The government’s goal is to make Hungary high-tech not only in the field of manufacturing, but also in research and development, so there will be more and more expenditures supporting R&D – the government is László Palkovics, Minister of Innovation and Technology in Zalaegerszeg.

The innovation company and the Minister of Technology said at the bouquet ceremony of the office and workshop building of the Austrian AVL automotive developer ZalaZone related to the test tender: 2010 is a personal face Last year, Hungary spent 1.6 percent of its GDP on R&D, which is growing.He indicated that AVL, one of the best independent automotive developers in the world, already employs 500 engineers in Hungary and is also involved in the joint operation of the Zalaegerszeg test track.

The Minister explained that the system of basic research in Hungary will be partially transformed with the establishment of the Eötvös Loránd Research Network, the expenditure of which has more than doubled and will provide significant resources for the development of infrastructure. A network of the Zoltán Bay Research Institute has been set up, which could be the beginning of a success story.

In order to create a university background, 21 higher education institutions have become independent maintainers of the state, and budget resources will be increased more than two and a half times. The largest development amount ever, HUF 2,700 billion, will be made available for further development in the next 10 years, László Palkovics explained.

He recalled that in 2016, the government decided to build a test track for the automotive industry in Zala, which was hesitantly received by many, but has now proven its viability and its impact on attracting new investment.

In addition to the development of AVL, the campus of Széchenyi István University is already under construction, and by the end of next year, Rheinmetall will invest in the world’s most modern tank factory, to which the test environment is connected.

Dirk Janetzko, the managing director of AVL Hungary Kft. They mainly deal with R&D design, simulation, testing, software development, calibration and production planning.

Robert Fischer, Chief Technology Officer of AVL List GmbH, says that the Zalaegerszeg office under construction will focus on vehicle testing, ie drive chains and complete vehicles, self-driving technologies and vehicle dynamics systems such as brakes and systems.

The investment of approximately EUR 7 million (HUF 2.5 billion) is planned to be completed in February 2022 and will be available from May. AVL currently employs 30 people at its current site in Zalaegerszeg, and the company plans to hire 150 new employees in its second office.

László Vigh, the Fidesz parliamentary representative in the region and the commissioner of the test track, said: the construction of the test track is 99 percent according to the minister, it will be completed by the end of the year and is expected to be inaugurated in March. However, construction will never be completed, as it is constantly being developed to meet manufacturers’ expectations, he added.

Zoltán Balaicz, Mayor of Zalaegerszeg (Fidesz-KDNP), pointed out that through the test track, a kind of economic ecosystem is beginning to develop in the county seat of Zala, with production, research and development and a university background. With all this, Zalaegerszeg has reached a level that is worthy of recognition both in Hungary and in Europe and the world.