One of Széchenyi István University’s undertakings is the “Smart Farm,” which was established at the Kázmér Albert Faculty of Agriculture in Mosonmagyaróvár. The Smart Farm investment and equipment acquisition was implemented within the framework of the EU priority project “Development of the 6th Pillar Digital Development Centre”, GINOP-3.1.1-VEKOP-15-2016-00001 “Encouraging and supporting cooperation between educational institutions and ICT (IKT) enterprises.”
Within the framework of the project GINOP-3.1.1-VEKOP-15-2016-00001, a total gross amount of HUF 951,039,049 was spent on three types of technical subjects.
‘Technological modernization is taking place in Hungarian agriculture – this is the basic idea that determines our everyday life, the present of our educational institutions, the future of the Hungarian countryside, and the whole agricultural sector.’ – Dr. István Nagy, Minister of Agriculture and Member of Parliament for Mosonmagyaróvár and its region said in his welcoming speech at the Smart Farm project opening event in Mosonmagyaróvár.
He said: ‘Today’s agriculture is consistently working to boost the development of the food industry and to create broad cooperation between food product chains. The synergy characterizing the agricultural sector is the key to achieving these goals, as people and technology are the keys to success.’
The Minister also pointed out that the faculty of the Széchenyi István University in Mosonmagyaróvár has played an important role in Hungary’s agricultural higher education for two centuries. During its high-quality training and research and development activities, it has cooperated with many companies that are key players in the sector. ‘Today’s celebration is also a result of this, as the latest development of the Albert Kázmér Mosonmagyaróvár Faculty of Agriculture, the Smart Farm, is the latest investment to be completed following an agreement almost a year ago.’
He added: ‘I am pleased and proud to be able to hand over a new training center in Mosonmagyaróvár, which meets all the complex development needs of the agricultural sector. This will allow students to learn in a practice-oriented educational environment with the most modern tools.’
Prof. Dr. László Palkovics, President of the Board of Trustees of the Széchenyi István University Foundation, recalled the interconnection of the Széchenyi University and the Albert Kázmér Faculty in Mosonmagyaróvár as well as its initial steps and the results of the fruitful cooperation that has been established today. He stressed that ‘it is now clear that if we combine technology with agriculture, i.e., digital agricultural technologies, we can create an innovation and economic platform that will foresee the continuous development of the food economy for many years to come.’
Dr. Károly Balázs Solymár, Deputy State Secretary for Energy Info-communications, said that the Smart Farm: “Program the Future” IT training aims to make this career as attractive as possible for students studying at the university. He also mentioned active participation in authentic tasks and problem-solving because ‘These have a real social impact!’
After the welcoming speeches, Dr. István Drotár, Head of the Digital Development Competence Centre, and Dr. Tamás Tóth, Head of the Agricultural and Food Research Centre, gave a short presentation on the present and the plans for the Smart Farm project until 2030.
At the end of the event, Széchenyi István University and Axiál Kft. both signed a cooperation agreement, in the framework of which they will play an essential role in the organization of practical training and courses in several disciplines, which will be made available not only to students of BSc, MSc, and Ph.D. courses but also to farmers, agricultural companies, and consultants. In addition to education, they would also like to expand existing professional collaborations in research and development, such as national and EU tenders, joint intellectual property exploitation, or laboratory testing.
