Tuesday 11th September, 2018
Today, Tuesday 11th September 2018, The Duke of York visited the National University of Public Service where he was received by Dr. Andras Koltay, Rector of the University. Here The Duke attended a briefing to discuss potential UK-Hungary collaboration in the knowledge economy, to increase exchange programmes between the two countries and broaden Hungary’s research partnerships.
HRH was then taken on a tour of the University’s military history exhibition before joining a workshop looking at the field of Public Social Responsibility, in which the UK is seen as a model of best practice. Budapest is currently in the final stages of research in this area which it hopes will inform government strategy to develop shared community objectives and initiatives coordinated by the state administration and local government.
HRH The Duke of York said, “You have a long history of public service, as do we, and we have been looking at a number of different ways in which we can increase levels of community engagement, because if the community is engaged you can see a much better output, with the outcomes recognised.
“So much of what we do today requires thought, care and attention, particularly when we come to public service, and I’m fully aware of the level of contacts we need to build so that the UK and Hungary can work closely together in this area.
“Workshops such as these are excellent opportunities to exchange knowledge, information, and ideas, and lead to collaboration to the benefit of our citizens. I hope this workshop will produce concrete ways in which we can collaborate and cooperate in so many different areas.”
Later on, HRH visited Suhanj, Hungary’s first ever integrated fitness centre for both disabled and able-bodied people. The centre is equipped for visually impaired and physically handicapped people, with special guidelines on the floor and all the machines being adaptable for wheelchair users. A non-profit organisation, Suhanj aims to increase the social inclusion of handicapped people and to share the joy of sports with the mentally and physically disabled. Here The Duke spoke with the founders and members of the gym before enjoying a tour of the facilities and signing the visitor book.
That evening, HRH hosted the first ever [email protected] Hungary at the Vigadó Concert Hall, where 12 Hungarian start-ups pitched their businesses to The Duke of York and an influential Audience from Hungary’s business community.
The Duke of York founded [email protected] in 2014 to provide a platform to amplify and accelerate the work of young, innovative technology enterprises. [email protected] has now grown into a global network which spans 53 countries across five continents, building access and connectivity around the world.
On the night, HRH announced GlovEye, a tactile feedback glove which allows the blind to read printed text as Braille, as the winner of [email protected] Hungary 1.0, who will now attend the final of [email protected] 10.0 in London this November. CollMott, which provides multi-drone light shows, and Cogito, which is creating a social based platform for University Students to maximise their performance while building a community, were the runners up, with Cognito also winning the People’s Choice Award.
Speaking at the event, HRH The Duke of York said, “This event is about showcasing Hungarian talent, Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurship.
“There are huge benefits to learning and listening and hearing and working with Entrepreneurs. It is an enormous pleasure to welcome these 12 entrepreneurial businesses into our programme and I hope we will be able to help all of them in one way or another. We’re looking forward to helping these businesses over the coming months and years.”
