Information on the tasks and activities of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences as public body

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences (henceforth: ‘Academy’) is a public body working as a legal personality on a principle of self-government, performing nation-wide public duties related to the cultivation, promotion and representation of science.

The Academy constitutes a separate chapter within the state budget, which also contains the budget of non-economic associations operated by the Academy as public body. The president of the Academy reports biennially to the National Assembly on the activities of the Academy and the general state of science in Hungary.

The president of the Academy informs the Government annually on the activities of the Academy and its achievement in the interests of advancing Hungarian society and economy.

The tasks of the Academy are the following:

a) supporting the cultivation of sciences and scientific research, promoting publication of scientific books and journals;

b) operating a system of scientific qualification and awarding the titles Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Corresponding Member and Full Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Rules of awarding are compiled by the Academy;

c) evaluating regularly the results and directions of Hungarian and international scientific research, formulating proposals with regard to them;

d) expressing its professional opinion at the request of the National Assembly or the Government, regarding issues within its competence, especially science, education, society, environment and economy;

e) supporting the development of the Hungarian language and the cultivation of sciences in Hungarian;

f) guarding over the purity of scientific public life, the freedom of scientific research and scientific statement;

g) concluding agreements and maintaining relations with Hungarian, foreign and international scientific institutions and organizations, especially with academies, higher education institutions and the scientific organizations of the European Union;

h) keeping contact abroad with cultivators of scientific research in Hungarian or with a Hungarian subject, supporting cross-border Hungarian scientific life;

i) organizing scientific programs and conferences, publishing calls for proposals;

j) encouraging and promoting social and economic utilization of the results of scientific researches;

k) it may operate scientific research groups at higher education institutions and public collections based on agreements with them, and may contribute to education and doctoral (PhD) training at higher education institutions;

l) supporting new supplies of scientific researchers through maintaining a system of fellowships, the funds for which are set apart within the budget of the Academy; it may establish scientific fellowships and awards for definite periods or may set prizes for researchers with outstanding scientific achievement, from its own sources or based on joint and several public interest liabilities, the conditions and detailed order of which are defined in regulations by the Academy;

m) creating scientific departments that are the basic units of scientific professional autonomy and setting up other bodies (scientific committees, regional committees, etc.) in compliance with the Basic ruling.