As decided by the general assembly of UNESCO, the year 2012 is to be dedicated to honour the 100th birthday of János Szentágothai, a formal president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and a groundbreaker in his field. According to Ambassador Katalin Bogyay, the memorial year provides a unique opportunity to showcase the achievements of Hungarian science and Hungarian culture in general to a wider audience through the legacy of the great Hungarian scientist.

UNESCO has long been taking part in commemorating the anniversaries of historical events and outstanding personalities. The national committees of the organisation may make such proposals each year. Headed by member of HAS József Hámori, the Hungarian National Committee initiated a Szentágothai Memorial Year, a proposal supported by the Jury of Experts and the Executional Council and finally was accepted by UNESCO's General Assembly.

     "According to my plans, an exhibition and conference are going to be organised commemorating the greatness of János Szentágothai in the centre of UNESCO in Paris. Through introducing his life to an international audience, we are to bring the achievements of Hungarian science into the forefront, while also drawing attention to the responsibility of science and to the connection between science and art", Katalin Bogyay said. "As a Christian thinker and music teacher Franz Liszt had been an ambassador of Hungarian culture in his age, so was János Szentágothai committed to both science and art, a true renaissance man of Hungarian intellectual life."

     "János Szentágothai was a real founder of a school of thought. We, today's Hungarian brain researchers, are all standing on his shoulders", former student József Hámori said. Member of HAS and President of the Hungarian UNESCO Committee, professor Hámori started his career at the Department of Anatomy of Pécs University in 1955 where János Szentágothai had established a research community whose members not only improved in expertise but also had the chance to enrich the spiritual-cultural aspects of their personalities. "We worked from 9 am. until late evening every day, but were not doing science exclusively", József Hámori recalls. "The art of painting, baroque music was just as often the topic of our discussions as was poetry." However it was his findings in brain research that had earned him world fame. Among these were his results on the functions of the spinal cord, the cerebellum, and the structure of the neocortex, making him a Nobel-prize nominee several times.

     Besides being an avid researcher, János Szentágothai had great affection for teaching and always encouraged his students to pass on their knowledge. He considered education as a crucial aspect of science, not only for the sake of the next generation, but also because he believed it's the perfect way for teachers to keep their knowledge up-to-date. Professor Szentágothai authored Functional Anatomy and the Atlas of Human Anatomy with Miklós Réthelyi and Ferenc Kiss respectively.

     János Szentágothai was the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences between 1977 and 1985. Besides holding several national awards, he was also a member of many international organisations, such as the Royal Society, and the Papal Academy of the Vatican. He was an honorary doctor at several universities, among them the University of Oxford. Professor Szentágothai also played a significant role in the public life of Hungary. He was a representative of science in the Hungarian Parliament until his death in 1994.