[Partner Content] Nine Hungarian startups were participating in the Elektor Fast Forward Award (FFA) in 2020 and 2021. Three of them finished on the podium. It was a successful cooperation with Elektor.
In line with the Hungarian National Export Strategy, one of the main goals of the Consulate General of Hungary in Munich led by Mr. Gábor-Tordai Lejkó, Consul General of Hungary and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Bavaria, is to enhance trade relations between Germany and Hungary. The Consulate General of Hungary covers various activities: it connects businesses and experts with each other; it helps SMEs to enter the German markets; and, last but not least, it supports foreign companies who wish to enter the Hungarian market, who plan to relocate their production, or who are simply searching for new suppliers. Our aim is to seek cooperation in new areas, where international cooperation would be difficult or impossible without the Consulate General's involvement.
The Consulate General of Hungary building in Munich
In addition to start-ups, the focus is on aerospace, the environmental industry, electronics, and hydrogen technology. Despite the epidemic situation, economic diplomacy visits will continue to be a priority, as will the organization of online events with the primary aim of connecting relevant German and Hungarian actors.
Hungary has strong technical talent and industrial traditions, but the country and the market are, in European terms, rather middle-sized. Accordingly, the economy is open, export-oriented, and provides a business-friendly environment. It features a well-educated labor force at a competitive price, one of the most competitive taxation systems in Europe, highly developed infrastructure, a strong policy of incentivizing investments, and professional investment and export promotion agencies (HIPA and HEPA), which make Hungary an attractive location for businesses.
The Consulate General of Hungary is committed to focusing on Hungarian startups. This is the field where it has made an excellent relationship with Elektor. The aim is to give start-ups access to foreign markets while keeping part of their activities in Hungary, thus creating high-productivity jobs and added value in the country. Accordingly, the Consulate General of Hungary in Munich introduced a new startup program last year, the so-called Munich Hungarian Accelerator Program (MHAP), aiming at supporting SMEs to become part of the global market. These Hungarian startups all have developed something unique, a business idea that has already gained the attention of experts. In the framework of the program financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary, the Consulate General of Hungary provides different services. Among others, it provides business advice and connects SMEs with relevant German businesses, organizations, investors, and experts.
Thanks to the MHAP and the consultancy program provided by the experts of Elektor, two Hungarian companies finished on the podium and won valuable prizes at the electronica Fast Forward Startup Award in 2020. AXS Motionsystem Ltd. won first place, while e-Fásli Ltd. who offers the first self-learning heat therapy device came third. AXS Motionsystem Ltd provides ergonomic evaluating solutions for companies to enhance work safety and to enable more effective production. The company has also participated in the Elektor’s Investment Program, and it has been working closely with Elektor since last year’s electronica. Thanks to this cooperation, the company's business development in Europe is progressing excellently.
In 2021 the MHAP has also supported five Hungarian startups at the productronica fast forward: Pozi Development Ltd from Budapest even gained 3rd place at the startup competition. Pozi provides full visibility in manufacturing and logistics and identifies and eliminates lean waste throughout the entire supply chain. METER helps clients benefit from the convergence of mobility and energy systems, and makes power networks more efficient, secure, and environmentally friendly. Aeriu is a drone software company that helps companies with warehouses speed up and reduce costs. HeatVentors Ltd. offers a patented, award-winning innovation, the so-called HeatTank, which is a unique and innovative solution for optimizing cooling processes and effectively completes or replaces conventional compressor-based air conditioners. ViveLab Ergo is an ergonomic consulting company located in Hungary that provides ergonomic services and software subscriptions to their customers.
We are confident that the success of these start-ups will allow us to support the business development of more and more Hungarian startups in the future.
A relatively new area of activity for the Consulate General of Hungary is the support of the space industry. Why is that so?
The space industry represents an essential part of the Hungarian character – curiosity, exploration, and innovation. Space research pushes the boundaries of what's possible; it creates value to the European economy and society and contributes to science, technology, and innovation. The distance between space and our everyday lives is much less than we might first think. Even the simplest business ideas are able to conquer the galaxy. Countless technological solutions, which are now natural to us, started from the space industry a few decades ago, in the framework of research and development programs that were started to conquer space. Many solutions we use on a daily basis like cell phone cameras, solar energy, and laptops are based on space explorations technologies.
Lake Balaton from Space
It is less known, but Hungary has a 75-year-old history of space research. This year marks the 42nd anniversary of the first time a Hungarian went to space. Hungary focuses more and more on the space industry and has been a full member of the European Space Agency (ESA) since 2015. The country is open for international, especially for European cooperation. Hungary will even send an astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS) by the middle of this decade. The astronaut will travel to the ISS to conduct scientific experiments using Hungarian-made equipment. The equipment to be used for telecommunications, Earth observation, and measuring radiation will be developed by the domestic companies and universities participating in the program.
It was a pleasure therefore to organize in close cooperation with the Bavarian Aerospace Cluster an online Hungarian-Bavarian Aerospace Conference and Business Forum to connect the actors of the Hungarian and Bavarian aerospace ecosystem. The event was opened by Consul General Gábor Tordai-Lejkó and Roland Weigert, State Secretary for Foreign Economic Affairs of the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy. Speeches were given by Dr. Orsolya Ferencz, Ministerial Commissioner for Space Research, and Frank Negretti, member of the bavAIRia Board of Directors from Bavaria.
Startups will now also be able to join this industry more effectively. With the help of the international incubation program of the ESA, companies including young entrepreneurs can now be active participants and winners of this process. Businesses that enter the space industry have a huge opportunity to develop because space research is an area in which anyone can get involved. ESA operates a total of 22 incubation centers on the continent and has already supported more than 1,100 businesses. Several of these have now grown into global companies. The organization has been working actively for six years, together with Hungary, on the development of Hungarian space activities. This collaboration is now rising into new spheres: the Hungarian Design Terminal will take over the domestic representation of ESA's space activities and will now lead the ESA Business Incubation Center Hungary Program (ESA BIC), which will pave the way for Hungarian companies to enter the space industry.
The main goal of ESA BIC Hungary is to develop successful industry startups and to create and strengthen a space industry community in Hungary. Startups in the program will receive a €50,000 incentive funding in addition to reaching national and global investors, as well as getting business mentoring and technical and legal support. The 12-24 month incubation program is open to Hungary-based companies whose products and services are based on a new technological invention or use existing technology in a new way. The mentoring and business meetings kicked off in January of 2022, while the application is permanently open with specific deadlines marked on the project webpage.
European cooperation is a strategic priority for the entire European Union, including Hungary. It enables us to get access to the latest knowledge and the best talent worldwide, it creates new business opportunities, and most importantly it helps us tackle challenges our cities and we as citizens of these cities are facing. The Consulate General of Hungary in Bavaria is therefore glad to be in a position to help our partners to enhance the international relationships in the field of trade and research.
You can reach the Trade Counsellors, Mr. Gergely Janzsó and Mr. Roland Péli of the Consulate General of Hungary, by using the following contact details:
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