Speaking at a panel discussion on 21st Century Science Policies on the first day of the Ministerial Meeting, József Pálinkás, President of Hungary’s National Research, Development and Innovation Office addressed the role of open science in creating an information-intensive economy.
Bringing together 34 developed countries from around the world, the OECD, joined by Hungary as a member country in 1996, focuses on analyzing global economic and sociological processes, drawing conclusions and addressing challenges in a systematic manner. Ministers from the different fields meet about every five years to decide on common industry strategies and key areas of action for the members of the global organization.
The theme of creating our common future was also at the heart of this year’s science, technology and innovation (STI) Ministerial Meeting. Topics discussed included improving the efficiency of national innovation strategies; enhancing the impact of public investment; the role of science policies; and new technologies to support a more sustainable future, a greener economy and global inclusiveness. Addressing issues such as open access to research results and encouraging publicity of data in the era of Big Data, József Pálinkás highlighted: a prospering data economy requires the simultaneous consideration of legal, social, economic, technology and application aspects. “The OECD can act as a catalyst in helping to spread this model through coordinated legislative and financing measures adopted by the member countries, and make it an integral part of the global research infrastructure. It can be very helpful for innovative SME’s that currently face serious disadvantages in adopting scientific innovations", the President of the NRDI Office commented.
After the closure of the Ministerial Meeting, the 107th Regular Meeting of the OECD Committee for Scientific and Technological Policy (CSTP) was held, attended by representatives of the member countries' line ministries and government agencies, including József Pálinkás in his capacity as the President of the NRDI Office. He took the opportunity to negotiate on bilateral relations, discussing new directions – such as a joint research program to ensure project financing – and common priority areas in the scientific and technology cooperation between Korea and Hungary with the ministerial partner organizations (National Research Foundation of Korea and Korea Institute of Industrial Technology).
József Pálinkás was invited by young scientists and inventors to attend the gala event of this year’s Korea Science Makers Challenge. In the presence of Minister Yanghee Choi, the President of the NRDI Office delivered a highly successful welcome speech to hundreds of enthusiastic students, highlighting that the dedication and commitment of young talents offer us big hope towards solving the challenges faced by mankind.
