Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei and Hungarian Széchenyi István University yesterday signed a cooperation agreement in Győr, under which the company will support the university with HUF 100 million in the next five years, according to reports.

The Chinese company will support the Hungarian university’s IT and telecommunication education through the grant, as well as establish its own “Huawei Academy and Laboratory” at the institution, Hungarian news agency MTI reported.

Signing partnerships with local universities are indispensable for the companyʼs long-term presence in Hungary, Huawei technical director Karish Cui said, according to MTI. Innovation and the customer are central to Huaweiʼs business, and it sees a qualified workforce taking that business further, he added.

The institution asked Huawei for cooperation in thinking and development rather than in conventional support, university rector Péter Földesi said in connection with the signing of the agreement, MTI reported.