The last week of September 2019 will be dedicated to visit Hungarian AR/VR projects and meet the people behind them. Altogether ca. 30 representatives of the 8 involved countries will get a glimpse on the friendly atmosphere of the of the small IT companies’ work, their cooperation possibilities, the tourism supply of Pécs and the surrounding area that has already triggered digital developments. The Managing Authority of the Economic Development and Innovation Operational Programme, targeted policy of the Hungarian project part, will explain related tendering possibilities.

The work will start on Tuesday with a workshop coordinated by Breda University (NL), focusing on innovative market research possibilities, which assist in matching the visitors’ needs with the available technical solutions. It will be followed by experiencing the innovative technology of brain wave controlled digital applications, which technology has just entered to sales phase. The group will visit the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter of the city, where the Zsolnay family, known of porcelain production, used to live in the 19-20th century. On the area of their world-renowned ceramic, the Zsolnay heritage lives on with a new content in a worthy manner, at a beautifully restored 5-hectare area of land. A total of 15 protected historic buildings and 88 public Zsolnay statues feature the scenic parks and promenades. Speakers will introduce the operation of the local IT cluster, the attitude of the citizens related to digital solutions, and a joint mobile app development of Pécs and a Turkish settlement. Late afternoon, we will visit the historic centre of Pécs, where many attractions – such as the Mosque of Pasha Gazi Kasim, Cella Septichora, Medieval University, Cathedral – have been equipped with digital tools to improve the level of experience of the visitors.

Next day, the group will meet the developers of these applications in their everyday working environment. In late morning, we will leave Pécs and visit ‘Ramsons House’ Ecotourism Center at Orfű, to see the virtual flight above the surrounding forest area, and the simple AR based visualisation of Komlosaurus, a dinosaur found at the Mecsek Hill’s Coal Formation. The developer will also share its experiences with us. In the afternoon the study trip will continue at the ZOO of Pécs, where VR googles are available for visitors to check the flora and fauna of 11 geological periods. The developer of this application will also share its experiences about the process with the group.

On the third day, the partners will discuss how the visited developments might give ideas for co-operations, business models, applying new technologies at other partner countries. Finally, the team will say goodbye to Pécs and start its travel back to Budapest to reach the last stop of the visit: Agroverzum at Martonvásár. The interactive permanent exhibition of the Agroverzum shows some of the phenomena that are being dealt with in the Centre for Agricultural Research Centre. They include the research of soils, plant breeding, establishing the scientific basis of pest control, and research required for the management of healthy livestock and eliminating animal diseases. Visitors can use interactive tools, watch animations, movies and try themselves in various games to have a glance at scientific research work.

Photo credits: Pazirik Ltd