Besides start-ups, the focus is on aerospace, environmental industry, electronics and hydrogen technology. Despite the epidemic situation, economic diplomacy visits will remain a priority, as will the organization of online events with the main aim of connecting relevant German and Hungarian actors.
Hungary has strong technical talent and industrial traditions, but the country and the market are, in European terms, rather medium-sized. As a result, the economy is open, export-oriented and offers a business-friendly environment. It is characterized by a well-trained labor force at a competitive price, one of the most competitive tax systems in Europe, highly developed infrastructures, a strong investment incentive policy and professional business promotion agencies. investments and exports (HIPA and HEPA), which make Hungary an attractive location for business.
The Consulate General of Hungary is committed to focusing on Hungarian startups. This is the area where he has established excellent relations with Elektor. The objective is to enable start-ups to access foreign markets while keeping part of their activities in Hungary, thus creating high-productivity jobs and added value in the country. As a result, the Hungarian Consulate General in Munich last year launched a new start-up program, the so-called Munich Hungarian Acceleration Program (MHAP), aimed at helping SMEs become part of the global market. These Hungarian startups have all developed something unique, a business idea that has already caught the attention of experts. As part of the program funded by the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Consulate General of Hungary offers various services. Among other things, it provides business advice and connects SMEs with relevant German companies, organisations, investors and experts.
Thanks to MHAP and the consulting program provided by Elektor experts, two Hungarian companies finished on the podium and won valuable prizes at the electronica Fast Forward Startup Award in 2020. AXS Motionsystem Ltd. won first place, while e-Fásli Ltd. which offers the first self-learning thermotherapy device came third. AXS Motionsystem Ltd provides ergonomic assessment solutions to businesses to improve workplace safety and enable more efficient production. The company also participated in Elektor’s investment program and has worked closely with Elektor since last year’s electronica. Thanks to this cooperation, the business development of the company in Europe is progressing excellently.
In 2021, the MHAP also supported five Hungarian startups during the productronica fast forward: Pozi Development Ltd from Budapest even won 3rd place in the startup competition. Pozi provides full visibility into manufacturing and logistics and identifies and eliminates lean waste throughout the supply chain. METRE helps customers benefit from the convergence of mobility and energy systems, and makes power grids more efficient, safer and more environmentally friendly. Aeriu is a drone software company that helps businesses with warehouses speed up and reduce costs. HeatVentors Ltd. offers a patented and award-winning innovation, the so-called HeatTank, which is a unique and innovative solution for optimizing cooling processes and effectively complements or replaces conventional compressor air conditioners. ViveLab Ergo is an ergonomics consulting company located in Hungary that provides ergonomics services and software subscriptions to its customers.
We are convinced that the success of these start-ups will allow us to support the business development of more and more Hungarian start-ups in the future.
A relatively new area of activity for the Consulate General of Hungary is support for the space industry. Why is it so?
The space industry represents an essential part of the Hungarian character – curiosity, exploration and innovation. Space research pushes the limits of what is possible; it creates value for the European economy and society and contributes to science, technology and innovation. The distance between space and our daily life is much less than we might think at first sight. Even the simplest business ideas are capable of conquering the galaxy. Countless technological solutions, which are natural to us today, came from the space industry a few decades ago, within the framework of research and development programs launched to conquer space. Many solutions we use daily, such as cell phone cameras, solar power, and laptop computers, are based on space exploration technologies.
It’s less well known, but Hungary has a 75-year-old history of space research. This year marks the 42nd anniversary of the first time a Hungarian went into space. Hungary is increasingly focusing on the space industry and is a full member of the European Space Agency (ESA) since 2015. The country is open to international affairs, in particular to European cooperation. Hungary will even send an astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) by the middle of this decade. The astronaut will travel to the ISS to conduct scientific experiments using equipment made in Hungary. Equipment to be used for telecommunications, Earth observation and radiation measurement will be developed by national companies and universities participating in the program.
It was therefore a pleasure to organize in close cooperation with the Bavarian Aerospace Cluster an online Hungarian-Bavarian Aerospace Conference and Business Forum to connect Hungarian and Bavarian aerospace ecosystem players. The event was opened by Consul General Gábor Tordai-Lejkó and Roland Weigert, State Secretary for Foreign Economic Affairs of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy. Speeches were delivered by Dr Orsolya Ferencz, Ministerial Commissioner for Space Research, and Frank Negretti, Member of the BAVARIA Bavarian Board of Directors.
Startups will now also be able to join this industry more effectively. With the help of ESA’s international incubation programme, companies with young entrepreneurs can now be active participants and winners in this process. Companies that enter the space industry have a huge opportunity for development because space research is a field in which anyone can get involved. ESA operates a total of 22 incubation centers on the continent and has already supported more than 1,100 companies. Several of them have now become global companies. The organization has been working actively for six years, together with Hungary, to develop Hungarian space activities. This collaboration now extends to new spheres: the Hungarian-designed Terminal will take over the national representation of ESA space activities and will now lead the ESA Business Incubation Center Hungary (ESA BIC) program, which will pave the way for companies Hungarians to enter the space industry.
The main objective of ESA BIC Hungary is to develop successful industrial startups and to create and strengthen a space industry community in Hungary. Startups in the program will receive €50,000 in incentive funding in addition to reaching domestic and global investors, as well as benefiting from business mentorship and technical and legal support. The 12-24 month incubation program is open to companies based in Hungary whose products and services are based on a new technological invention or use existing technology in a new way. Mentoring and business meetings started in January 2022, while the application is open permanently with specific deadlines indicated on the project webpage.
European cooperation is a strategic priority for the whole of the European Union, including Hungary. It gives us access to the latest knowledge and the best talent from around the world, it creates new business opportunities and, above all, it helps us to meet the challenges that our cities and us, as citizens of these cities, are facing. The Consulate General of Hungary in Bavaria is therefore pleased to be able to help our partners to strengthen international relations in the field of trade and research.
You can reach the commercial advisors, Mr. Gergely Janzsó and Mr. Roland Péli of the Consulate General of Hungary, using the following contact details:
Consulate General of Hungary in Bavaria
81679 Munich, Mauerkircherstr 1a.
Phone. : + 49 (0) 89 962280 246
Fax: +49 (0) 89 962280 240
Email: [email protected]
The Web: http://exporthungary.gov.hu/en
