Shaping the Future of Drone Technology with Domestic and International Experts
On November 14, Széchenyi István University’s Innovation Park hosted the international Drone Forum 2024, which centered on the latest trends and challenges in drone technology. The event was organized in collaboration with Edutus University and Cloud For Intelligent Airspace (CloudIA) Zrt. Inspired by Hungary's current presidency of the Council of the European Union, the forum aimed to bring together industry leaders, researchers, and policymakers to collaboratively shape the future of drone usage.
We were delighted that the exciting professional program—hosted by Zoltán Szujó—attracted nearly 100 participants from 10 countries across three continents.
The forum was opened by Prof. Dr. Zoltán Horváth, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical, Informatics, and Electrical Engineering at Széchenyi István University, who emphasized the university’s commitment to supporting industrial and societal development through drone technology, IoT solutions, and innovative platforms. The event’s prestige was further enhanced by an online address from Julie Garland, President of the Joint European Drone Associations (JEDA).
The forum featured presentations from renowned experts on topics such as the drone ecosystem, drone regulation, and the urban presence of drones. Speakers included Jakub Karas, President of the Czech Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Alliance; Dr. Eduardo García González, Senior Manager at the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO); Bongseok Kang, Group Leader at Korea Testing Laboratory (KTL); Emilien Watelet, Director of Belgium’s ID2Move; and Károly Ludvigh, CEO of ABZ Innovation Kft.
Afternoon panel discussions explored the role of drones in entertainment and media, as well as issues surrounding drone detection and mitigation. Distinguished guests included Austrian entrepreneur Alexander Lena, Co-Director of OPREM Group; Zsolt Molnár, CEO of Rotors & Cams Zrt.; and Gergely Tuzson, President of the Federation of Aeronautical and Air Sports and Co-CEO of Légtér.hu Kft. Oliver Takács from the Digital Development Center also joined the discussions.
Dr. Balázs Szauer, CEO of CloudIA Zrt., highlighted the adequacy of the European Union’s current drone and data protection regulations but stressed the importance of increasing user awareness in this area.
Péter Tamás Szilasi, Director of Corporate and International Relations at Edutus University, discussed how drones can be effectively utilized in school education. He announced that the World Robot Olympiad international robotics competition series will include a dedicated drone category. Szilasi also underscored the need to prepare educators for the integration of new technologies.
We believe that the Drone Forum served as an excellent venue for professional dialogue and contributed to promising domestic and international collaborations.
