At Spányi Partners, we have long paid special attention to university relations, because we are convinced that the key to our future lies in supporting young talent, sharing knowledge and passing on professional responsibility. The professional programmes and open days we have organised in recent years have shown that an active relationship with universities is not only a responsibility but also an invaluable opportunity to communicate our approach.
The autumn semester of 2025 was a particularly important milestone for us in this respect, as we were able to participate as external lecturers in the classroom training of the Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (MATE). We were able to bring our own engineering, project management and technical auditing experience to the students.
Training courses and subjects
We worked with students in the following subjects in the basic training:
- Construction and operation of building services
- Building services engineering
One of our key missions is to give students first-hand experience that successful engineering goes far beyond the drawing board. The world of real projects requires continuous learning, teamwork, conscious risk management and strong professional responsibility.
In the master’s programme, we demonstrated how modern tools, such as laser scanning, can be used to quickly and efficiently map facilities through the topic of facility scanning. Here we emphasised the role of innovation in engineering practice. How the CDE platform, 3D laser scanning and data-driven decision making are integrated into the everyday management of facilities and investments.
Our colleagues prepared a series of thematic presentations, all with examples from market practice:
- Renewable Energies – Dr. Szabolcs Páger PhD.
- Project environment – Soma Pongor
- Project Management in Practice – Vilmos Lengyel
- CDE platform – Tibor Vigh
- ÉKTR – Nóra Tallér
- Laser scan – Szilárd Molnár
- Drinking water hygiene – Dr. Szabolcs Páger PhD.
Our goal each time was not just to provide students with textbook material, but to help them understand the role of engineering consultancy in the success of investments through real projects.
For most of us, this kind of participation in university education was new territory, so the preparation period consisted of a series of excited rehearsal lectures. It was instructive to learn that it is not always obvious to translate what we say into an understandable, transparent and digestible structure.
The lessons themselves were very well done, and it was particularly inspiring to meet students who actively listened, took notes, asked questions and showed a real interest in the practical examples. It was good to experience how much easier the message of the lectures, based on real project experiences, “real life” situations, is to get across and how much more memorable it is than mere textbook theory.
The feedback from both students and trainers was very positive, they appreciated the fact that they received up-to-date knowledge directly from the market, and we concluded this cooperation as having given us a lot both professionally and personally. From deepening our knowledge of the material to improving our presentation skills and easing our fears about public speaking.
Why do we consider this a milestone?
For us, this cooperation was much more than just a few guest lectures. We want to support not only future colleagues, but also responsible engineers by bringing the world of real projects into the university.
In engineering education, the focus on building services, structure, energy is often stronger than on the project environment itself, the role of process management, quality assurance and cost management. We believe it is important for students to understand at university that the success of a project depends to a large extent on how processes are organised, coordinated and controlled. In modern projects, the engineer is not only a designer and contractor, but also a consultant, integrator and decision-maker. We want to make this role visible to the next generation in a clear and concrete way, through concrete examples.
Commitment, approach, inspiration
We see every university as an opportunity to pass on not only knowledge, but also attitudes and commitment. To show students that a career in engineering is about continuous development, collaboration and responsibility. To understand why project management, technical auditing and engineering consultancy are key to the future of the sector
and to be inspired to leave university as active, questioning, thinking engineers.
Working with MATE was a big first step for us on this journey, but we are sure it will not be the last. We are working to create more similar collaborations, thematic open days and joint programmes in the future, where the professional experience of our colleagues can directly meet the next generation of engineers.