On 3 September 2024, the Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Pannonia organized a mini-conference and networking workshop in Veszprém. The event, entitled Scientific Rapid Date, was organized as part of the program series of the VEAB Regional and Territorial Development Working Committee of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, with the support of the National Laboratory for Social Innovation.
The social use of scientific research results is becoming increasingly important, but researchers often face difficulties in communicating the results of their research in a way that is easy to understand. The main objective of the event was to improve the science communication knowledge and skills of the participating professionals and to provide networking opportunities for professionals from different organizations – universities, municipalities, NGOs.
The event was opened by Katalin Lőrincz, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Pannonia. In her speech, she drew attention to the importance of in-depth thinking and “contemplation” for scientific research and new ideas. András Gelencsér, air chemist, academic and university professor, emphasized in his speech that today’s problems cannot be understood in terms of a single discipline, but require complex solutions. The VEAB President gave a presentation entitled “Our planet and our civilization – Who is laughing now?”.
Following the presentations of Gábor Michalkó, university professor (University of Pannonia), Dóra Kanizsai-Nagy, International Relations Expert (VEB 2023), Fanny Bukta-Liska, assistant professor (University of Pannonia), Judit Sulyok, senior research fellow (University of Pannonia) presented the sub-project “Science for All” of the National Laboratory for Social Innovation.
In the next block of the event, the participants could share their main research interests and look for collaborative partners in a “scientific rapid dating” or workshop-style discussion. During the discussions, the participants got to know each other’s scientific activities and built contacts within a set timeframe, according to the rules of the rapid dating system. Afterwards, they continued their reflections in small groups on a specific theme – territorial development, location marketing, social innovation, sustainability, the impact of Veszprém-Balaton 2023.
At the end of the event, the participants visited the Marketing Focus Lab of the University of Pannonia, which is unique in the region and perfectly suited for focus group interviews, product testing and marketing research.