Events

 On June 19 2025, the third professional event of the MATE Research Excellence and Flagship Research Groups Programmes was held at the Kaposvár Campus of MATE.  The focus of the workshop was to promote and strengthen cooperation between academics, researchers and practitioners. Different aspects of this topic were discussed, with the involvement of stakeholders from the private and public sectors. Among the audience were participants of the MATE Research Excellence Program (KKP), research group leaders of the Priority Research Groups Program (KKCs), as well as the principal of Táncsics Mihály Secondary School in Kaposvár, László Vámosi, and several of his students. 

The professional program was opened by Dr. Csaba Gyuricza, the Rector of MATE, emphasizing the importance of multidisciplinary collaborations. Afterwards, Dr. Zoltán Kovács, Head of Research Strategy at MATE, delivered the Program Leader’s greetings and summarized the achievements of the University's KKP and KKCs programs since their launch and MATE's increasingly strong position in various international rankings. In the plenary session, renowned experts introduced up-to-date research results in their field and also pointed out how this research is translated into practice and supports everyday work. 

Károly Szita, the Mayor of Kaposvár, gave a welcome speech and presented the sustainability objectives of Kaposvár and their implementation. Dr. Zsolt Káposztás, the Medical Director of the Somogy County Kaposi Mór Teaching Hospital, provided an insight into the latest technologies used in oncological surgery, including the application of artificial intelligence. Giacomo Pedranzini, the CEO of KOMETA 99 Zrt., introduced their company and the HonestFood Association, which was established in cooperation between KOMÉTA and MATE to protect the quality of Hungarian food products and the interests of farmers.  In his presentation, Gyula Pomázi, Director of Innovation at the Cibus Hungaricus Foundation, emphasized the importance of protecting innovative research results and retaining intellectual property in Hungary, even at the level of student theses.

Building on existing professional relationships, a cooperation agreement between Táncsics Mihály Sencodary School and MATE was signed during the plenary session. After the lunch break, which also offered an opportunity for networking, the audience had the option to choose between two parallel sessions. 

The Agricultural and Biotechnical Engineering session, led by Dr. Mónika Varga, provided insights into the current multidisciplinary work in the industrial practice and also in the university research in the fields of agriculture and related engineering sciences, thereby strengthening the dialogue between the two sectors. 

Krisztián Szabó, CEO of Szabó Gear Manufacturing Ltd., delivered a realistic presentation about the challenges of daily practice, emphasizing that R&D&I is the area that provides domestic companies with the opportunity to survive in the competitive landscape created by American and Asian firms. On behalf of MATE’s excellence programs, Dr. László Zsidai, Professor and Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering Processes at the Institute of Technology, gave a comprehensive overview about the application possibilities of additive digital technologies in agriculture, pointing out the related research potentials. Dr. József Zsembeli, Director of the newly established MATE National Climate and Landscape Research Centre, drew attention to the increasing threats of drought and irrigation water quality, highlighting the importance of reduced soil cultivation and quality improvement to mitigate damage. 

Training future researchers and involving young talents is crucial for both research and practice. Therefore, it was a great pleasure to showcase two presentations by students from Táncsics Mihály High School. Tibor Sántha and Zsombor András Tóth presented their self-built instrument for measuring high atmospheric radiation, which was sent into the stratosphere using a meteorological balloon, and also shared their related measurements results. Henrietta Rajhona, also a student at Táncsics Mihály Secondary School, and an active volunteer of the Red Cross, aimed to develop defibrillators. In her presentation, she introduced a unique new development for existing devices that will enable even more human lives to be saved. Her project earned second place at the National Scientific and Innovation Olympiad. Both research projects were carried out under the mentorship of László Vámosi, the principal of Táncsics Mihály High School. 

The presentations were followed by a roundtable discussion with Krisztián Szabó, László Vámosi, Dr. Tamás Csörgő, Dr. András Székács, Dr. László Zsidai, and Dr. József Zsembeli as panelists. During the discussion, important topics raised in the presentations were discussed, including the practical application of the most recent findings, strengthening cooperation between different sectors and disciplines, ensuring the close relationship between education, research, and industrial practice, and ensuring the effective commercialization and protection of results. 

The other parallel professional program was the Agricultural and Food Science session, chaired by Dr. László Friedrich. 

The first presentation of the session was given by Linda Szommerné Egyed, Managing Director of Fino-Food Ltd., who spoke about the relationship between education, research, and industrial practice, drawing from the experiences of their family-owned business.

She was followed by Péter Vörös, Director General of the MATE Kaposvár Campus, and Attila Sztankó, Chief Financial Officer of KOMETA 99 Plc., who delivered a joint presentation titled “ESG in the Food Industry – A New Approach from the Perspective of Health, Sustainability, and Corporate Governance”. In the next part of the program, Dr. István Péterfi, Head of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at the Somogy County Kaposi Mór Teaching Hospital, introduced new electrophysiological examination methods validated through animal testing, with a special focus on obstetrics. The session continued with a presentation by Dr. Melinda Kovács, Director of the Institute of Physiology and Animal Nutrition at MATE, addressing food safety within the One Health framework. The lecture series concluded with a talk by Dr. Melinda Csima, Deputy Director of Research at the Institute of Educational Sciences at MATE, who discussed health literacy and the human factors of the One Health approach. 

In this session, Táncsics Mihály High School was also represented by Péter Pusztai, who presented “Examination of Ketoprofen-Mannitol Combination Nanoparticles on Human Alveolar and Bronchial Epithelial Models”. He pointed out that even as a high school student, one can be an important team member in international-level research. 

The presentations in this session were also followed by a roundtable discussion, moderated by Dr. László Friedrich. Panelists included Dr. Melinda Kovács, Dr. Melinda Csima, Linda Egyed, Dr. István Péterfi, Gyula Pomázi, and Péter Vörös. The roundtable discussion was intense, with many contributions from the audience. A key conclusion of the discussion was the importance of such forums and the fact that in order to effectively commercialize research results, multiple disciplines must be represented alongside the researchers. 

After a short break, a joint conciuding session was held. Dr. Mónika Varga, session chair, summarized the experiences of the Agricultural and Biotechnical session, and Dr. László Friedrich, session chair of the Agricultural and Food Science session, briefly summarized their experiences. At the end of the professional program, the important lesson drawn was that research will only be useful at all levels if it can be subordinated to the needs and directions of practical application. Countries that successfully and economically implement innovative ideas into practice are operating in the opposite way compared to us and the EU. They invest in research based on market needs, not by selecting useful results from existing research. 

The event ended with a presentation by Dr. András Székács titled “OECD CRP Funding Opportunities,” in which he introduced the open calls from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). In his presentation, he emphasized that as a member of the organization’s governing body, he has good insight into the calls, and based on his experience from previous years, he believes that MATE researchers have a good chance of applying for these grants.