Research University

Research University

On April 18, 2010, Eötvös Loránd University was officially granted the status of research university. The Faculty of Humanities – together with the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Law – is the faculty that traditionally deals with scientific and research activities, making it worthy of the status of research university. The Faculty has always considered scientific research and the education of future generations key responsibilities.

As Hungary’s leading research university, Eötvös Loránd University was awarded the Social Renewal Operational Programme’s research university bid called by the Hungarian National Development Agency (TÁMOP-4.2.1/B-09/1/KMR). The project aimed at improving the quality of higher education and advancing university research was implemented between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2012 with a 3 billion forint grant from the government and the European Union.

As part of its bid, the Faculty of Humanities oversaw the sub-programme dubbed Intercultural Dialogue”. The project saw the drafting of comprehensive research framework solutions which – based on the historical and spatial diversity of cultural interaction – ranged from the thought-based, mental, legal and social forms of interaction between cultures to intercultural translation.

The aim of the Intercultural Dialogue” project is the establishment and operation of a new research centre of excellence which allows for the tighter institutional international (mainly European) integration of existing research in the field in question, as well as the internationalisation of new research to be carried out at Eötvös Loránd University’s two partner faculties (Faculty of Humanities, Faculty of Law), in line with the European Parliament and European Council’s directives concerning the humanities and social sciences.

The development of relations with domestic and foreign institutions and organisations, the establishment and expansion of ties within the various fields of part-time research and the establishment of relations with foreign and international institutions conducting academic activities are crucial for achieving the project’s goals. This requires intensifying cooperation with our regional and European competitors as well as with the networks involved in our field of research around the world. The grant awarded to the Faculty as part of the bid will allow it to join international research programmes and trends and to have a greater presence on the international higher education stage and improve its position internationally. Further, it gives our PhD students the opportunity to conduct research at the best research centres of their given field and learn from the world’s best academics.

The sub-programme was headed by Professor Ernő Kulcsár Szabó, academic, with Professor Gábor Sonkoly acting as project manager.