University of Debrecen
On Tuesday, a pilot research laboratory at the University of Debrecen (DE) was officially inaugurated.
Balázs HankóMinister of Culture and Innovation, also announced that this year 43 billion forints – twice as much as last year – can be used for the national research excellence programme, the recruitment of top researchers and scholarship programmes.
The minister outlined the government’s goal of making Hungary one of the ten most innovative countries in Europe by 2030. This is why the János Neumann Program was launched, which aims to strengthen the healthcare sector, the pharmaceutical industry, digitalization and the green transition in agriculture. The development of science parks is also one of the program’s most important pillars. 13 universities have applied for the related tender, including the University of Debrecen, where the pilot research laboratory has just been inaugurated. It received EU funding of 5.2 billion forints. The laboratory will operate in trial operation until 2026, and following a further investment of around 1 billion forints, the production phase will start.
The laboratory will produce viral and bacterial biological agents using sterile manufacturing technologies. A key element of the project was the creation of a scientific centre where drug development and test production can be carried out in a biosafety level II (BSL2) working environment. According to Rector Zoltán Szilvássy, within a year the laboratory will develop a bacteriophage (bacteria-killing virus) that will kill all local antibiotic-resistant bacteria that cause hospital infections.
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