The construction of Hungary’s largest research and development centre, which will open up a new dimension for the further development of the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, will be completed within two years, Péter Szijjártó announced at the launch of Nokia Networks’ future headquarters.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that the R&D centre, which will have a floor area of 25 thousand square metres and which Nokia will lease for a period of 10 years, will be realised within the framework of the largest ongoing office market investment witnessed since the real estate crisis.
Mr. Szijjártó highlighted: explosive technological development indicates that only those who succeed in remaining at the forefront within the field of research and development (R+D) will remain among the front-runners in the long term, and accordingly the Government is allocating over HUF 700 billion (EUR 2.25bn) to R+D during the new EU programming period.
The Minister pointed out that while five years ago the aim was to make Hungary the production centre of Europe, we are now also seeking to attract as much R+D investment and innovation capacity to the country as possible, since the greater the inflow of R+D capacity, the greater the ratio of high added value, high prestige and well-paying jobs within the Hungarian labour market.
Speaking about the Nokia investment project, Péter Szijjártó underscored: its significance is increased by the fact that, in Hungary, 85 percent of Nokia Networks’ suppliers are Hungarian and 97 percent of the company’s revenue is derived from exports, which provides a wide range of Hungarian IT enterprises the opportunity to develop their presence on foreign markets.
Péter Futó, CEO of the project’s property developer Futureal, said the project will be realised with an investment of EUR 55 million and the building will have an environmentally friendly quality certification, as well as meeting Nokia’s extremely high technological requirements.