Major infrastructure development starts in Szeged's science centre

With the government's support of HUF 9.5 billion, the development of the 85-hectare science and technology park of the University of Szeged (SZTE) will begin, the public relations directorate of the higher education institution informed MTI.

According to the details of the public tender for the public works in the area, the winning bidders Colas Zrt. and Délút Kft. will build a consortium of more than 5.8 kilometres of asphalt road with two roundabout junctions, 3.6 kilometres of water and 3.5 kilometres of sewerage lines and a sewage interceptor. The development will include the construction of two stormwater storage ponds, 5.7 kilometres of fibre-optic cable network, street lighting and landscaping works related to the roads.

The 85 hectare site will be fully developed in 14 months

The press release quotes Chancellor Judit Fendler, who explained that SZTE has long been striving to make the area of the former Soviet barracks suitable for the construction of the institution's educational and research infrastructure and for the realization of economic developments.

The first instalment of the funding for the utility development has just been received by the university and it is planned to complete the 85 hectares of land in 14 months. In addition to its excellent potential, the area is also attractive to investors because of the human capital that the university represents.   

New economic players welcome to the science park

Gábor Szabó, President of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for the University of Szeged and former Rector of the University of Szeged, reminded that the Science Park plan dates back to around 2010, the time when the construction of the ELI ALPS in Szeged was planned. The real return on investment for the laser research centre can be envisaged if the Science Park around the ELI ALPS is built, attracting jobs and scientific intellectual capital.

The press release also quotes Béla Mihálffy (KDNP), Member of Parliament, who stressed that thanks to the investments in the Science Park, hundreds of jobs will be saved and new ones created. This is the goal of the new investment, the development of the utilities and road network, which will encourage new economic actors to choose the Science Park as the location for their next developments. These new entrants can successfully build on the university's unrivalled knowledge industry, making the university and the city a centre of research and innovation.