THE SECRETARIAT OF HUNGARIANS LIVING ABROAD

Address: 7, Nádor u. H-1051 Budapest

Telephone/Fax: (36) 1 411 6196

Staff: Tarnóczy, Mariann, Department Head, Kövér, Alexandra

E-mail: tarnoczy.mariann@office.mta.hu   or   kover.alexandra@office.mta.hu

 

It is the duty of the Secretariat of Hungarians Living Abroad to assist the work of both the Hungarian Scientists Abroad Presidential Committee and the Council of Hungarian Scientists in Diaspora by attending to related administrative and executive tasks. It also co-ordinates MTA's programmes involving Hungarian scientists living abroad; it also promotes the operation of MTA's External Public Body including the handling of applications, database, website, etc. In co-operation with the 11 scientific sections of MTA, the Secretariat maintains contact with all External Members of MTA with special regard to promoting their ties with their native country.

After several decades of one-on-one ties among Hungarian scientists active in Hungary, in the neighbouring countries, and overseas resp., a major step towards strengthening those ties was taken in 1990 with the introduction of external memberships  of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), a recognition for distinguished scholars of non-Hungarian citizenship who considered themselves fully or partly Hungarian.

To handle issues related to Hungarian science abroad, the Hungarian Science Abroad Presidential Committee was set up in 1996.

It has undertaken to promote co-operation between representatives of Hungarian science in Hungary and abroad, and to help integrate Hungarian researchers of foreign (or dual) citizenship who live abroad and consider themselves fully or partly Hungarian. The Committee also promotes cooperation between Hungarian scientific workshops (research units) abroad and in Hungary. Non-Hungarian researchers with a field related to Hungary, i.e. its language, history, or culture, are also considered to be related to Hungarian science.

The Hungarian Science Abroad Presidential Committee supervises several programmes: the Domus Hungarica Scientiarum et Artium Programme was launched in 1997 on the initiative of MTA and is jointly administered by the Academy and the Ministry of Education. Within this framework junior or senior Hungarian scholars and scientists can visit university departments, research institutes and archives in Hungary to do research for a maximum period of three months at present. Furthermore, the programme also provides support to fund participation at scientific conferences in Hungary.

The Homeland Research Programme was launched in 2000 to support the research work of Hungarian scientists living in the neighbouring countries. The grants are available on a competitive basis and are to be used in the home country of the applicants. The  Homeland Research Programme is administered by the Institute for the Study of Ethnic-National Minorities of MTA.

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences has elected members. In addition, MTA has a Public Body which was created in 1994. Scholars and scientists in Hungary with a scientific degree can apply for admission to the Public Body of the Academy. The members of the Public Body have various rights, e.g. they can send representatives to the General Assembly of HAS.

Since 2000, according to the resolution of the General Assembly, Public Body (Public Law Association) membership has been extended to Hungarian researchers first in the neighbouring countries, later to Hungarian researchers with a scientific degree from any country. The core of the External Public Body consists of External Members and (Hungarian) Honorary Members of MTA. The extension of Public Body membership was decided on at the May 2000 General Assembly meeting. Applications are welcome at any time with appropriate proofs of scientific degrees.The present database (in Hungarian) of the names with some of the most important information of the Public Body members can be found here.

In 2003 an Academic Council of Hungarian Scientists in Diaspora was set up, to better involve Hungarian scientists living in Western Europe and overseas into Hungarian-Hungarian scientific co-operation.