HUN-REN SZTAKI (Institute for Computer Science and Control)

What HUN-REN SZTAKI (Institute for Computer Science and Control) does

HUN-REN SZTAKI (Institute for Computer Science and Control) is Hungary's largest IT research institute, founded in 1964 under the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and operating today under the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network. Headquartered in Budapest with a secondary site in Budapest and a 2015-established research facility in Győr, the institute employs 315 staff across eight laboratories covering systems and control theory, artificial intelligence, machine perception, distributed and parallel systems, network security, computer optical sensing, engineering and business intelligence, and eLearning.

The institute operates a dual research-and-applied model. It conducts fundamental research in LPV (Linear Parameter-Varying) control design, machine learning, computer vision, sensor fusion, cloud computing, and cybersecurity, while commercializing outcomes through direct industrial R&D contracts, EU framework program participation (Horizon Europe, FP7, Horizon 2020), national research grants (NKFI, Széchenyi 2020/Plus), and technology transfer via spin-off companies (EPIC Innolabs for production informatics; Holodetect Instruments Ltd. for digital holographic microscopy). Its product portfolio spans the SZTAKI Dictionary (Hungary's most-used online dictionary since 1995 with ~100,000 daily visitors across 7 languages), KOPI plagiarism detection, Data Avenue unified storage API, Occopus cloud orchestration, Flowbster workflow system, ApertusVR open-source AR/VR library, gUSE distributed computing gateway, Holodetect digital holographic microscopes, GUIDE@HAND mobile applications, HUN-REN Cloud, the HUN-REN Scientific Data Repository, and the ARNL National Laboratory for Autonomous Systems.

HUN-REN SZTAKI serves enterprise customers across automotive (Audi Hungaria, Bosch, Knorr-Bremse, Volvo, Jaguar LandRover, Opel, GE Hungary), energy (MVM Paksi Atomerőmű, MVM Paks II), telecommunications (Ericsson), financial services (OTP Bank, AEGON), aerospace (Airbus), and government/municipal clients, as well as academic and EU research consortia. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the institute is funded primarily through government and EU research grants plus bilateral industrial R&D contracts negotiated on a project-by-project basis. It holds ISO 9001 certification (since 1997), is designated an EU Center of Excellence in IT and Automation, and operates joint programs with Fraunhofer (Germany), Széchenyi István University, BME, and international partners including ESA and the US Office of Naval Research.

Name

HUN-REN SZTAKI (Institute for Computer Science and Control)

Legal name

Institute for Computer Science and Control

Website

https://sztaki.hun-ren.hu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

HUN-REN SZTAKI is Hungary's largest IT research institute, conducting fundamental and applied research in AI, control systems, cloud computing, and cybersecurity, serving industrial partners and EU consortia via direct R&D contracts and technology transfer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Computer Science and Control Engineering Research Services

NAICS

Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Computer Related Services (541519)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Technical & Scientific Expert Networks (BPAHALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Vision & Quality Inspection (HDAAAEAG), Systems Engineering & Technical Program Management (BPAHAIAI)

Keywords

• Computer science research
• Control systems engineering
• Applied industrial research
• Cyber-physical systems
• Artificial intelligence research

Headquarters

HQ city

Budapest

HQ country

Hungary

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. EU Research Funding: Major revenue stream from European framework programs including Horizon 2020, FP7, and Horizon Europe. Projects include BATTwin (battery technology), rEUman (remanufacturing), RENASCENCE (circular economy), SmartUrbanity (urban planning), and numerous other collaborative R&D initiatives.
2. National Research Grants: Funding from Hungarian national research programs including NKFI (National Research, Development and Innovation Office), TÜÁSZ, and Széchenyi 2020/2020 Plus programs supporting industrial research and innovation projects.
3. Industrial R&D Contracts: Direct applied research and development contracts with industrial partners including automotive (Audi Hungaria, Bosch, Knorr-Bremse), energy (MVM Paksi Atomerőmű), telecommunications (Ericsson), and financial institutions (OTP Bank).
4. Technology Transfer and Licensing: Commercialization of research outcomes through spin-off companies (EPIC Innolabs, Holodetect) and technology licensing arrangements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HUN-REN SZTAKI is Hungary's largest IT research institute conducting fundamental and applied research in computer science, control theory, artificial intelligence, distributed systems, cybersecurity, machine perception, and cyber-physical production systems. It delivers this research through direct industrial R&D contracts with enterprises, EU framework program participation, national research grants, and operates publicly accessible technology services including the SZTAKI Dictionary, KOPI plagiarism checker, cloud orchestration tools (Occopus, Flowbster), distributed computing gateways (gUSE), and Digital Holographic Microscopes commercialized via spin-off Holodetect.

Product overview

HUN-REN SZTAKI operates as Hungary's largest IT research institute offering a diverse portfolio of technology products and services. The core offerings include the SZTAKI Dictionary (Hungary's most popular online dictionary since 1995), KOPI plagiarism detection, Data Avenue storage management, Flowbster workflow system, ApertusVR for AR/VR integration, gUSE for distributed computing access, and Occopus for cloud orchestration. Specialized products include digital holographic microscopes (Holodetect product line) for volumetric sample analysis, GUIDE@HAND mobile applications, and eLearning solutions. Research infrastructure includes the ARNL National Laboratory for Autonomous Systems, HUN-REN Cloud and Data Repository platforms, and the IPAR 4.0 National Technology Platform. Research ventures EPIC Innolabs and Holodetect Instruments Ltd. commercialize production informatics and holographic technology respectively.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SZTAKI Dictionary (SZTAKI Szótár): The most popular Hungarian language-related dictionary service on the internet, providing dictionaries in 7 languages (English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Bulgarian) with approximately 100,000 daily unique visitors.
• KOPI Plagiarism Checker
• MTA Cloud / HUN-REN Cloud
• ELIXIR Hungary

Products and services

• SZTAKI Dictionary (SZTAKI Szótár) Hungary's most popular online dictionary service operating since 1995, offering dictionaries in 7 languages (English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Bulgarian) and serving approximately 100,000 unique visitors daily. It is freely accessible to the general public via szotar.sztaki.hu.
• KOPI Online Plagiarism Search Portal Online similarity search engine that detects overlaps between uploaded documents, utilizing Wikipedia and other sources as reference databases. Operated by the Department of Distributed Systems at HUN-REN SZTAKI for public use and academic plagiarism detection.
• gUSE (grid and cloud User Support Environment) Open-source DCI gateway framework that enables convenient access to grid and cloud infrastructures for research and scientific computing users. Described as the most visited European gateway of its kind.
• Data Avenue Storage management service providing unified access to multiple storage types including S3, sftp, GridFTP, iRODS, and SRM servers through REST APIs, supporting file operations across different storage backends for research data management.
• SZTAKI SSS® Multiplatform Technology Multiplatform application for archiving presentations and conference materials, capable of displaying videos and presentations in a synchronous manner. Used for capturing and replaying conferences and academic events.
• ApertusVR MIT-licensed, open source, platform-independent library enabling integration of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies into industrial applications. Provides XR (extended reality) capabilities for industrial and research use cases.
• Flowbster Cloud-oriented workflow system for creating efficient data pipelines in clouds, deployable on target clouds via the Occopus orchestration tool with an intuitive graphical interface for processing large data sets with virtual infrastructure deployment.
• Occopus

Quantifiable outcome

• Fuel consumption reduction achieved through look-ahead speed control algorithm in real-world testing with commercial trucks.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

AI capability14 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Magyar Tudományos Akadémia (MTA) / Hungarian Academy of SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2015Strategic partnership with MTA for long-term scientific cooperation. On June 25, 2015, MTA confirmed contribution to outstanding vehicle industry research in Győr and support for technical and natural science research in the region. The Centre of Excellence in Vehicle Technology Research (J3K) was formed at Széchenyi István University in cooperation with MTA SZTAKI.
• Széchenyi István Egyetem (Széchenyi István University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Cooperation with Széchenyi István University in Győr for vehicle technology research. Jointly established the Centre of Excellence in Vehicle Technology Research (J3K). HUN-REN SZTAKI created a research site in Győr in 2015 to deepen cooperation with automotive industry companies.
• Audi HungariacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey industrial partner in vehicle research. Audi Hungaria, MTA, Széchenyi István University, and Győr city jointly ensure operation of the J3K Centre of Excellence in Vehicle Technology Research.
• MVM Paksi Atomerőmű Zrt. (Paks Nuclear Power Plant)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term strategic collaboration for safe operation of existing nuclear power plant blocks. Provides background expertise for refurbishment of control systems and preparation for lifetime extension of equipment.
• MVM Paks II. Atomerőmű Fejlesztő Zrt.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration in systems control tasks for new nuclear power plant development to ensure long-term sustainability of production capacity.
• Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (Germany)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint Teaming EU project (2015) to reinforce institutional grounds of long-term European scientific cooperation. Goal is to establish internationally acknowledged Centre of Excellence in cyber-physical systems based on Fraunhofer-SZTAKI Project Centre.
• Budapesti Műszaki és Gazdaságtudományi Egyetem (BME)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with BME Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Transportation and Vehicle Engineering in Fraunhofer joint project for cyber-physical systems research.
• Ericsson MagyarországmajorTechnology or IntegrationLong-standing R&D collaboration in mobile telecommunications including mobile session loss prediction research using radio parameter time series analysis.
• OTP BankmajorTechnology or IntegrationIndustrial data science project providing machine learning-based prediction methods for credit card non-payment problems.
• BoschmajorTechnology or IntegrationManufacturing line analysis for production defect prediction. Also collaborated with Robert Bosch Knowledge Centre (RBT) on camera-based driver assistance systems for vehicle research.
• Knorr-Bremse Fékrendszerek Kft.majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term collaboration on braking systems research. Key partner in SEPPAC project for partially automated vehicle platforms. Also collaborates on railway anti-skid and roll stability devices.
• AirbusmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated under FP7 RECONFIGURE project on fault-tolerant control methods to maintain safety standards in civil aviation, addressing potential failures in on-board sensor and actuator systems.
• Hitachi Manufacturing Technology Research CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on methods for recognizing components of complex engineering objects and reconstructing topological relations from technical drawings. Key partner in Fraunhofer-SZTAKI Project Centre.
• GE HungarymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on intelligent public lighting system (E+grid) and smart city solutions as part of Fraunhofer-SZTAKI Project Centre activities.
• Jaguar LandRovermajorTechnology or IntegrationCollaborated on robotics applications for laser welding under Fraunhofer-SZTAKI Project Centre.
• VolvomajorTechnology or IntegrationCollaborated on human-robot symbiosis in vehicle assembly under Fraunhofer-SZTAKI Project Centre.
• OpelmajorTechnology or IntegrationCollaborated on visual recognition systems under Fraunhofer-SZTAKI Project Centre.
• UTC AerospaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated under FP7 ACTUATION2015 project on electro-mechanic actuators for civil aircraft applications.
• Airbus Defense & Space MagyarországminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint project DUSIREF sponsored by ESA for urban scene recognition and remote sensing using optical and TerraSAR satellite images and LIDAR data.
• European Space Agency (ESA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancing organization for DUSIREF project on dynamic urban modeling through remote sensing data fusion.
• EC Joint Research Centre (JRC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped mathematical solution package for efficient energy management platform under JRC sponsorship.
• US Office of Naval Research (ONR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded research on path estimation and collision probability calculation methods for UAV applications.
• Minnesota University (USA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on UAV control with Institute of Aeronautics and Space Technology for test platform development.
• ELIXIR HungarymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoined ELIXIR Hungary community in 2026, enabling new opportunities in biological data management, AI-based bioinformatics development, and international collaborations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch public-law applied research organization with similar hybrid funding model (government + contract research) and overlapping capability domains including cyber-physical systems, defense, cybersecurity, mobility, and industrial digitization. Comparable scale (~3,000-4,000 staff) gives SZTAKI a structural template for growth.
• CWI (Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica): Dutch national research institute for mathematics and computer science, comparable in size and scope (CS research, spin-offs such as CWI spinoffs, EU project participation). Smaller scale than SZTAKI but directly comparable in mission and operating model.
• Fraunhofer Society (Germany): Largest applied research organization in Europe with a similar model of contract research for industry, public project funding, and applied R&D across multiple institutes. SZTAKI's Fraunhofer-SZTAKI Project Centre formalizes this direct comparability, and both operate Fraunhofer-style 'Institut für...' branded units serving automotive, manufacturing and ICT industries.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology (IPK): Direct counterpart within the Fraunhofer network that explicitly collaborates with SZTAKI via the Fraunhofer-SZTAKI Project Centre on production management and informatics. Closest match on manufacturing/Industry 4.0 capability focus.
• Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT): Austrian state-owned applied research organization with similar size and capability mix across mobility, energy, health, and digital transformation. Comparable business model of national-government and EU funding combined with industrial contract research and a growing spin-off/licensing function.
• Institute of Computer Science, Polish Academy of Sciences (IPI PAN): Polish Academy of Sciences' main computer science research unit - the closest geographic and institutional peer to SZTAKI within the V4 region, with similar scope in AI, systems modeling and EU framework participation. Comparable in mission though smaller in scale.
• CERTH / Information Technologies Institute (ITI): Greek Centre for Research & Technology Hellas (CERTH) - ITI is the closest peer by size and capability mix: applied research in computer vision, AI, cybersecurity and industrial informatics, EU-framework funded, with similar industrial partner relationships across automotive and manufacturing.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finland's state-owned applied research institute with comparable mandate in ICT, manufacturing, energy and autonomous systems. Both serve as national R&D platforms funded by a mix of government, EU, and industrial contracts, and both coordinate multiple National Laboratories.

Broad incumbents

• CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives): French government-funded research organization with much broader scope (energy, defense, health, ICT) but overlapping work in control systems, nuclear systems support, AI, and computer vision. Relevant as an institutional comparator for SZTAKI's nuclear plant work with MVM Paks.

Regional players

• INESCTEC (Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Tecnologia e Ciência): Portugal-based private non-profit research association with similar model of industry-academic R&D partnerships in cyber-physical systems, robotics, AI, and manufacturing. Comparable in scale and business model though operating in a different national/regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SZTAKI_HUN
• Facebookfacebook.com/MTASZTAKI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sztaki
• TikToktiktok.com/@hun.ren.sztaki

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HUN-REN SZTAKI (Institute for Computer Science and Control)