Created: 2025.11.26. 10:47
Researchers from five continents took part in the recently held Conference on Sustainability at Széchenyi István University. More than one hundred experts presented the energetic, technological, economic, environmental and health-related aspects of the topic, arriving from numerous countries around the world, including China, Germany, Malaysia, New Zealand and Angola.
The international conference of Széchenyi István University, focusing on sustainability, was organised for the third time. The event, known as COS (Conference on Sustainability), once again attracted leading experts in the field from twelve countries. Held between 10 and 12 November, the programme featured more than one hundred presentations on topics such as the sustainability of industrial and agricultural systems, corporate and business sustainability, environmental management and the circular economy, sustainable energy and climate resilience, as well as sustainable urban development, infrastructure and transport.
At the opening ceremony, Dr Ferenc Friedler, Rector and Vice-President for Scientific Affairs of Széchenyi István University, underlined, that international collaborations in sustainability research have a real impact on our future, and the Győr-based conference offers an excellent opportunity to build such joint research efforts. “One of the most important elements of scientific work is professional dialogue involving researchers from different fields and countries. Our event provides every opportunity for high-quality, valuable publications to be produced as a result,” he emphasised. He added that a new feature of this year’s event is the cooperation with an international conference in Malaysia and another in the Netherlands, through which the presented studies will be published in special issues of prestigious scientific journals, thanks to Dr Petar Varbanov, researcher and professor of Széchenyi István University, among others.
The Rector also introduced the keynote speakers of the conference, including Professor Michael Narodoslawsky of Graz University of Technology, one of the earliest researchers of sustainability. “It is particularly valuable that Széchenyi University dedicates a three-day professional forum to this topic, which is essential for our future. I trust that this programme will broaden the interpretation of the concept, moving beyond climate change and environmental pollution, and will generate real system-level change. We are in the right place for this, as the institution in Győr plays a significant role in this transformation,” Professor Narodoslawsky said. In his presentation, he drew participants’ attention to the systemic issues on the technological side of sustainable development.
Professor Qiuwang Wang of Xi’an Jiaotong University, China, spoke about hybrid heat-treatment strategies in his lecture (Photo: Gergely Nagy)
The high quality of the event was further enhanced by plenary lectures delivered by prominent professors such as Dr Qiuwang Wang from Xi’an Jiaotong University, China; Dr Kathleen B. Aviso from De La Salle University, Philippines; Dr Pasquale Marcello Falcone from the University of Naples Parthenope; Dr Bing Shen How from the Sarawak campus of Swinburne University of Technology, Australia; Dr Hon Loong Lam from the Malaysia campus of the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom; Dr Seungjae Lee from Seoul National University, South Korea; Dr Sin Yong Teng from Maastricht University, the Netherlands; Dr Bohong Wang from Zhejiang Ocean University, China; and Dr Kirti Maheskumar Yenkie from Rowan University, United States.
More than one hundred researchers presented their scientific results at Széchenyi University’s Conference on Sustainability (Photos: Gergely Nagy)
Besides international researchers, the Hungarian academic sphere was also well represented: during the three-day conference, 102 presentations were delivered across nine sections. At the event organised by Széchenyi University’s Sustainability Competence Centre, participants were introduced to topics including corporate responsibility and the role of quality management legislation in achieving sustainable development goals, the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on food waste in the European Union, the future of passenger rail lines in Győr, and the environmental footprint of Hungary’s hydrogen strategy.
Dr Ferenc Friedler, Rector and Vice-President for Scientific Affairs of Széchenyi István University (Photo: Gergely Nagy)
