General Directorate

Prof. Dr. Janos Peter Hajto,  Director Generale/CEO

 jhajto@bzaka.hu

János Hajtó graduated at Kossuth Lajos University, Debrecen, Hungary and received his BSc and MScQualifications in Chemistry in 1972. After graduation, he was offered a three years PhD studentship at theCentral Research Institute of Physics of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences,Budapest, Hungary and received his university doctoral degree in 1975.  

Between 1975 and 1982, he was working as a post doctoral research fellow at the Central Research Institute of Physics in the areas of laser, semiconductors, thin film technology, non –linear optics and electrical and optical properties of novel  materials for a range of applications.

In 1982 he was offered a research fellowship at the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Edinburgh, UK, and in 1985 he became a lecturer at the same department. He was involved in teaching and research in the areas of chemistry, physics and electronics of semiconductors.

In 1993 he received his Doctor of Science (DSc) degree from the University of Edinburgh for his research work concerned with electrical and optical instabilities and non-linearities in semiconductors.

In 1993, he obtained the Tobie Award by Electronics Times in the Category of Research Acievement of the year, UK, for the discovery of room temperature quantised resistance effects in semiconductors.

In 1994 he was nominated for the position of Professor and associate Head of Department of Engineering at Napier University, Edinburgh. In this capacity he was involved in teaching, administration and research in several aspects of Engineering, including electrical engineering, opto-electronics, material science and physics. From 2000 to 2006, he was an invited lecturer and guest professor for the Display Master’s Course of Cambridge University.

In addition to these activities he is the inventor, founder and principal share holder for three high tech. companies, established as spin- offs from his university research (Smart Polymers Ltd, Freelight Systems Ltd and MED, Microdisplays Ltd).

He was also involved in several Teaching Company Scheme (TCS) and Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programs, related to technology transfer and commercialisation of results of university research.

He was also acting as scientific consultant to a number of electronic and optoelectronic companies in Scotland and UK, helping and promoting commercialisation of university research.

  He was also scientific co-ordinator for several large scale research programs in the areas of analogue electronic memories, optoelectronic devices and smart biosensors, working with British Telecom, Intel Corporation, Nokia, British Petroleum and Cambridge University.

He was also involved in several international EU Framework Research programs concerning sensors, electronic devices and biotechnology, working with partners from Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Germany, Portugal, Finland and Italy.

He was invited as visiting professor, giving lectures and conducting research in Harward University US, Phillips Research Centre, Holland and Tsukuba Science Centre, Japan. He was also invited to give lectures in a number of international conferences around the world.

Professor Hajto is a Fellow of Institute of Physics (FInstP), UK and a Member of Institute of Electrical Engineers (MIEE), UK

In 2004 he received the Order of Merit of the Officer’s Cross of the Hungarian Republic for his scientific achievements and helping international research collaboration between UK and Hungary.

From February 2006, he accepted the position of Director General and CEO for Bay Zoltan Applied Research Foundation in Budapest, Hungary. The Foundation is the largest applied research organisation in Hungary, consisting of six institutions in the special areas of laser and material technology, informatics, logistics and industrial technologies, biotechnology, nanotechnology and plant and human genomics.  He is actively promoting commercialisation of research and promoting national and international scientific collaboration.  

To this date, Professor Hajto published over 100 scientific papers and he is author or co-author for 16 patents.

He is the Chairman of the Nanotechnology Advisory Committee for the Hungarian Government.         

felde@bzaka.hu

Zoltan Hoffmann, Economic Director

Dr. Norbert Babcsán PhD, Innovation consultant

babcsan@bzaka.hu

Home Page: http://www.matsci.uni-miskolc.hu/babcsan

He obtained his diploma in 1996 at the University of Miskolc, Hungary in the field of Engineering Physics with work related to single crystal growth. He spent one year at NASA Marshall Spaceflight Center.

1996-2001       Assistant lecturer at University of Miskolc / Materials and Metallurgical Engineering Faculty, Hungary.

2001-2002       Scientific Advisor at Leichtmetall Kompetenzzentrum Ranshofen, Austria. Work on aluminum metal foam research and development.

2003                Summa cum laude PhD on the subject of “Ceramic Particles Stabilized Metal Foams” at University of Miskolc, Hungary with cooperation of Technical University of Vienna, Austria.

2003-2006       Scientific Coworker and ESA International Trainee at TU and HMI Berlin, Germany. Work on in-situ examination of liquid-metal foam stability by X-ray radiography.

2007-               Business Development Director of the Bay Zoltán Foundation for Applied Research in Hungary.

In total about 26 papers on materials science and microgravity (7 of them are about metal foams), participated 30 conferences or scientific meetings with presentations, research management experience, was leader of 3 and team member in about 10 research projects with industrial partners, was supervisor of 14 students for their MSc (Diploma) and of 10 awarded student research work.

He is a winner of the Pro Sciencia and Science Award of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Founder of the Hungarian Researchers Association in Germany. His scientific field of interest is the high temperature colloid systems.