On April 23, 2021, the China‑Hungarian Fruit Wine‑Brandy (Pálinka) Research Laboratory, jointly established by the university and InWest‑China Group, was officially inaugurated at the China (Chengdu‑Chongqing Area)‑Hungary Innovation and Cooperation Conference. Cai Yunge, ViceMayor of Chongqing Municipality, and Máté Pesti, Hungarian Ambassador to China, attended the conference and delivered speeches. László Palkovics, MinisterofInnovation and Technology of Hungary, addressed the event via video link. All of them spoke highly of China‑Hungary economic, trade, scientific and technological cooperation. The conference was presided over by Xu Zhipeng, Deputy DirectorGeneral of Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau.

Witnessed by Máté Pesti, Hungarian Ambassador to China, He Ping, Party Secretary of Chongqing Academy of Science and Technology, and Chen Shijian, VicePresident of the university, the heads of the University’s College of Food Science and representatives from InWest‑China Group unveiled the plaque for the China‑Hungarian Fruit Wine‑Brandy (Pálinka) Research Laboratory. This marks the official launch and development of joint research and application of brandy brewing and blending technologies, vocational education and training cooperation, as well as the fruit wine‑brandy (Pálinka) industry in Chongqing and across China.
It is reported that the foundation for the Research Laboratory was laid back in 2019, when Hungarian researcher Ferenc Hegyi carried out research on fruit wine‑brandy at the China‑Hungarian Cooperative Research Center for Food Science of our university. Products developed based on Chongqing’s characteristic fruit resources won high recognition from the Hungarian ConsulateGeneral in Chongqing and drew the interest of Jiangxiaobai, a well‑known liquor enterprise in Chongqing. The establishment and operation of the laboratory will play a vital role in advancing China‑Hungary talent training, food science research, industrialization of research outcomes and community‑oriented services. It will help improve the quality and efficiency ofChina‑Hungary people‑to‑people exchanges and scientific‑technological cooperation, and contribute to the realization of “people‑to‑people bonds” and “product connectivity” under the Belt and Road Initiative.