Hungary’s universities are gearing up for industrial digitalisation

Leading IT provider S&T Consulting Hungary Ltd. has signed a strategic agreement to provide five universities with industrial digitalisation solutions, preparing them for Industry 4.0. 

S&T University 4.0 was launched on November 6 with an official agreement signed by S&T and representatives from five leading Hungarian universities, namely the University of Technology and Economics of Budapest, University of Debrecen, University of Miskolc, John von Neumann University, and Széchenyi István University.

The five-year strategic cooperation will involve S&T supporting the higher education institutes by providing industrial digitalisation software solutions and training programmes worth millions of Euros.

Industry 4.0, often described as the age of automation, involves a multitude of changes that will bring significant impact across all industries. It will require the digitalisation of day-to-day processes and systems through the adoption of emerging technologies such as smart technology, AI and the Internet of Things (IoT).

These changes will likely pose unprecedented challenges to both industry and education sectors. 

For Hungary, it is crucial for players in both fields to quickly adapt to these changes to ensure the nation can triumph as a competent and competitive global player in the new era. 

To achieve this, University 4.0 will work as a catalyst to speed up the multi-faceted knowledge transfer between industry and universities. 

“It is impossible to take advantage of the transformation to Industry 4.0 without new generations of engineers who are well trained to use and understand the importance of the most modern digitalisation software solutions. Therefore, universities play a crucial role in the modernisation of Hungarian industry,” S&T CEO Péter Szabó said at the programme’s launch. 

“Recognising this, we created the S&T University 4.0 programme. We do believe we can provide the needed momentum for this transformation which will generate industrial growth.”

Describing the initiative as a “strategic investment into the future”, S&T’s Industrial Digitalisation Business Unit leader Ferenc Nyirő expressed confidence that S&T’s software solutions will be in great hands and that knowledge obtained through the programme will greatly enhance the development of industry.

The programme has been initially signed on for a five-year-run and involves cohesive cooperation between S&T and its IT industry partners who will provide and adapt their digitalisation software and corresponding training programmes for university faculty to meet the educational needs of the Hungarian universities. 

Among S&T’s software industry partners who will be participating in the programme are Altair Inc., CoreTech System Co. Ltd. (Moldex3D), PTC Inc., and Visual Components Oy. 

Leaders and educators from participating universities agreed the programme will benefit students and educators alike in developing future talent to tackle the impending challenges of Industry 4.0.

“Budapest University of Technology and Economics as the leading technical higher education institution in the country is excited to participate in the University 4.0 program. This activity can be an important part where young people not only become excellent professionals but educated persons in the widest sense,” said University of Technology and Economics of Budapest Center for University-Industry Cooperation (FIEK) director László Lengyel.

“…Through this co-operation we are able to boost the competencies of our engineering students by providing them trainings for these software solutions, thus increasing their chances of employment,” said Debrecen University General Vice-rector professor Dr Ákos Pintér.

There is a possibility for more industry participants to be added later on after analysing the results of the initial programme. S&T is also open to receiving new applications from universities.