GAK was established in 1995 by the Godollo University of Agriculture (biggest agricultural university in Hungary) as well as by the major agricultural production companies in Hungary. Among the members we can also find a well-known Hungarian insurance company, the Hungarian Farmers National Society, the city of Godollo, etc.

The main idea of creating GAK was to develop a so called umbrella type of organization that is capable of bridging the gap between university research, development, and the technical implementation and utilization of the scientific results, in other words, maintaining the transfer of know-how and technology. The University (as service provider) and the profit oriented agro-food companies (as possible users of results and services of the University) thus became "share-holders" in the same company. GAK was also established to fulfil certain non-profit activities that facilitate the development of the agro-food sector and the life of people living in the countryside. Its activities now efficiently support the production and sales activities in agriculture, play a significant role in the development of human resources, in the national and international flow of information, and the modernization of innovation process in agriculture.

GAK is operated under the relevant Hungarian company law, and its legal organisational type is called "public benefit company". This special formation is able to utilise all operational advantages of flexible business type organizations (e.g. Ltd. companies) but at the same time it is regarded as a non profit making company so that it is entitled to enjoy certain benefits and grants similar to other non profit organizations.

GAK's main task is the development of relationship between national and international agro-food industry production, user and trading units as follows.

• providing agricultural extension services, professional and scientific advises
• establishing and operating agro-information networks and databases
• organizing national and international exhibitions, fairs, shows, presentations, conferences
• providing intermediate and advanced level postgraduate training programs
• managing innovation in the agro-food industry (research-development-demonstration- commercialization)

The main task of the GAK Management Unit is to formulate and implement projects that can be successfully carried out in accordance with the above objectives by the active involvement of the university departments and individual experts of the University.

Today the most significant technical projects are pursued in the agricultural information systems at GAK. By the end of this year these activities will contribute to 25% of the total income of the whole organization. This growing proportion proved the necessity of establishing an individual branch within the overall company structure called the "GAK Information Division". This division is currently running several information system development programs with the co-operation of the University stuff (primarily from the University's Information Department and the University Library). From this aspect we may declare that our personnel management system is also a very helpful way of stabilizing and developing the human resources working in the budgetary sector, employed by the university, but commissioned by GAK for certain task-oriented assignments. This practice may be a possible model for other countries in the CEE region to be able to implement professionally sound, useful and successful projects, and at the same time to mobilize additional honoraria for the employees so making them survive financially at their main work place, too.

The activities of the GAK Information Division are composed of certain services and co-operations. Our business-oriented services are provided for those users that are capable of paying the fees for these services. Among such activities we should mention the sale of (1) internet access, (2), web-design, web-editing, web-mastering, (3) server functions, DNS registration, (4) database systems, (5) the operation of the Regional Tele-Center and (6) organizing workshops, seminars, conferences. The above mentioned services are expected to cover the 80% of the total annual expenses of the division while the remainder 20% is financed by a currently running National Technical Development Committee project that will be terminated by the end of this year.

For the sake of establishing a substantial professional background and also for the better reputation and reliability in our organization we have been engaged with national and international co-operations. Our main Hungarian partner is the University Information Department with whom we develop content for the Medium on Internet for Agro-informatics in Hungary (MIAU - http://interm.gtk.gau.hu/miau/). MIAU also contains the largest catalogue of agriculture related information sources on the Internet (agricultural links). This is called the Mainfoka (http://interm.gtk.gau.hu/szr/szr/szradat.html). At the international level we have created the AgroWeb Hungary pages (http://www.gak.hu/aw/), and we look after the co-ordination of the WAICENT Hungary activities as well as the development of CARIS (http://www.gak.hu/aw/waicent/index.html). We are also in the honored position to provide the main functions of coordinating IAALD at the national level (http://www.gak.hu/aw/iaald/index.html).