Debrecen University inaugurates pilot research lab

Chancellor Zoltan Bacs said at the ceremony on Tuesday that the pharmaceutical lab would operate in a development phase until 2026, then start a production phase following a 1 billion forint additional investment.

The lab will have capacity for commercial production of virus- and bacteria-based biological active ingredients.

Rector Zoltan Szilvassy said the lab would develop bacteriophages capable of eliminating antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospitals.

Gyorgy Kossa, who heads the board of trustees of the foundation that runs the university, said the school had long focused on establishing a health-care industry ecosystem involving close cooperation with industry players.

Culture and Innovation Minister Balazs Hanko underlined the special role attributed to universities in strengthening the country’s economy. He said that the Debrecen University was among the 13 universities undertaking to develop their science parks in the framework of the government’s Neumann Janos Programme. The pilot research laboratory had been set up in the university’s science park, said Hanko.