One of the outstanding examples of Hungarian innovation rooted in the Budapest University of Technology and Economics is QuantisLabs Ltd., a spin-off company of the University.

As an IT engineering student, Csaba Árdendás, the company's founder and CEO, used to dedicate himself to the IT security testing of Nokia cell phones. Later, he worked on vehicle communication networks in Switzerland. After several study trips abroad, he and his partner founded QuantisLabs, using support from Hungary's Infopark Foundation.

In its early days, QuantisLabs focused on applied electronics and measurement technology research. Then, in 2008, a study of the measurement of meteorological parameters led the company to the idea of reforming vineyard protection. Since then, their creation, SmartVineyard^TM, has grown into an attractive brand.

In Hungary, the system has already been introduced in eight vineyards. A pilot system deployed in Chile promises significant orders.

The key to the system's success is that its software allows not just to track the weather, but also to monitor even the slightest microclimatical changes, in this way providing easy and efficient remote control to farmers. Thanks to precise and detailed meteorological measurements, viticulturists can schedule and optimize their spraying, vintage and other vineyard activities.

The system can built from standard, internet-based and mobile net stations. In order to be able to monitor the microclimates developing due to varying vineyard topography, it is recommended to deploy a sensor for every 4 hectares. As an option, farmers can also add theft protection accessories to their equipment.

The system is able to forecast grapevine diseases such as powdery mildew, downy mildew, gray rot and black rot. The application running on a touchscreen device provides viticulturists easy management of the system and an instant overview of their vineyard.

Introducing SmartVineyard^TM is a one-time investment. Software upgrades are free to customers. Based on spraying costs of $900 to $1,300 per vegetation season, the investment is returned in less than two years. This innovative Hungarian invention can give farmers the competitive advantage that in 21st-century economy, exposed to climate change and extreme weather conditions they need.