The Space-Comm Expo Through the Eyes of Researchers

Participating in an expo as a presenter or exhibitor is no small task, but the four Hungarian researchers took on an additional special burden in London. Petra Bombicz, research group leader at the Chemical Crystallography Research Laboratory of the HUN-REN Research Center for Natural Sciences; Bernadett Pál, research fellow at the Miklós Konkoly Thege Institute of Astronomy, HUN-REN Research Center for Astronomy and Earth Sciences; Mátyás Hunyadi, senior research fellow at the HUN-REN Institute for Nuclear Research; and Lukács Kuslits, a researcher at the HUN-REN Institute of Earth Physics and Space Sciences, represented not only himself and his own work, but also his institute, the HUN-REN network, and, in a sense, the entire Hungarian space science community through it. However, the effort was worth it, because as they say: shared experiences bind them together, international professional connections were forged, and their perspectives expanded into new dimensions.

Impressive Scales and Numbers

For those who have never attended a similar event, the sheer scale of the expo is a surprise in itself. 5,000 visitors, hundreds of exhibitors, over a hundred presentations—as Bernadett Pál puts it, “the scale of the event far exceeded my expectations.” Petra Bombicz had a similar experience; until now, she had primarily attended academic conferences. “At those conferences, there are a few exhibitors we can talk to during breaks, for example about equipment purchases. Here, however, the ratio was reversed, and it was a novel experience that we, as researchers, also took our place in the exhibition hall,” she noted the difference.

The expo served as both a scientific and a business forum, and it was precisely this dual nature that made it particularly interesting for those who, until now, had been familiar mainly with the academic side of a research career.

Strength in Unity

The four researchers unanimously emphasized how successful the Hungarian presence at the exhibition was. Since the booth was located almost directly opposite the entrance, “you practically couldn’t avoid us,” said Bernadett Pál.

Visitors were drawn in by small gifts, such as the brain-shaped flexible stress ball or the “space chocolate”—and once someone stopped, their attention was immediately captured by the presentation of experiments conducted in space, ranging from crystals to molecular models to plants bred for space. According to Mátyás Hunyadi, apart from industrial giants like Airbus, few exhibitors made as spectacular an appearance as Hungary.

Of course, the presence of the two Hungarian astronauts, Tibor Kapu and Gyula Cserényi, further boosted the appeal; they charmed everyone with their approachability and modesty.

It was a major benefit that HUN-REN jointly presented the institutions belonging to the network and the space research activities taking place within them. This ensured a presence that no single institution could have achieved on its own. Bernadett Pál recalled the conversations in which people told her how wonderful it was that even a smaller country was stepping onto this stage, and moreover, immediately presenting its research capabilities in a unified manner. Moreover, the broad research portfolio provided an excellent foundation for discussions: there was always a topic that aligned with the visitor’s interests.

There may be common ground

The joint presentation also brought the four researchers closer together. Petra Bombicz emphasized that Space-Comm was an excellent opportunity for HUN-REN researchers to get to know each other better and gain insight into each other’s work. Although they had practically never met before, they engaged in a fruitful professional dialogue during the two days in London. As Lukács Kuslits pointed out: “Hungary’s involvement in space science is so diverse that it would be important to pay closer attention to one another even at the domestic level.”

Mátyás Hunyadi also highlighted another, rarely mentioned benefit of the event: when you explain your own research for the umpteenth time, while everyone asks different questions, you begin to see your own work from a different perspective and gain new inspiration and ideas. “From this perspective, it was more useful than an academic conference,” he summarized.

Expanding Network of International Connections

All four researchers spoke with countless interested individuals, and in more than one instance, they laid the groundwork for concrete future collaborations. For Petra Bombicz, one of the most defining moments of the event was when she was able to meet in person the Dutch colleague who had invited her and her research group to develop a method for the microgravity crystallization of organic materials, for which they provided the technical environment for the experiment on the International Space Station.

"For two years, we had only been in contact online, and now I’ve finally met him in person," she recalled.

Mátyás Hunyadi, who is involved in particle detector development at ATOMKI, engaged in substantive discussions with approximately thirty visitors. He estimates that 5–8 of them could be potential partners in the future, but there is already a particularly good chance for collaboration with a British company. Bernadett Pál established at least five or six connections that she will actively maintain in the future; among them are a PhD student and her advisor, who are currently working with data from the Konkoly Astronomical Institute.