The University of Szeged (SZTE) and BYD Auto Hungary Ltd signed an agreement on Wednesday to expand cooperation in education, research, and development.
Before the signing, Rector László Rovó noted that the university has significantly strengthened its connections with China over the past decade. In 2012 SZTE became the second institution in Hungary to open a Confucius Institute. Since then, Chinese language teaching, cultural exchange and bilateral study programmes have steadily grown. Today, more than 250 Chinese students study at SZTE, with enrolment increasing by around 120 students each year.
Rovó said the university and the Confucius Institute played a key role in BYD’s decision to build its Hungarian factory in Szeged. The university continually adapts its training programmes to industry demand, and the new partnership with BYD fits directly into that strategy.
Chancellor Judit Fendler emphasized that the cooperation rests on the integration of science and technology. SZTE has already carried out measurement work for BYD during the construction of the Szeged plant, and in the future, it will also provide health services for company employees.
She stressed that students will be the main beneficiaries: they will be able to complete internships at one of the world’s leading manufacturers and gain firsthand experience of cutting-edge automotive technologies. For BYD, getting to know potential employees during their studies means recruiting highly trained specialists with practical skills from day one.
Under the agreement, students can carry out their practical training at BYD’s external internship sites and join the company’s independent internship programmes.
Fendler added that cooperation could deepen further. Joint Chinese–Hungarian training schemes will allow SZTE to prepare highly targeted professional talent for the industry and for BYD specifically. One example is the unique engineering informatics programme run jointly with Shaanxi Normal University, which grants graduates diplomas from both universities.
At the university’s Science Park, work is already underway to create the Sustainable Mobility Industrial Liaison Center. The facility will focus on the challenges of the electromobility era, operating as a materials science and automotive hub that integrates research, measurement and education.
Cou Jinli, national HR manager at BYD Auto Hungary, said many of the company’s key employees are former SZTE students, and the entire HR team earned its degrees at the university, clear proof of the institution’s strong academic standards.
He added that the cooperation will allow SZTE students to gain real industrial experience, receive mentoring for their projects and acquire the confidence and skills they can later bring into BYD’s workforce.
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