WIPO Director General Concludes Official Visit to Hungary

WIPO Director General Daren Tang visited Hungary from September 30 to October 2, 2024, to mark the country’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Mr. Tang met with the President of Hungary, high-level government officials, business leaders, and academic institutions. He pledged WIPO’s support to further develop the country’s intellectual property (IP) ecosystem.

During his visit, Mr. Tang met with President Tamás Sulyok of Hungary. The Director General highlighted the role Hungary has played in building the international IP system, and noted especially the contributions made by Árpád Bogsch, a Hungarian national who served as WIPO’s Director General from 1973 to 1997.

The President and Mr. Tang spoke about increasing competitiveness of Hungary and Europe through harnessing innovation and discussed opportunities for further collaboration in IP education, IP commercialization and support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and traditional craft communities, like Matyó and Kalocsa. Mr. Tang reaffirmed WIPO’s commitment to working closely with Hungary to use IP as a tool for development and growth and to bring ideas to the market.

As part of his visit, the Director General also participated in the International Conference “Intellectual Property in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” where he delivered a keynote address. Mr. Tang emphasized the importance of keeping human creativity at the center of IP systems while leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) for innovation. Acknowledging Hungary’s advancements in AI, he mentioned local innovators like SEON and Oncompass Medicine and stressed that while AI can enhance many sectors, it cannot replace human ingenuity.

Mr. Tang also met with Ms. Boglárka Illés, State Secretary for Bilateral Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and discussed Hungary’s innovation performance and the relevance of setting up a high-level inter-institutional task force to reinforce a coordinated strategic approach. They also agreed that IP should be a bridge to bring countries and communities closer together and agreed to reinforce collaboration on IP education.

In a meeting with Mr. Szabolcs Farkas, President of the Hungarian Intellectual Property Office (HIPO), and other senior HIPO officials, discussions focused on how IP can drive growth across sectors, the need to develop targeted capacities on IP commercialization and valuation as well as an efficient framework for IP-backed financing.

Mr. Tang also met with Ms. Johanna Stadler, Director of the Visegrad Patent Institute. They spoke about the “PCT for V4” project, which aims to raise awareness and use of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) among innovators from universities, SMEs and startups in the Visegrad countries.

Engagements with Hungary’s academic and research institutions were another key aspect of the visit. The Director General met with Mr. Balázs Gulyás, newly appointed President of the Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN) and his team. They spoke about the collaboration between research institutions and IP frameworks in reinforcing the lab-to-market approach and how to provide adequate IP skills to researchers. They agreed to further collaboration between the WIPO Academy, the HUN-REN Academy and HIPO to train researchers on IP. 

In a meeting with the newly appointed Rector of Corvinus University of Budapest, Mr. Bruno van Pottelsberghe, discussions centered around a Joint Master’s Program on IP and Innovation Management that is under development. Mr. Tang recognized Mr. Van Pottelsberghe’s extensive experience in IP and innovation and noted that it would be of great value to the program.

During a meeting with Mr. Péter Molnár, President of the Regional Council of the Wine Communities, Tokaj Wine Region, the Hungarian appellation of origin dating back nearly 500 years, discussions focused on how IP, and in particular GI protection, has helped preserve the heritage and economic value of Hungary’s world-renowned wine sector.

Mr. Tang also met with business leaders including Mr. Gábor Orbán, CEO of Gedeon Richter, Prof. Szilveszter E. Vizi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gedeon Richter and Mr. Erik Bogsch, Lifetime Honorary Chairman of Gedeon Richter. They spoke about IP’s crucial role in driving innovation within Hungary’s thriving pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors and the need to focus on translating scientific value into jobs and products, as well as the capital and financing that are needed in that regard.

Cultural aspects of IP were highlighted during the Director General’s visit to the Budapest Music Centre (BMC) where he met musician and Founder of BMC, László Gőz. They discussed opportunities to collaborate, including promoting tools such as WIPO’s CLIP platform, which is aimed at raising creators’ awareness of IP and related management practices and ensuring they receive recognition and fair reward for their work.

The Director General also had the opportunity to listen to a performance by renowned pianist and inventor, Mr. Gergely Bogányi, who showcased the innovative Bogányi piano that enjoys patent, design and trademark protection.

The Director General’s visit highlighted Hungary’s strategic positioning in leveraging its great scientific and cultural heritage to drive its future growth. Through collaboration with WIPO, IP will continue to play a key role in driving innovation, creativity, and economic growth in the country.