsible for corporate relations, emphasized that under the agreement, the university and Agrofert Hungária will establish a joint venture in Bábolná and Mosonmagyaróvár, combining the professional knowledge and innovation capabilities of the two parties. “The aim of the planned enterprise is to contribute to the long-term operation of the university by operating sustainably and profitably, while providing Agrofert Hungária with an innovation and workforce recruitment base, and promoting the technological and market development goals of the group. We intend to utilize the Bábolna Campus as a joint development space, within which we will jointly support the strengthening of practice-oriented training by expanding the infrastructure of the university’s external department, and we also plan to establish a research and development center. In addition, our goal is to launch micro-certification training courses that provide farmers and entrepreneurs in the region with up-to-date knowledge and professional development opportunities,” he said.

Joint company to be founded

Dr. Tamás Tóth, research professor and dean of the faculty, highlighted that the institution has a decades-long relationship with the Agrofert group, which will be raised to a new level with the declaration of intent to establish a joint company. “The cooperation also extends to the development of student services: the Agrofert Hungária Foundation is providing support for the creation of a place in our academic building that serves as a modern community and learning space for students,” he added. The dean thanked the company representatives as well as the university management for the support that made these plans possible. He emphasized that several investments are also underway at the faculty that serve to strengthen the student community. On behalf of Agrofert Hungária Kft., Dr. Zoltán Drucskó, Operational Director and Deputy Country Manager, looked back on the stages of cooperation with the university so far, and then spoke about another milestone in the partnership. “The joint business venture will make our relationship even stronger and more diverse. We would like to establish our regional center in the academic sector, and by establishing the joint company, we will also provide students with the opportunity to gain direct experience of how business life works. Several students are currently doing their internships with our group of companies, and we are confident that many of them will continue their careers with us after graduating,” he emphasized.

SZE