Under the title Agentic Discovery Hackathon – How Autonomous AI Systems Are Transforming Research and Discovery, the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network will organize a two-day event in Budapest on 15–16 January.
Participants will examine how agent-based artificial intelligence systems are reshaping the processes of scientific research and discovery. The aim of the event is to foster collaboration between AI specialists and researchers from different scientific fields to jointly develop agentic AI-based research concepts and workflows, HUN-REN said in a statement.
The central theme of the hackathon is Agentic Discovery. To support deeper understanding and hands-on experimentation, organizers will provide participants with access to the ADP AI-Scientist platform, which teams may freely use during the competition. The platform integrates hundreds of cooperating AI-driven tools that cover the entire research lifecycle, from idea generation to the publication of results, within an ethical and transparent framework.
The hackathon is designed as an experimental space to explore how agentic AI can become a credible and effective component of scientific research. Special emphasis will be placed on interdisciplinary cooperation and solutions that can be directly applied in research practice.
Teams will present their results in formal pitches, which will be evaluated by a professional jury chaired by CEO of HUN-REN Roland Jakab. Jury members include András Benczúr, Head of the Artificial Intelligence Research Laboratory at HUN-REN SZTAKI; Zsolt Szalay, Associate Professor and Head of Department at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics; and Gábor Kertész, Deputy Dean of the John von Neumann Faculty of Informatics at Óbuda University.
The top three teams will be invited to present at the HUN-REN AI Symposium 2026, while members of the winning team will also gain the opportunity to attend the Helmholtz AI Conference, a leading international professional event.
According to HUN-REN, the hackathon fits into the organization’s broader strategy of viewing artificial intelligence not merely as a tool, but as a form of research infrastructure capable of reshaping scientific thinking and collaboration. The long-term objective is for AI to become an active, integrated research partner in scientific work.
Roland Jakab said artificial intelligence is no longer a promise of the future but a defining force of the present. He emphasized that HUN-REN aims to deploy this potential at a systemic level by building a unified, collaboration-based research environment, with the goal of positioning Hungary among Europe’s top ten innovators by 2030.
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