The government’s goal is for Hungary to be ranked among the European Union’s top five most liveable and competitive countries by 2030 so that Hungarian young people can become winners of the future, the Parliamentary State Secretary of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology stressed at a press conference held on Wednesday in Győr which will host the final of the World Robot Olympiad (WRO) global robotics and programming competition between 8 and 10 November.

Tamás Schanda said the government is making every effort to provide all the support that is necessary for achieving this goal; this is why they are developing industry and are transforming the system of training. Additionally, events such as WRO – which will be hosted by Hungary as the first host country in Europe – are also important. This competition will bring sciences closer to young people, he observed.

So far some 2,300 contestants from 61 countries have enrolled for the competition which the government is sponsoring with an allocation of almost three billion forints, he said, adding that, in addition to the city’s geographical situation, its advanced infrastructure and ever-growing economy are responsible for the fact that Győr has been chosen to host the event.

The State Secretary highlighted that today the Hungarian economy is one of the EU’s most dynamically growing economies; in the second quarter of 2019, the GDP increased by 5.2 per cent which is four times the EU’s growth average. The investment rate is also on the rise; at a rate above 27 per cent, it is also well above the average of the Visegrád countries, and is at the EU’s vanguard as well. Compared with 2010, some 850,000 more people have jobs, and the rate of unemployment has fallen to 3.4 per cent which is also favourable by EU standards, he listed.

He stressed that competitiveness cannot be maintained without the availability of digital technologies and services, and it is therefore crucial from the viewpoint of the competitiveness of Hungarian businesses and the entire national economy how local businesses will be able to turn the digital changeover to their advantage. The industry 4.0 process is under way, and there is no sector that is not affected by it, he said.

The government supports businesses in the process of the digital changeover via several means, Mr Schanda said, adding that the project with the greatest reach is the Modern Businesses Programme which also features digital calls for proposals with an allocation of almost HUF 50 billion.

He further pointed out that robotics, digitisation and automation are not a threat to the labour market, they do not jeopardise the living of Hungarian families, but rather facilitate and transform the jobs of humans, help with the performance of monotonous and hazardous jobs, and alleviate the shortage of work force.

It is therefore important that students are given appropriate knowledge as there is no competitive economy without adequately trained experts. The 21st century industrial and economic environment is inconceivable without workers who are able to use digital technologies, he said.

Zoltán Szögi, Chief Executive of Edutus Nonprofit Zrt. responsible for the organisation and implementation of local competitions recalled that the first competition had been held in Hungary in 2014, at the time with the participation of 11 teams. This year more than 170 teams enrolled, and therefore they organised semi-finals.

As part of the competition, teams are required to build robots from Lego bricks and program them in four categories. In the Regular Category, robots are required to complete a pre-determined course and to carry out certain jobs. In the Open Category, robots are required to perform jobs on the basis of a pre-determined topic which is ‘smart cities’ this year. In the Football Category, robots compete against one another; the robot that scores the most goals wins. In the ARC – Advanced Robotics Challenge – Category, robots are not assembled from Lego bricks, but from metal parts, and are then programmed.

Mr Szögi highlighted that Győr could be awarded the right to host the final of the world competition in contest with Montreal, Canada because the organisers saw the government’s support behind the implementation of the event.

Mayor Zsolt Borkai (Fidesz-KDNP) said it is important that they organise international events at the county seat which could give young people, the city and the country further inspiration. Robots are the pledges of the future, and Győr boasts the cooperation of business actors, the municipality and the university which ensures the ongoing presence of innovation, he said.

(MTI)