The Institute for Computer Science and Control, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA SZTAKI), the former Computer and Automation Research Institute, now with nearly 300 full-time employees including about 140 with scientific degrees, was founded in 1964 as a research and development institution of the Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH).
The Institute gained worldwide reputation in computer graphics, computer-aided design and manufacturing, process control, robotics, operations research, numerical methods, advanced information systems and networking. ERCIM (European Research Consortium of Informatics and Mathematics) granted full membership to SZTAKI in 1994. The institute was awarded the title “Centre of Excellence” in “Information technology, computer science and control” by the EU in 2001.
Researchers at the Institute take part in the management bodies and working groups of the most significant international scientific organizations (CIRP, IEEE, IFAC, IFIP, etc.). Many of their colleagues are members of the Editorial Boards of leading international journals.
At the Institute, information science based developments exploitable both in Hungary and abroad, together with high-level advisory activity, are built upon the results, outstanding by international standards, in focused basic research. As a centre of excellence, this provides themes of interest and attracting conditions for talented young people in PhD study, for starting their creative scientific work.
The adequate infrastructure is an indispensable requirement of high-quality research activity. The Institute has realized in due time that its main research focus and the scopes of new laboratories (3D-internet, control of robotic devices and UAVs, SmartFactory, cloud-computing) should be determined by taking the most important directions of information and communication technology into account, joining this way the worldwide research arena of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS).
The Institute is a stable, independent partner in R&D&I and in the fields of contract-based applied work, such as system planning, system integration, consulting and turn-key information systems. Quality is an important issue at the Institute: we have an EN ISO 9001:2000 certification.