Széchenyi University Wins Innovation Award for Eco-Friendly Spraying Drone

The Hungarian Innovation Grand Prize was established by the Hungarian Association for Innovation in 1991 and has been awarded annually since then. The 33rd award ceremony was held at the Hungarian Parliament, supported by the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Energy, the National Innovation Agency, the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, and the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office. The grand prize was awarded to Cloud Network Technology, a subsidiary of Foxconn in Komárom, for its IT testing system developed in close collaboration with Széchenyi István University.

During the event, Széchenyi University, its knowledge-utilization company Uni Inno Zrt., and its Digital Development Center received a special innovation award from Csaba Bőthe, Executive Director of the Hungarian Association for Innovation. The award recognized their eco-friendly spraying drone, which has already won accolades at several international exhibitions. The drone was developed within ABZ Innovation Kft., a joint venture established together with ABZ Drone Kft. and venture investor MIB Invest Group Kft.

The eco-friendly spraying drone has already been presented successfully at numerous domestic and international exhibitions and trade shows. The company behind its development achieved notable success, demonstrated by Uni Inno Zrt. selling the majority of its stake with significant revenue last year—marking the most successful university exit in Hungary’s new higher education model.

“The aim of our knowledge-utilization company, founded in 2018, is to support Hungary’s technological advancement by fostering economically valuable intellectual property through a stable innovation ecosystem,” said Gábor Dósa, CEO of Uni Inno Zrt. “We primarily work with spinoff ventures. Currently, we have utilization contracts for 18 intellectual properties and ownership stakes in eight companies, where we also contribute professional and financial resources. This is how we worked with ABZ Innovation Kft., a partnership we consider highly successful.”

He added that the company places special emphasis on supporting the industrial application of university research and development outcomes. “Utilizability is greatly enhanced when innovations are protected by industrial property rights, such as patents, utility models, design protections, and trademarks. Over the past five years, the university has filed 25 patent applications, with 15 patent and utility model procedures currently ongoing. We have also filed 30 trademark applications, with 14 more in preparation, and hold six design protections,” he detailed. Summing up the past five years, he emphasized that through Uni Inno Zrt., the university has enabled the utilization of more than 100 intellectual creations. The eco-friendly spraying drone, recognized at the Hungarian Innovation Grand Prize, is one of the flagship achievements of Uni Inno Zrt. and the Digital Development Center, combining all the advantages of currently available products.

In the photo, Gábor Dósa, CEO of Uni Inno Zrt., the knowledge-utilization company of Széchenyi István University, receives the award from Csaba Bőthe, Executive Director of the Hungarian Association for Innovation. (Photo: Fantom Média)

Thanks to its dynamic obstacle avoidance and route planning functions, the drone enables more precise spraying, resulting in up to a 75% cost reduction and a fourfold increase in work speed compared to tractor-based spraying. “By increasing efficiency, the drone provides not only an economically viable but also an environmentally friendly solution. Its adaptability to the geographical conditions of agricultural land also meets the specific needs of farmers,” said Olivér Takács, Deputy Director of the Digital Development Center.

He added that the center’s four-member innovation team focused on developing software and algorithms that outperform market leaders. “We prioritized energy efficiency, adjustable spray distribution, and a user-friendly interface. As a result, we created a tool that simultaneously promotes sustainability and advances Hungarian agriculture. We’re grateful that our efforts have been recognized with this award,” he said. He also revealed that they are currently working on several other groundbreaking technologies in cooperation with university-affiliated companies to help build a greener future.

The Széchenyi University’s Digital Development Center played a major role in the creation of the award-winning eco-friendly spraying drone. The photo features the developers: Péter Szekeres, Tamás Lázár, Martin Felicián Pap, and Olivér Takács. (Photo: Máté Dudás)

Original source of the text: Környezetbarát permeteződrón fejlesztéséért részesült innovációs elismerésben a Széchenyi István Egyetem