INVENTED IN HUNGARY
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BUSINESSES, UNIVERSITIES WANT MORE PARTNERSHIPS
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Hungarian universities and higher educational institutions, on one hand, and private businesses on the other, see bilateral partnerships as beneficial contributors both to the future labor market and research and development activities. So much so, that both sides want more cooperation.
By Christian Keszthelyi Only one fifth of Hungary-based smaller businesses have any type of cooperation with higher educational institutions, despite the fact that both parties can reap many benefits from such an arrangement, according to a survey by the Budapest Chamber of Commerce (BKIK). More than half of the surveyed respondents believe that an intermediary would be needed to bridge the gap, despite there being demand on both sides according to large businesses and human resources leaders.
The survey conducted deep interviews with research business managers and educational institution leaders, with the representation of almost 400 respondents from the SME sector. Educational institutions identified cooperation between education and the economy as the cornerstone for training professionals and strengthening R&D. The cooperation envisaged can take many forms, such as dual training, or internships at project laboratories. And while large corporations are often already present in partnerships, smaller companies are harder to find.
A large majority of the respondents who are already engaged in partnerships tagged their cooperation as win-win situations, while more than 80% rated their joint work as four or five on a scale of five. Respondents identified supporting the labor market and creating social value as the most important factors. Nevertheless, both parties do come across bumps on the road. Universities say that many gifted undergraduate students receive job offers “too soon�, so they cannot advance to post-graduate studies, which hurts societal values.
