Széchenyi István University, host of this year’s QS Higher Ed Europe Summit, welcomed more than one hundred leading experts from higher education and industry representing thirty-three countries to its Győr Innovation Park on the opening day of the international conference. Focusing on the relationship between academia and the corporate sector, the event brought together prominent figures from the automotive, information technology and defence industries, among many others, to share their experiences and insights.
Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) is one of the world’s most renowned and influential higher education analytics and rankings organisations. Its flagship publication is the QS World University Rankings, and each year it also organises one of Europe’s leading forums for higher education leaders, the QS Higher Ed Europe Summit. This year, the three-day event, held from 23 to 25 June, is hosted by Széchenyi István University.
The opening day took place at the University’s Győr Innovation Park, where more than one hundred senior experts from thirty-three countries participated in the “Advanced Business Skills Forum”. Discussions centred on the relationship between higher education and industry, a key pillar of the University’s strategy and one of its greatest strengths reflected in international rankings.
Serving the Economy and Society
In her welcome address, Dr Eszter Lukács, Vice President for International Affairs and Strategic Relations at the University, highlighted that QS possesses an unparalleled wealth of data, drawing its analyses on the experiences and opinions of millions of companies, employees, students and academics. “It is therefore a great honour for us that Nunzio Quacquarelli, Founder and President of QS, together with the QS community, is personally directing the attention of the international higher education sector towards Hungary, Győr and our University. We are grateful for the trust, the partnership and the opportunity to host some of the most influential figures in higher education from Europe and around the world,” she said.
She noted that speakers from Armenia, China, Czechia, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States were among those participating, providing attendees with a truly international perspective on topics ranging from the automotive and information technology sectors to defence industries. “Higher education serves the economy and society most effectively when it develops close cooperation with companies, industrial stakeholders and participants in the innovation ecosystem. We can offer our students the greatest value when we equip them with knowledge, skills and competencies that can be applied from the day they enrol at the University, not only in Hungary, but anywhere in the world.” she emphasised.
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Dr Tamás Kolossváry, Head of the Győr Innovation Park, underlined that the facility is one of the University’s key centres for third-mission activities, where education, research and innovation intersect with the corporate world.
“Our main focus areas are information and communication technologies, the automotive industry and the defence sector. Our ecosystem is strengthened by the presence and cooperation of major companies such as Audi Hungaria and Bosch,” he explained.
He added that preparations are already under way for the expansion of the park, including new research and development infrastructure, corporate innovation spaces, startup and incubation centres, a conference and event centre, as well as accommodation facilities for students and academic staff.
AI Revolution: Universities Have an Indispensable Role
At the beginning of his address, Nunzio Quacquarelli, Founder and President of QS, congratulated the Faculty of Business and Economics of Széchenyi István University on its inclusion this year in the QS Subject Rankings for Economics and Econometrics. Presenting the findings of QS’s latest research on the AI revolution, he discussed the preparedness of countries and higher education institutions for a rapidly changing labour market. He stressed that the evolving world requires new skills and competencies, and universities have a crucial role to play in developing them. According to the analysis, paradigm shifts are taking place across numerous fields, including the economy, energy, society and technology, all of which are being transformed by artificial intelligence. “The demographic decline in Western Europe has reached dramatic proportions and could lead to severe shortages of skilled professionals. This makes it particularly important for the continent to attract highly qualified international students from around the world,” he stated. He also emphasised the importance of lifelong learning, noting that successful careers increasingly require continuously updated knowledge.
Quacquarelli highlighted that the skills gaps vary significantly between countries and regions. While Hungary performs well in international assessments, there remains room for improvement in areas such as project management. “Interestingly, most critical competencies are not technological but human. As artificial intelligence becomes more widespread, skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork and experiential learning will become increasingly important, and universities must place greater emphasis on developing them,” he said. He added that the positive performance of Hungarian universities can largely be attributed to their close cooperation with industrial partners, which provides direct feedback on the quality of their educational programmes.
Excellence Attracts Excellence
The forum’s keynote address was delivered by Michael Breme, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi Hungaria, which operates a vehicle plant, engine plant, development centre and service centre in Győr. Working in close cooperation with the University, the company employs around 11,000 people and, as Hungary’s largest foreign investor, accounts for approximately seven per cent of the country’s exports. “Our success is based on the commitment, knowledge and expertise of our employees. This has enabled us to become not only Hungary’s leading automotive company, but also one of the key players in the region. None of this would have been possible without our partners. We believe that excellence attracts excellence, and therefore we seek to work with the very best. A prime example is our cooperation with Széchenyi István University, built on mutual trust, shared thinking and a commitment to outstanding performance. Around eighty per cent of our engineers are graduates of the University—this is our shared success story,” he said.
He explained that the University has been providing a talent pipeline for the company since 1996, and that the partnership has expanded year by year. The institution supports Audi Hungaria not only with human resources but also through its innovation capabilities. The establishment of the Audi Hungaria Faculty of Automotive Engineering has further strengthened the links between the two organisations. “Many of our colleagues are involved in university teaching and in supporting future engineers, as well as in joint innovation, research and development and corporate social responsibility projects,” he noted. He stressed that the partnership between Audi Hungaria and Széchenyi István University is widely recognised within the Audi Group as a flagship example of cooperation between academia and industry.
Michael Breme, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi Hungaria, which operates a vehicle plant, engine plant, development centre, and service centre in Győr, spoke about the values of the unique partnership the company has maintained with the University for the past twenty years. (Photo: Máté Dudás)
Distinguished Experts from the United States to China
Throughout the programme, international experts discussed a wide range of issues shaping the future of higher education and industry. Retired U.S. Brigadier General Ernie Audino, Mehmet Atak, Managing Director of Nurol Makina Hungary, İfakat Hande Çevik Enyedi, Managing Director of ASELSAN Hungary, and Tom Winney, Chief Executive Officer of TATRA Export, analysed the relationship between defence innovation and the future of security.
Sargis Hayotsyan, Chairman of Armenia’s Higher Education and Science Committee, presented opportunities for cooperation among Armenia, Hungary and the European Union.
Gurcan Demirci, President of Constructor Technology for the Balkan region, and Dr Csilla Stéger, Education and Skills Development Director for Central and Eastern Europe at PwC Hungary, discussed the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on higher education.
The panel on digital innovation featured Liu Haoyi, Regional Marketing Director of Huawei Technologies Hungary, and Professor Li Manfei of Northwestern A&F University, while Japanese education expert Katsuhiko Namikawa demonstrated, through examples from Japan, how collaboration between higher education and industry can stimulate innovation.
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