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As a result of the most recent expansion of the partnership on professional expert training and research and development, the BMW plant in Debrecen now cooperates with as many as eight faculties and their institutions, making the joint work of industry and higher education even more comprehensive.
“The most significant collaboration in the latter-day history of the University of Debrecen is its alliance with BMW. We had sensed this earlier; we had anticipated it and we had prepared for it, but we could not have foreseen the level of diversity and profundity of this collaboration in practice. I am certain that, sooner or later, all 13 faculties of the University of Debrecen will be connected to BMW in some specific way,” said Zoltán Szilvássy at the signing of the cooperation agreement.
The rector of the University of Debrecen reckons that this strategic partnership will determine the relationship and the future of the two peoples (the Germans and the Hungarians), the university and the company, as well as the employees of these two institutions.
“Striving to be true to our promise, we are expanding our partnership links in the field of education gradually, step by step. Cooperation with the University of Debrecen is of essential significance to us, as our joint programs serve the development of future professionals while also contributing to the growth of Debrecen and the surrounding region,” said Hans-Peter Kemse.
The president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing Hungary Kft. added that educational and training partnerships are of paramount importance to the BMW Group worldwide and they view every program as an investment in the future. Through the partnership established with the University of Debrecen, future engineers, IT specialists, lawyers, economists, researchers, and other professionals can come into direct contact with one of the largest global players in the automotive industry during the course of their studies.
Chancellor of the University of Debrecen Zoltán Bács noted that, in 2018, agreements in support of the establishment of BMW's Debrecen plant were signed at the University of Debrecen. At that time, the new courses to be launched at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Debrecen in connection with the investment were also announced.
“The relationship between our university and BMW is developing organically, one step at a time. This is not a simple collaboration between higher education and industry developing from an application for joint grant funding, because it has been expanded through sustainable steps. The complexity of our collaboration is demonstrated by the fact that, although at first glance everyone would think that it focuses on engineering education, it first occurred the fields of economics and law, then engineering, natural sciences, information technology, and now the humanities and agriculture. What has been built here is not just a simple factory but a future that is being shaped jointly by our city, our university and BMW, a representative of cutting-edge innovation,” said Zoltán Bács. He also added that our institution has altogether received 29 billion HUF of state support for infrastructural developments related to the automotive industry, covering the expansion of the Faculty of Engineering, the renovation of the Chemistry Building and the establishment of Vehicle Laboratory.
The university leader highlighted that this partnership would determine our institution's operations in the long run, at least for 20 or 30 years to come. It was in order to support this process that the Senate of our university voted to establish a Automotive Industry and Artificial Intelligence Coordination Institute at its last meeting. The head of the new organizational unit, Professor László Palkovics, former Minister of Innovation and Technology, played a key part in the preparations for the establishment of the car manufacturing factory in Debrecen. His work, beginning on October 1, represents enormous opportunities for both parties.
As part of the agreement just signed, BMW Group Factory Debrecen and UD’s Agricultural Research Institutes and Experimental Farm will work together on a 130-hectare biodiversity program, while the Faculty of Humanities will be participating in the research project called Debrecen's urban development in light of BMW's investment in addition to the activity of training specialists.
“The BMW factory is known for its efficiency, innovation and sustainability. These key terms also apply to modern agriculture since, without efficiency, innovation and sustainability, neither factories nor agriculture can be viable today. The Agricultural Research Institutes and Experimental Farm of the University of Debrecen can fulfill a key role in this process. The biodiversity program developed jointly with BMW offers us an opportunity to demonstrate how industry and agriculture can be connected through science. I do trust that, through our joint efforts, Debrecen can set an example to the world not only as an industrial center, but also as a hub of scientific and agricultural innovation,” said Endre Harsányi, Director General of the Agricultural Research Institutes and Experimental Farm and Vice-Rector for Sectoral Development of Agricultural and Food Science.
According to Róbert Keményfi, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, BMW's investment has a culture-shaping effect on the community of our city and that of the broader surrounding region.
“We are delighted that BMW is planning for the long term and supports basic research that explores the impact of the automotive company on our city's culture, addressing questions about how we can work together and live together as smoothly as possible. The Faculty of Humanities is responsible for providing the company with professionals who know and understand German culture, while we can also help them by launching technical German-language training programs,” said Róbert Keményfi.
It was in June 2023 that leaders from the University of Debrecen and BMW signed a strategic agreement on cooperation in professional training and research and development. This partnership agreement initially covered the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Faculty of Information Technology, the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology. In March 2024, the partnership agreement was expanded to include the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences and the Faculty of Economics. As a result of the amendment signed recently, the Faculty of Arts as well as the Agricultural Research Institutes and Experimental Farm have also joined the strategic cooperation.
The agreement was signed on behalf of the University of Debrecen by Rector Zoltán Szilvássy, Chancellor Zoltán Bács, Director General of the Agricultural Research Institutes and Experimental Farm Endre Harsányi, and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities Róbert Keményfi, while on behalf of BMW, the signatory was Hans-Peter Kemser, President and CEO of BMW Manufacturing Hungary Kft.
Press Centre - ÉE
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