Powering the Future: Innovation and Sustainability

Join the Belgian Club of Hungarian Scientists for an inspiring event featuring expert lectures and a lively roundtable discussion.

The way we produce and use energy is changing fast. Driven by the urgent need to secure energy independence, combat climate change and respond to global crises, the world is turning to renewable energy as the cornerstone of a sustainable future.

In the EU and Hungary, wind, solar, hydro, and biomass are leading the charge, backed by falling costs, bold policies, and the ambitious goals of the European Green Deal.

But the journey doesn’t stop there. Cutting-edge research is unlocking new frontiers: from artificial photosynthesis and hydrogen power to fusion energy and next-gen solar technologies. These innovations could redefine what’s possible in the fight against climate change.

Join the Belgian Club of Hungarian Scientists for an inspiring event featuring expert lectures and a lively roundtable discussion. Bringing together Hungarian and Belgian scientists and experts to reflect on renewable energy research efforts, contributing to Europe’s strategic goals of climate neutrality, energy security, and environmental stewardship.

Marking World Environment Day on the 5********th of June, with its focus on climate action, our club event highlights the role of scientific research in supporting a more sustainable future.

Speakers****:****

• Julianna Oláh is an associate professor of chemistry at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, at the Faculty of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology. Julianna is the principal investigator of her computational bioinorganic chemistry research group, which conducts computational chemistry studies in bioinorganic and bio-inspired inorganic chemistry. Julianna was a Marie Curie Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, was the recipient of the L’Oréal–UNESCO For Women in Science scholarship and was awarded the Women in Science Excellence Prize.
• After having obtained his doctorate degree at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, and several postdoctoral research years, Balázs Pintér became an assistant professor at the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María in Chile and later at the University of Texas at El Paso. His team pursued scientific research focussing on theoretical chemistry and catalysis focusing on energy conversion, photochemistry and electrochemistry. Balázs is currently a Scientific Project Adviser in Physical and Analytical Chemical Sciences at the European Research Council Executive Agency.
• Jeremy Harvey is a leading theoretical and computational chemist at the University of Leuven, specialising in using quantum chemistry to understand reaction mechanisms in catalysis, biology, and materials science. Jeremy was a professor of chemistry at the University of Bristol, School of Chemistry, and currently is the Head of the Chemistry Department at the University of Leuven.
• Márton Pálmai is a Brussels-based energy policy and public affairs expert leading the Brussels representation of MOL Group, one of Central and Eastern Europe’s leading integrated oil and gas, chemicals, and circular economy companies. In this role, he focuses on EU energy, climate, environmental, and industrial policy, as well as regulatory affairs and stakeholder engagement. His work contributes to discussions on the European energy transition, circular economy, industrial competitiveness, and security of supply. He has extensive experience at the intersection of industry and European policymaking, with particular expertise in how EU policies affect Central and Eastern Europe.