Strengthening Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation through Innovation

More than 220 representatives from business, academia, research institutions, government and the innovation ecosystem gathered at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics on 9 June 2026 for the first Swiss-Hungarian Innovation Forum.

The event was jointly organised by Swisscham Hungary, the Embassy of Switzerland in Hungary and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics.

The Forum was created with a clear objective: to provide a platform for dialogue on how innovation can contribute to competitiveness, economic growth and societal progress, while further strengthening cooperation between Switzerland and Hungary.

Throughout the day, participants gained valuable insights into innovation ecosystems, technology transfer, research excellence and the journey from laboratory to market.

A key message of the Forum was that Hungary regards Switzerland as both a model and a strategic partner in supporting innovation. Particular emphasis was placed on accelerating the market uptake of research results, strengthening cooperation between research, higher education and industry, and unlocking new opportunities in technology, digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

The high level of participation, the active engagement of the audience and the extensive media interest confirmed that innovation is not only a key economic topic but also an area where international partnerships can create lasting value.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all speakers, panellists and participants for contributing to the success of this milestone event.

We would like to thank our Sponsors for supporting the event.

We look forward to continuing the dialogue and fostering new connections between the Swiss and Hungarian innovation communities.

Presentations:

János Levendovszky : The Innovation Ecosystem of the Budapest University of Technology and Economics

István Szabó & Alexander J.B. Zehnder: Innovation Systems – a comparison

Prof. Robert Somogyi: From Lab to Market, Translating European Capability into Global Complexity