The process of achieving the goals set by Endre Harsányi, who has filled the position of Vice Rector for Sectoral Development at the University of Debrecen as of July 1, includes the following steps: mapping up the knowledge base of the university, coordinating development priorities, encouraging collaboration among faculties and research institutes, strengthening ties with industrial and municipal partners, increasing participation in domestic and international grant competitions, and supporting the commercialization of educational, research and service activities.
- We need to build development programs based on academic findings, practical experience and market demands. This could be best achieved by connecting our development hubs, which have been operated separately up until now. These include the Pharmaceutical Ecosystem Center, the Multidisciplinary Health Industry Coordination Institute, the Institute of Metagenomics, the Innovation Ecosystem Center, the Institutes for Agricultural Research and Educational Farm, the Remote Sensing Center, the service structures of the individual faculties, the Mád Wine Academy and our technical, IT and economic competencies, so that they can work in unison to serve the overall strategic goals of the university- said the vice rector to hirek.unideb.hu.
Since 2021, Endre Harsányi has acted as Vice Rector for Sectoral Development of UD, responsible for the advancement of agricultural and food sciences. Now, he continues to work with an expanded scope of responsibilities.
- The healthcare industry of the 21st century is undergoing a fundamental structural transformation. We tend to adopt an increasingly prevention-oriented approach to health, in which early detection, personalized nutrition strategies and data-driven patient management have a pivotal role. According to international trends, the most successful healthcare regions are built on networked ecosystems, in which academic research and industrial development function in close cooperation. In addition, the signs of the strengthening of healthcare innovation ecosystems can already be observed in our country as well- said Professor Harsányi.
Endre Harsányi underlined that the pharmaceutical industry today stands for more than just drug manufacturing. In fact, it involves a complex innovation chain of areas such as basic research, clinical trials, biotechnological developments, digital therapies, data processing and health technology assessment. This is exactly why there is a need for an integrated system in which, for example, nutritional data, genetic information, diagnostic results and clinical treatments are all connected within a single digital ecosystem.
- One of the unique features of the University of Debrecen is its ability to integrate developments in the health, food and agricultural sectors within a single institutional environment. The simultaneous availability of our Multidisciplinary Health Industry Coordination Institute, the Mád Wine Academy and the agricultural research capabilities of the university can offer possibilities for growth and development that are unique even on a national scale in Hungary. Therefore, there will be a particular reason in the future for researching functional foods, probiotic and prebiotic products, microbiome-based food industry developments, herbal preparations, health-promoting dietary supplements and bioactive compounds in winemaking, as well as for studying the soil-plant-food-health relationship chain and exploring the potential of innovation programs based on the so-called farm-to-health approach- said Endre Harsányi.
One of the key strategic priorities at the University of Debrecen is the revitalization of the agricultural sector. Although the general perception of the role of agriculture in our society has undergone significant changes in recent years, it continues to be necessary to increase the awareness among young people that modern agriculture no longer involves traditional production activities exclusively, but rather represents a high-tech, data-driven, automated and innovative sector.
- In the development of educational programs, the message of ‘modern agriculture’ must be featured prominently. Modernizing the content of traditional agricultural training programs, strengthening agricultural engineering and digital skills, increasing the emphasis on practical training, involving educational farms and research institute practical facilities more consciously, expanding dual training partnerships, launching new programs and specialized continuing education courses that respond to market demands and developing short-cycle, modular training programs leading to certification are all necessary for a more attractive and successful agricultural education- said the vice rector responsible for sectoral development.
Endre Harsányi believes that one of the most promising opportunities for development in modern agriculture is available in precision data collection and decision support. He is also confident that the University of Debrecen already possesses the core competencies upon which top-quality agricultural services and expert consulting can be built.
- One of the key tasks of a vice rector for the sectoral development is the conscious and sustainable expansion of the network of relationships between the university and its corporate partners. The active involvement of economic actors is not only of special importance for the success of research, development and innovation projects, but also for the continuous upgrading of educational structures, the promotion and support of dual education programs, student projects and practical training opportunities, as well as for facilitating employment chances in the labor market. In addition to this, the university must also be involved simultaneously in large-scale corporate development projects, innovation support for SMEs, business consulting, regional economic development efforts and the work of international research consortia. I do believe that this is exactly why it is expedient to operate sector-specific advisory boards composed of industrial partners, which supply the university with regular feedback on market needs, technological trends and expectations regarding professional training- he said.
Furthermore, the vice rector considers the development of joint PhD programs and researcher mobility opportunities, as well as participation in research and innovation grant applications in collaboration with European partner universities, to be of paramount importance for supporting the international visibility and success of these sectors. He is convinced that it is an essential task to make sure that innovation should be viewed not merely as an administrative process, but as a natural part and parcel of university operations.
Endre Harsányi is fully aware that sector-specific areas of development have to play a prominent part in professional public life once again. Universities must not only conduct research and provide education, but also serve as an opinion influencer, organizer and knowledge disseminator. For the University of Debrecen specifically, the goal is to be recognized once again by the professional community as an indispensable center of expertise in the health industry, innovation and agriculture, while actually becoming one of the major centers of knowledge and innovation in Central Europe.
Press Center - ÉE