Dear Visitor,
My name is Erzsébet Dobos and I am the President of the Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency. Please let me present you with a brief introduction to our organisation.
The Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency (HITA) was established by the Government to promote the international business activities of Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises and to encourage foreign businesses to invest in Hungary. The Agency is a central organisation subordinated directly to the Prime Minister. The activities of the Agency are controlled by the Prime Minister, as prescribed by law, via the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations at the Prime Minister's Office.
Launched on 1 January 2011, the 150 employees of the Agency are providing assistance to the preparations of investments in Hungary of foreign investors and to the exports of Hungarian SMEs.
The most important relations of the Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency are focused, in line with the Széchenyi Plan and the foreign trading strategy, on retaining Hungary’s traditional export markets (Germany, neighbouring countries) as well as on gaining a foothold on new dynamically growing markets (Balkan countries, East Europe, Far East).
In addition to its central office the HITA has opened six local offices in large towns across the country and in the framework of our domestic regional network we have one colleague in each of the counties of Hungary awaiting those intending to make investments as well as enterprises intending to enter foreign markets, local governments wishing to attract investments, industrial parks and clusters, with advice and help.
HITA is also in charge of directing the activities of diplomats promoting foreign trading activities, assisting the strengthening of Hungary’s foreign trading relations at 63 local representations in 49 countries all over the world.
HITA is also the head of the Hungarian consortium of the Enterprise Europe Network. This enterprise development network was set up by the European Commission’ Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry with the aim of encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises’ business development efforts in the European Union.
The Agency is headed by its President whose work is assisted by the Deputy President.
The Agency consists of six directorates:
•Investment Promotion Directorate
•Business Development Directorate
•Strategy and Network Management Directorate
•Communications and Event Management Directorate
•Legal and Human Resources Directorate
•Financial Directorate
Allow us the opportunity to introduce, in a nutshell, the Agency’s organisational departments and the structure as related to companies.
The Investment Promotion Directorate provides information and organises programmes in the interest of encouraging foreign companies to invest in Hungary. The project managers of the sector directorates seek out and maintain contact with potential foreign investors, assist in their decision-making process, and encourage their intentions to re-invest. As part of their activity, they provide company-specific consultancy, attend professional events, recommend locations and organise site visits.
The main aim of the Department of supplier programs is to facilitate supplier relationships between large companies and Hungarian firms, organise supplier trainings with the involvement of large companies and maintain contact with associations, particularly in the automotive and electronics sectors. Their most important aspiration is for Hungarian SMEs to be granted as great a role as possible in the supplier chain of integrators settled in Hungarian.
As part of the one-shop-stop system operated by the Incentives Division, foreign and Hungarian investors receive company-specific subsidy information about Hungarian and EU co-financed programmes. The department, as an intermediate organisation, manages the EKD (investments supported by individual government decision) programme.
The Directorate, with a total of 29 staff members, consists of the following four departments:
•Manufacturing Industries and Energy Department: automotive, mechanical engineering, food, chemical and renewable energy
•Knowledge-based Industries and Sectories Department: SSC, ICT, logistics, R&D activity, biotechnology, pharmaceutical sector and health sector, electronics, medical equipment
•Department of supplier programs
•Incentives Division
The task of the Business Development Directorate is primarily to support the foreign trade activity of Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises with regard to the sectors and target markets specified in the Foreign Trade Strategy.
Services:
Company surveys and company visits:
•establishment of personal contact and business development consulting
•exportable goods, innovative technologies and services survey
Business partner search:
•business and innovation partner search databases: database of information obtained in the course of company surveys, foreign partner referrals
•organisation of international exhibitions and business meetings: arrangement of opportunities for concentrated negotiations combined with a custom appearance
•targeted partner search based on individual needs
•facilitation of international cooperation projects by joining grant consortiums (FP7, EUROSTARS, Eco-innovation)
Foreign market expansion:
•promotion of allocation of working capital with a view to market acquisition
The Business Development Directorate consists of the following four departments:
•Traditional Industries: textile and leather sector, food, wine, wood and furniture sector, paper, printing and packaging sector, plastic and chemical industry
•Technology-based Industries: mechanical engineering: agricultural machinery production, food machinery, mechanical engineering technologies; metal industry, automotive industry, automobile industry: aerospace and space industry, railway, bus, construction, electronics
•Knowledge-Based Industries: life sciences, ICT, clean tech, creative sectors, logistics, defence sector
•Enterprise Europe Network
The Strategy and Network Management Directorate coordinates the work of the foreign market network and, by operating the domestic network, assists the business endeavours of Hungarian SMEs and foreign investors. It organises business forums and economic programmes in connection with government delegations travelling to and from Hungary. It takes part in the shaping of medium and long-term foreign economic strategy and cooperates in the preparation of meetings of the Gazdasági Vegyesbizottság (Joint Economic Committee).
Four departments assist the Agency in the successful implementation of its activities: The European Relations and the Non-European Relations departments are the sections which support state and business sector foreign trade activity. The Domestic Regional Network Department provides national coverage for the activity of the Agency via six regional centres and nine county foreign trade information points. Through traditional customer service activity, the Customer Service Department facilitates access to foreign markets and prepares analyses.
The European Relations and Non-European Relations departments are responsible for the coordination of the foreign trade professional diplomatic network, collect the economic information arriving from the foreign market network and post it on the Agency’s website. The departments maintain contact with the commercial sections of the embassies accredited to Hungary, joint chambers and professional organisations. In addition to high-level government delegations travelling to and from Hungary, the country consultants participate in the organisation of business programmes.
The two departments organise economic forums and business programmes related to the foreign multi-sectoral exhibitions initiated by the Agency. They are actively involved in the work of the economic and joint committees and business councils organised in the concerned scope of relations, provide the information necessary for their operation and channel the topics arriving from the business sector.
The Domestic Regional Network operates the Agency’s Hungarian regional offices. The task of the network, consisting of six regional offices and nine foreign trade information points, is to promote the customer-focused, local activity of the Agency, assess local business needs, and provide consultancy and information.
With county and regional business development events, business partner mediation and consultancy services, the network is available to serve its clients.
Our regional offices maintain extensive contact with local authorities, local governments, professional organisations and NGOs, businesses, business organisations and the media. They participate in the work of clusters and in cross-border cooperation projects.
In the area of investment promotion, they map local investment opportunities, assess industrial parks, sites and properties, and assist in their recommendation. In the course of investment follow-up, they facilitate the implementation of re-investment.
The Customer Service and Analysis Department sees to the Agency’s classical customer service tasks; it receives and forwards telephone and e-mail inquiries to the responsible staff members, prepares partner lists from the available international company databases on the basis of business inquiries, and participates in the elaboration and publishing of commercial development tenders. It performs account management and registration help desk tasks and responds to unspecified requests from abroad. The Department, through its strategic analytical work, participates in the formulation of the Agency’s professional strategy, prepares informational materials and presentations, compiles and maintains information databases and, on the basis of industrial park and site databases, prepares site recommendation packages for investment promotion areas.
The contact details for our Costumer Service Department are as follows:
Customer service: info@hita.hu
Home page: www.hita.hu
Telephone: 06 1 872-6520
Fax: 06 1 872-6699.
Dear Visitor, our Partner,
Just like we have been during the past year and a half, we will continue to be awaiting you with your questions and proposals.
My colleagues are well prepared and they will be more than happy to help you so please do not hesitate to contact us.
Sincerely yours:
Erzsébet Dobos
President
Hungarian Investment and Trade Agency