A sectoral knowledge centre is being built in Szerencs at a cost of around 4.3 billion forints to develop training and innovation in the food and confectionery industries, said the Minister for Culture and Innovation on 12 March in the town in Zemplén.
Balázs Hankó emphasised at the foundation-laying ceremony for the knowledge centre that five sectoral knowledge centres are to be established in Hungary, based on cooperation between vocational training, higher education and innovation. The total budget for the programme exceeds 21 billion forints.
To the world’s elite with Szerencs chocolate
The minister emphasised that the aim is for Hungarian expertise and innovation to reach the forefront of the global stage in certain strategic sectors, such as the food industry, IT and the engineering sector, thereby contributing to the success of young people and the strengthening of the economy.
Szerencs is particularly well suited to becoming the sector’s training and knowledge centre, not least because „Szerencs chocolate” is an important part of Hungarian national traditions, noted Balázs Hankó.
The only one in Eastern Hungary
At the event, Zsófia Koncz, State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, described the investment as a milestone in the life of Szerencs.
He recalled that it was announced almost to the day in 2008 that sugar production in the town, which had been going on for nearly 120 years, was to cease, which represented a significant loss for the region. He said that the factory’s launch in 1889 had brought urbanisation to Szerencs. He added, however, that in recent years there had been a number of developments which had breathed new life into the site of the former sugar factory.
Speaking about the knowledge centre currently under construction, Zsófia Koncz said,
Of the five such institutions in the country, the one in Szerencs will be the only one in Eastern Hungary.
As part of the development, an office building will be refurbished, new facilities will be constructed, and equipment worth one billion forints will be purchased.
Confectionery-making is now available as part of technical college courses
He emphasised that, building on the town’s confectionery traditions, a confectionery-making course had already been launched, and that from September this had also been introduced as a technical college course. All of this creates an opportunity for young people to obtain their school-leaving certificate and, later on, even to pursue studies in food engineering, he pointed out.
According to Zsófia Koncz, the new knowledge centre will contribute to the development of the food industry through collaboration between vocational training institutions, universities and businesses, whilst the creation of new jobs may also help encourage more young families to envisage a future in Szerencs.
At the event, Zsoltné Rubi, Chancellor of the Szerencs Vocational Training Centre, explained that the aim of the Szerencs Food Industry Knowledge Centre is to serve as a European-level centre for professional development, training and innovation for young professionals, where bakers, confectioners, pastry chefs and food engineers not only learn, but also create and collaborate.
The opening photo shows Mrs Zsolt Rubi, Chancellor of the Szerencs Vocational Training Centre; Mayor Attila Kiss; Zsófia Koncz, State Secretary for Families at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation; the Fidesz Member of Parliament for the region; István Takács, Managing Director of Szerencsi Bonbon Kft., Balázs Hankó, Minister for Culture and Innovation, and Márta Bukta, Director-General of the Szerencs Vocational Training Centre Technical and Service College and Vocational School (from left to right) place the time capsule at the ceremonial laying of the foundation stone for the Szerencs Food Industry Knowledge Centre in Szerencs on 12 March 2026.
