Tuesday, 24 November 2026 | 10:40 - 11:40
Session 2: Financing strategic technologies in Europe: from innovation to scale
Europe has world-class science and entrepreneurial talent, but innovative companies often struggle to finance the journey from early-stage innovation to industrial scale, particularly in capital-intensive fields such as biotechnology, digital technologies and artificial intelligence. The panel will explore how EU financing instruments, investors and national ecosystems can work together to strengthen the financing continuum, and how these tools can support Hungary’s technology sectors and national ambitions by helping innovative Hungarian companies grow, scale and compete internationally.
Panellists
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Martin Kern, Director, European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)
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Yu Zhang, Head of Division, Deep Tech, Digital and Life Sciences – Equity and Growth Capital, European Investment Bank (EIB)
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Ernő Duda - President of the Hungarian Biotech Association (HBA) - serial entrepreneur, investor, longevity expert
Moderator: Ferenc Marofka, Policy Officer, DG GROW, European Commission