The Hungarian Battery Association opened the year with an important workshop. On 9^th of January, we presented the Demján Sándor Program to our members with the participation of Richárd Szabados, State Secretary for the Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Technology. Apart from the members of the Association, experts were also invited to the workshop, that provided an opportunity to discuss the issues raised. The interactive nature of the event helped to clarify key issues for those interested.

The Demján Sándor Program was introduced in 2024 by the Ministry for National Economy to support small and medium-sized enterprises in Hungary. The program is based on three main pillars: loans, capital grants and the provision of non-repayable funds. The initiative focuses on companies that contribute to the country's competitiveness through technological improvements, export expansion and invest in energy efficiency.

The program places great emphasis on promoting sustainable development. Program opportunities that promote energy efficiency, renewable energy, and green investments will contribute to a more modern, greener economic model.

The Hungarian Battery Association would like to thank Mr. Richárd Szabados, State Secretary of Hungary, for his participation and thorough information. We are grateful to all participants who contributed to the success of the event with their presence and active participation. Events such as this allow our members to receive up-to-date information and to reflect together on future developments.

Detailed information about the Demján Sándor Program and the application requirements can be found on the program's official website: https://dsprogram.hu/demjansandorprogram/

The Hungarian Battery Association, the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency and the EIT Raw Materials Regional Innovation Center in Albania signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 12 December 2024. The agreement aims to provide actionable support for the development of economic relations and for knowledge sharing between the parties.

Thanks to the three-year understanding, the parties will develop extensive and effective cooperation based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit, focusing on supporting trade, investments, research and development, and economic cooperation. This aims to assist small and medium-sized companies in their business development processes, including green and digital transition and the critical raw materials, facilitating their efforts in innovation and financial resources mobilization and in capacity building to realize bankable development projects and to fill in investment gaps.

Cooperation covers areas such as:

• exchange of information in the fields of trade, economy, technology, as well as research and development in the raw materials sector;
• exchange of information and practices in the area of green energy transition, energy storage and critical raw materials;
• exchange visits between expert missions and field visits;
• organizing seminars or forums to promote export, investments, joint projects, trade and technology development;
• identifying different EU and international calls and cooperating either as full-fledged or as associated partners in a consortium to support innovation and investments with a sustainable approach, strengthening green value chains;
• facilitating knowledge sharing and capacity building in areas of interest to the Parties, including national export strategies, in particular for critical raw materials;
• the provision of training programs and consulting services within their respective business scope;
• other activities related to the promotion of harmonious relations between the Parties and the economic development and prosperity of the countries concerned.

Established in 2015, the Regional Innovation Centre of the European Institute of Technology and Innovation for Raw Materials (EIT Raw Materials Regional Innovation Centre) aims to facilitate Europe's transition to a sustainable economy. Its mission is to support the supply of critical raw materials to the European industry by driving innovation along the raw materials value chain. The regional center in Albania will, among other things, help to provide the region with the infrastructure needed to exploit its mineral potential and build strong economic links between the Western Balkans and Europe.

On 19 November 2024, the Hungary-Korea Energy Industry Workshop was held at the Hilton Hotel in Budapest with the participation of Hungarian and Korean energy industry experts, government representatives, delegates from leading companies and research institutions, as well as the Hungarian Battery Association. The aim of the event was to discuss the current challenges and opportunities of energy cooperation. It also provided an opportunity for the Association to strengthen its position internationally and actively contribute to shaping the future of the energy industry.

Among the topics discussed at the workshop were the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) with the possibilities for cooperation, the coordination of energy policies between the two countries, and the use of renewable energy sources. It also highlighted the importance of hydrogen in the energy transition, as its widespread use can offer sustainable solutions in the long term, but still requires significant infrastructure development. Dr. Márk Alföldy-Boruss, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, and Kyu Dok Hong, Ambassador of South Korea to Hungary, as well as representatives of MVM and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, also spoke at the event.

Péter Kaderják, Managing Director of the Hungarian Battery Association, spoke about the development of Hungary's battery cell production capacity, its position in Europe and the role of batteries in the transition to electrification. He particularly stressed the importance of strategic cooperation with Korean companies. He also touched upon the current situation of the Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) market in the European Union and Hungary.

The Hungary-Korea Energy Industry Workshop was another step in promoting knowledge sharing and innovation and will further strengthen the economic and technological ties between the two countries. International partnerships such as this and others like it can make a significant contribution to solving energy challenges.

Hungarian Battery Week 2024 was a success, and the interest and support for the event was reflected in the record breaking attendance, with several informative speeches and panel discussions. Co-organized with White Paper Consulting, the event took place between November 6-8 at the Hungexpo Budapest Congress and Exhibition Center.

Our event, launched in 2021 as the Hungarian Battery Day, was extended to a three-day event for the first time this year. During the two-day conference, 62 renowned experts, including national and international speakers gave presentations or participated in roundtable discussions on key topics such as sustainable battery technologies, battery recycling and the development of satisfactory regulatory environment.

In addition to Hungary, acclaimed experts from around the world came to Budapest to give presentations and hold roundtable discussions on current issues related to energy transition and energy storage technologies. Thore Sekkenes, EBA Program Director of the European Battery Alliance and Patrick Clerens, Secretary General of the European Association for the Storage of Energy spoke on the development trends and regulatory environment of the European battery value chain. On the opening day Jason Chen, General Manager, Operations CATL Europe spoke about the latest technology trends and challenges facing the battery industry.

For the first time, the Hungarian Battery Week included an E-mobility Day too, which focused on the trends and impact of electric transport worldwide. Organized in cooperation with the European Association for Electromobility (AVERE) and E-mobility Solutions, experts from Elaad.NL, MVM Mobiliti, Siemens and the Energy Strategy Institute presented the impact of electrification on networks and transport systems.

On the last day of the Hungarian Battery Week, participants had the opportunity to visit SungEel Hitech's battery recycling plant, where they were able to see first-hand the latest technologies used to process end-of-life batteries.

We would like to thank everyone who participated! We are especially grateful to our sponsors, partners, and the conference audience, without whose contributions none of this would have been possible.