Joint high-level kick-off ceremony for the EPIC and HCEMM projects (11 April 2017)

The event will be open to the press and live-streamed on the NRDI Office website, detailed agenda below:

09:30-10:00 Registration

10:00-12:00 Morning session – Joint high-level kick-off ceremony of the EPIC and HCEMM projects

• High-level participants of Hungary and EC, participants of the two successful Teaming projects

10:00 – 10:45 Welcome speeches
10:00 – 10:10 High-level representative of the Prime Minister’s Office
10:10 – 10:30 Robert-Jan Smits, Director-General, Directorate Research and Innovation, EC
10:30 – 10:45 Prof József Pálinkás, President, National Research, Development and Innovation Office
10:45 – 11:05 Key-note speeches – EPIC project
10:45 – 11:00 Prof László Monostori, Director, Institute for Computer Science and Control of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest (SZTAKI)

• scientific content of the project in brief
• focus on expected socio-economic impact of the project
• importance of the partnership with Fraunhofer

Main messages: Our ambition is that the EPIC Centre of Excellence in Production Informatics and Control will be a leading, internationally acknowledged focus point in the field of production informatics, management and control representing excellence in research, development and innovation. The project will strengthen the ability of the partners to transfer their research results to the industry by applying the successful Fraunhofer model and building on the close cooperation with the Hungarian Industry 4.0 platform.

11:00 – 11:02 Prof János Józsa, Rector, Budapest University of Technology and Economics

• importance of the project in the future strategic development plans of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics
• impact on the higher education curricula

Main message: The project will have a significant and sustainable impact on the development of education and training programs for engineers and researchers of the future in the field of production informatics. A modular concept for specific trainings, coaching and e-learning components to transfer knowledge to the industry will be developed based on the real needs of the Hungarian industry.

11:02 – 11:04 Dr Jens Neugebauer, Director European Policy and Business Development, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft

• significance of the EPIC project in the future development plans of Fraunhofer
• expected impact (in the CEE region and Europe) of the EPIC Centre of Excellence in the field of production informatics and contol

11:05 – 11:30 Key-note speeches – HCEMM project
11:05 – 11:20 Dr Tamás Martinek, Vice-Rector, University of Szeged

• scientific content of the project in brief
• focus on expected socio-economic impact of the project (translational aspects, how the results can be used in the health sector, how the HCEMM Centre of Excellence will build cooperation with biotech and pharma companies
• importance of the partnership with EMBL

Main messages: It is expected that HCEMM will be a strong catalyst of reforming changes in biomedical science and in institutional research management and will serve as a role model in the country and possibly in the Central-Eastern European region for organizing research. It has the potential to contribute to breakthroughs in molecular diagnostics in the field of metabolism, cardiovascular, cancerous and inflammatory diseases that are seriously affecting the ageing population.

11:20 – 11:22 Prof Gábor Szabó, Rector, University of Szeged

• importance of the project in the future strategic development plans of the University of Szeged
• impact on the higher education curricula

Main messages: In our expectations HCEMM will be a catalyst in the development of a new organizational and creative research culture in Hungary and will significantly contribute to attracting highly qualified young talents and further improving the scientific excellence by systematic independent reviewing system. HCEMM headquarters will be established in Szeged offering excellent opportunities to transfer of technology and knowledge to industry and contribute to the competitiveness of the region among others by promoting research groups to form spin-off companies, attracting and carrying out industrial research projects from the biotech sector.

11:22 – 11:24 Prof András Jávor, Vice-Rector, University of Debrecen
Main message: HCEMM project will actively contribute to the education of researchers in the area of molecular medicine by providing multi- and inter-disciplinary training for the next generation of scientists and medical practitioners. HCEMM also has the ambition to form a hub, by linking locally existing regional clusters, industrial partners to the knowledge centre.
11:24 – 11:26 Dr Ágoston Szél, Rector, Semmelweis University

• importance of the project in the future strategic development plans of the Semmelweis University
• impact on the higher education curricula

Main message: The project places a particular emphasis on translational research as it offers access to the patient population served by the three largest clinical hospitals of the country. With HCEMM we see unique opporunitites to transfer the latest research results into practice and contribute to improving the quality of life of patients and the healthcare system.

11:26 – 11:28 Prof Pál Ormos, Director, Biological Research Centre of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Szeged (BRC)

• importance of the project in the future strategic development plans of the BRC

Main message: According to our expectations HCEMM will further improve the international standing of Hungarian researchers in the field of molecular medicine in a strong partnership with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. HCEMM will offer access to new research avenues, creativity and the development of new approaches, and it will be a source for increased mobility (inwards and outwards) of qualified scientists.

11:28 – 11:30 Dr Anne-Claude Gavin, Group Leader and Senior Scientist, EMBL

• significance of the HCEMM project in the strategic development plans of EMBL
• expected impact (in the CEE region and Europe) of the HCEMM Centre of Excellence in the field of molecular biology

11:30 – 11:45 Questions and answers
11:45 – 12:00 Closing remarks, Prof József Pálinkás, President, National Research, Development and Innovation Office
12:15 – 13:45 Lunch (ARAZ Restaurant)
13:30 – 14:00 Press room, Interviews
14:30 – 15:30 Site visit organized for Robert-Jan Smits at the Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Prof Tamás Freund, Director Presentation on the National Brain Research Programme

• Discussion with the ERC grantees of the institution

15:30 Leaving for the airport