Debrecen4U October 21, 2026

Strategic Development and One-Stop-Shop System Make Debrecen Technology Powerhouse in Europe According to EDC Director

During his visit to Debrecen, Minister for Science and Technology Zoltán Tanács praised what he saw at the BMW plant and the University of Debrecen. Zoltán Pécskay, Managing Director of EDC Debrecen, spoke to Médiacentrum Debrecen about the deliberate development strategy pursued for more than a decade that underpins the city’s success and its ability to attract international investment.

On 16 October, Zoltán Tanács, Minister for Science and Technology, visited Debrecen, where he toured BMW Group Plant Debrecen and learned about the University of Debrecen’s corporate training programmes. The minister said he had been impressed by the conditions he encountered at the factory.

Debrecen is not simply attracting individual, isolated investments but developing a sustainable, long-term economic model built on knowledge and innovation, linking international industry with higher education, research and development, and professional training according to Zoltán Pécskay, Managing Director of EDC Debrecen, who outlined the consistent economic development work and strategic planning behind these results. “When the city leadership decided just over ten years ago that economic development should become its main priority, the aim was to attract as many job-creating investments as possible. Debrecen may be a great place to live, but if its ability to retain residents is not strong enough because there are too few jobs and the economy is not sufficiently robust, that alone is not enough. We had to focus seriously on this area to create more career opportunities and strengthen the potential of the local economy,” said Zoltán Pécskay, Managing Director of EDC Debrecen.

The managing director also highlighted the city’s long-established educational base as its greatest asset and most enduring competitive advantage in attracting global investors. “One of the key factors behind our economic development success, and one of the city’s main assets, is its educational infrastructure. Debrecen has been a university city and educational centre for centuries, giving it a competitive advantage that is difficult to replicate. You cannot build this kind of foundation in just a few years; it takes centuries, or at least decades. The structure of the workforce and the breadth and capacity of the education system have provided a strong foundation for the city’s competitiveness,” Pécskay stressed.

Alongside its educational strengths, proactive infrastructure development was essential. This also required the city to take risks in anticipation of future tax revenues and job creation. “Motorways, an airport and rail connections are basic requirements, but the city also had to take proactive steps to develop industrial parks and utilities, including water, wastewater, electricity and gas infrastructure. We had to take risks and invest substantial sums in the hope that, over the longer term, these investments would pay off through tax revenues and employment. When an investor is weighing up their options, Debrecen’s proposition is much more credible if the city can offer a ready-made industrial park that is already being developed, rather than simply a field. These processes take years. Similarly, when it came to office development, the local authority had to take the initiative by launching Forest Offices, after which private investment also entered the market,” the managing director explained.

Alongside economic considerations, the city’s quality of life and its ability to retain talent also played an important role in decision-making. “When companies make their decisions, they also consider the quality of the city in which their future employees will live. It is easier to recruit and retain staff in a good city. Debrecen attracts a great deal of young talent because of its educational institutions, but in the past many people left because career opportunities were limited. The creation of new jobs locally has helped reverse this trend, allowing the local economy to absorb the talent coming into the city,” Pécskay pointed out.

As the final essential ingredient in the city’s success, he highlighted the one-stop-shop service provided by EDC Debrecen and the close cooperation between economic and educational stakeholders. “The establishment of EDC Debrecen was an additional advantage. It operates as a one-stop shop, providing potential investors with a direct point of contact for negotiations. EDC also acts as a bridge within the so-called Triple Helix model, which brings together the university, the city leadership and business stakeholders. We gather companies’ future education and vocational training requirements and present them to training institutions as a coordinated package. This enables those institutions to adapt their programmes flexibly and quickly to meet market needs,” Pécskay added.

Source and photo credit: dehir.hu