Featured Lendület Member: Miklós Sebők

Featured Lendület Member: Miklós Sebők

In the last decades, there have been significant changes in the foreign policy orientation of the Visegrád countries: the unilateral Euro-Atlantic orientation has been replaced by an East-West mixed orientation. Miklós Sebők, Research Professor at the HUN-REN Centre for Social Sciences, Institute of Political Science, Department for Government and Public Policy, and head of the MTA-TK Lendület (Momentum) V-SHIFT Research Group, and his colleagues use state-of-the-art artificial intelligence methods to investigate the foreign policy shifts in the countries of the Central and Eastern European region, based on all parliamentary documents and countless newspaper articles of the past 35 years. Such a scale and depth of analysis would have been unthinkable before AI.

The Academia Europaea Budapest Knowledge Hub will increase the visibility of Hungarian science – An interview with AE Budapest’s new Director, Péter Hegyi

The Academia Europaea Budapest Knowledge Hub will increase the visibility of Hungarian science – An interview with AE Budapest’s new Director, Péter Hegyi

A few months ago, Professor Péter Hegyi, Director of the Semmelweis University Centre for Translational Medicine and Director of the University of Pécs Institute for Translational Medicine succeeded László Lovász, former president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, as director of the Academia Europaea Budapest Knowledge Hub. In our interview, the new director says that his two main objectives are to accelerate the practical and social use of scientific discoveries and to support the visibility of Hungarian researchers and scientific results abroad.

Featured Lendület (Momentum) Researcher: Szimonetta Lohner

Featured Lendület (Momentum) Researcher: Szimonetta Lohner

In medical research, it is vitally important that each study is conducted in accordance with international professional recommendations and expectations, that the results are accessible to all, and that the lessons of proven discoveries are transferred into clinical practice as soon as possible. However, these conditions are not always met. Szimonetta Lohner, Associate Professor at the Institute of Public Health Medicine at the University of Pécs, and her research group, established under the Momentum Programme, is investigating the practice of medical research to achieve these goals.

Featured Lendület Member: Gergely Róna Featured Lendület Member: Gergely Róna

Featured Lendület Member: Gergely Róna

Errors in the DNA sequence occur regularly and need to be corrected immediately to maintain normal gene function. DNA repair mechanisms associated with DNA replication are well known, but DNA error repair also occurs in non-dividing cells, about which much less is known. However, many diseases, such as some neurodegenerative diseases, are caused by DNA errors in non-dividing cells. Gergely Róna, head of the MTA-TTK Lendület (Momentum) DNA Error Repair Research Group and researcher at the Institute of Molecular Life Sciences of the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, and his colleagues are investigating little-known forms of DNA repair mechanisms with the support of the Momentum Programme.

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Featured Lendület Researcher: Maria Lugaro Featured Lendület Researcher: Maria Lugaro

Featured Lendület Researcher: Maria Lugaro

Maria Lugaro investigates the circumstances of the birth of stars and planets with the support of MTA’s Lendület (Momentum) Programme. To this end, the astronomer and her colleagues will analyse data obtained by testing stardust in the laboratory.

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Featured Lendület Member: Peter Maga Featured Lendület Member: Peter Maga

Featured Lendület Member: Peter Maga

Automorphic forms are among the most interesting objects of mathematical research today, since they serve as a link between many subfields of mathematics, such as number theory and partial differential equations. Peter Maga, Senior Research Fellow at the HUN-REN Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics, and his Momentum research group will be investigating automorphic forms on higher-rank groups in the coming years.

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Featured Lendület Researcher: Zoltán Novák Featured Lendület Researcher: Zoltán Novák

Featured Lendület Researcher: Zoltán Novák

The chemical and pharmaceutical industries would be unthinkable today without catalysts. Therefore, the development of increasingly efficient catalysts is one of the most important goals of chemistry, as these catalysts make chemical synthesis cheaper, more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Zoltán Novák, professor in the Department of Organic Chemistry at ELTE and head of the Sustainable Catalytic Processes Research Group, and his colleagues are also working on the development of new types of catalysts which are partially recyclable and reusable and require only small amounts, can be activated by controllable external impulses, and do not require expensive precious metals.

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Featured Lendület Member: László Acsády Featured Lendület Member: László Acsády

Featured Lendület Member: László Acsády

The thalamus is one of the most underestimated brain areas. According to the classical view, its only job is to act as a switching station between the cerebral cortex and stimuli from the outside world. However, László Acsády, head of the MTA-KOKI Momentum Thalamus Research Group and deputy director of the HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine (KOKI), and his colleagues have shown in recent decades that this view could not be further from the truth. Indeed, the complex communication between the cortex and the thalamus and the processing that takes place in the thalamic cells prove that this brain area plays an active role in brain function. His brain research team can now continue their research with funding from the Momentum Programme.

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Featured Lendület Member: András Abonyi Featured Lendület Member: András Abonyi

Featured Lendület Member: András Abonyi

Riverine plankton communities are of crucial importance in maintaining the ecological health of rivers, yet compared to standing water plankton, the community of riverine floating organisms is very poorly studied. András Abonyi, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Aquatic Ecology of the Centre for Ecological Research, is changing this. He is the head of the Momentum Research Group on River Ecology and, with the support of the Momentum Programme, is investigating the transformation of the plankton community in rivers in response to river regulation and changes over time.

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Featured Lendület Member: András Attila Horváth Featured Lendület Member: András Attila Horváth

Featured Lendület Member: András Attila Horváth

A growing body of research suggests that there is a link between epilepsy-related cortical hyperexcitability (i.e. excessive neuronal activity) and pathologies associated with cognitive decline, such as dementia. András Attila Horváth, Director of the Neurocognitive Research Centre of the National Institute of Mental Health, Neurology and Neurosurgery and head of the MTA-OMIII Lendület (Momentum) Neurocognitive Research Group, and his colleagues are trying to uncover the mechanism underlying this relationship. Their results could lead to new targets for treatment.

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The Surprising Expansion History of the Universe - watch the Lecture by Nobel Laureate Astrophysicist Adam Riess The Surprising Expansion History of the Universe - watch the Lecture by Nobel Laureate Astrophysicist Adam Riess

The Surprising Expansion History of the Universe - watch the Lecture by Nobel Laureate Astrophysicist Adam Riess

We had the honor of hosting Adam Riess, one of the recipients of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics, as a guest in the Ceremonial Hall of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, where he not only presented the story of his groundbreaking discovery that stirred the scientific community, but also talked about the far-reaching consequences of it in astrophysics. The video recording of his lecture is available in our article.

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Announcement on the Nominees for the Chief Officer Posts of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Announcement on the Nominees for the Chief Officer Posts of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Announcement on the Nominees for the Chief Officer Posts of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

The new leadership of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences will be elected by its General Assembly on 9 May 2023. The preparations for the election of the Academy leadership due in 2023 have been completed by the 22-member Nomination Committee, composed of members delegated by the eleven scientific sections, who are either members of the Academy or non-member representatives delegated to the General Assembly, in line with the provisions of the Academy’s Statutes as well as the Committee’s own Rules of Procedure.

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Key Issues in Urban Greening - Video of the special session held at MTA HQ Key Issues in Urban Greening - Video of the special session held at MTA HQ

Key Issues in Urban Greening - Video of the special session held at MTA HQ

What is the benefit for us urban dwellers of encountering wildflower meadows or vegetable gardens on our way home? Does sex reversal in a significant number of urban frogs help in adaptation? Are urban birds any smarter than those living in their natural habitats? These were some of the questions discussed at the special session organised by the Academia Europaea Budapest Knowledge Hub on 22 March 2023, which focused on the conservation and restoration of urban habitats.

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Mathematician Vera T. Sós, Full Member of MTA, Passes Away Mathematician Vera T. Sós, Full Member of MTA, Passes Away

Mathematician Vera T. Sós, Full Member of MTA, Passes Away

Vera T. Sós was born on 11 September 1930 in Budapest. She completed her university studies in the Mathematics and Physics Department of Eötvös Lorand University (ELTE). She was elected a corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1985 and a full member in 1990.

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Eric Hanushek: The quality of the teacher is the most important element of schools Eric Hanushek: The quality of the teacher is the most important element of schools

Eric Hanushek: The quality of the teacher is the most important element of schools

Eric Hanushek, professor at Stanford University, is one of the best-known and most influential scholars in the field of economics of education, having worked on a wide range of topics such as teacher quality, the effects of class size reduction, school accountability, and more recently, the relationship between economic growth and the skill levels in countries. Professor Hanushek gave a lecture at Hungarian Academy of Sciences about education in a changing world. On this occasion we asked him about the good teachers, optimal class sizes, talented and average students, the basic skills and the artificial intelligence.

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Biosphere reserves under UNESCO patronage – An international programme co-initiated by Hungarians aiming to preserve biodiversity was in the limelight at a side event of the World Science Forum Biosphere reserves under UNESCO patronage – An international programme co-initiated by Hungarians aiming to preserve biodiversity was in the limelight at a side event of the World Science Forum

Biosphere reserves under UNESCO patronage – An international programme co-initiated by Hungarians aiming to preserve biodiversity was in the limelight at a side event of the World Science Forum

Biosphere reserves are the outcome of a unique endeavour to integrate research, nature conservation and sustainable development. Their past, present and future were explored at a World Science Forum side event co-organized by UNESCO and MTA under the title “Biosphere Reserves: Shining Gems of Natural Ecosystems”.

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“We cannot afford to waste talented minds anywhere in the world” – welcome address by Tamás Freund at the Opening Ceremony of the World Science Forum “We cannot afford to waste talented minds anywhere in the world” – welcome address by Tamás Freund at the Opening Ceremony of the World Science Forum

“We cannot afford to waste talented minds anywhere in the world” – welcome address by Tamás Freund at the Opening Ceremony of the World Science Forum

To honour this year’s WSF motto of “Science for Social Justice”, all the speakers of the opening event urged the global scientific community with one voice to put science at the service of society, drawing on all the tools and means at hand, and to make a strong commitment to fighting against social inequalities and all the evils they bring. The World Science Forum in Cape Town officially began on 6 December with the Opening Ceremony, where the co-organising states were represented by their respective Heads of State and Ministers, with the international partner organisations represented by their top executives.

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Global challenges call for globally accessible research facilities – How to leverage large research infrastructure for the conduct of basic science for sustainable development? Global challenges call for globally accessible research facilities – How to leverage large research infrastructure for the conduct of basic science for sustainable development?

Global challenges call for globally accessible research facilities – How to leverage large research infrastructure for the conduct of basic science for sustainable development?

A side event co-organised by the Alliance of International Science Organizations (ANSO), the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Department of Science and Innovation of South Africa, looked into the current availability of and future potential for large research facilities at the service of basic science working towards the fulfilment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

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World Science Forum – Science for Climate Justice World Science Forum – Science for Climate Justice

World Science Forum – Science for Climate Justice

The Wednesday afternoon plenary session “Science for climate justice – How can science, working with civil society, lead the way in correcting the failure of climate policy?” was one of the most interesting sections of the whole World Science Forum thus far. Africa is the most authentic location for the discussion of this topic because, unfortunately, the low-income states of the continent will be harshly affected by climate change. Therefore, climate justice will be one of the most important scientific and political problems of the coming decades.

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The 10th World Science Forum to Kick Off on Monday in South Africa The 10th World Science Forum to Kick Off on Monday in South Africa

The 10th World Science Forum to Kick Off on Monday in South Africa

The most prestigious global forum for science diplomacy is reaching a new milestone in its history this year: it is visiting the African continent for the first time. The 10th World Science Forum will be taking place in Cape Town, South Africa, from 6 to 9 December 2022. Convened under the main theme “Science for Social Justice”, this year’s forum calls on decision-makers to recognise the vital role that science must play in solving the world’s worsening societal, economic and environmental crises.

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The 150 of Us – An Interview with Robin Dunbar, Honorary Member of MTA, about the Social Network Size Number of Humans The 150 of Us – An Interview with Robin Dunbar, Honorary Member of MTA, about the Social Network Size Number of Humans

The 150 of Us – An Interview with Robin Dunbar, Honorary Member of MTA, about the Social Network Size Number of Humans

Few are those among contemporary researchers who will have a number named after them. Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at Oxford University and Honorary Member of MTA, Robin Dunbar is actually one of them. The number he introduced has come to feature in each and every book on human evolution. One of the best-known anthropologists of our time, Professor Dunbar. We spoke to him on this occasion, asking him, of course, about the origin and scope of Dunbar’s number.

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Sympathy and solidarity – Presidents of Visegrad Academies issue joint declaration at Budapest meeting in support of Ukrainian people, scientists and science, condemning Russia’s military aggression Sympathy and solidarity – Presidents of Visegrad Academies issue joint declaration at Budapest meeting in support of Ukrainian people, scientists and science, condemning Russia’s military aggression

Sympathy and solidarity – Presidents of Visegrad Academies issue joint declaration at Budapest meeting in support of Ukrainian people, scientists and science, condemning Russia’s military aggression

The Visegrad Group Academies Forum held its annual meeting at the Headquarters of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on 26-27 May 2022. The focus of the two-day meeting was on the success of European Research Council (ERC) grants, the V4 academies’ uniformly outstanding epidemiological research and communication activities, help for Ukraine, young researcher initiatives, and cooperation in the use of European-level research infrastructures and in the application of advanced therapy medicinal products. At the forum, the academy presidents issued a joint statement on the aggression against Ukraine and support for Ukrainian scientists.

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Call for research proposals for the Research Programme for Public Education Development – 2022 Call for research proposals for the Research Programme for Public Education Development – 2022

Call for research proposals for the Research Programme for Public Education Development – 2022

The Hungarian Academy of Scinces announces an open call for research proposals to finance research projects for 4 years (between 1 September 2022 – 31 August 2026), which aim to lay the foundations for the development of education and training by providing new scientific findings and to carry out research on how to renew the pedagogical perspectives and methods for knowledge transfer and the transmission of values.

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MTA Centre of Excellence – Video of the certificate award ceremony MTA Centre of Excellence – Video of the certificate award ceremony

MTA Centre of Excellence – Video of the certificate award ceremony

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), on the basis of the recommendation of the Qualification Council for Research Centres (KMT), has given the MTA Centre of Excellence Award to 95 Hungarian scientific workshops and institutions in recognition of their outstanding scientific work. The representatives of the research centres that have won the prestigious award received the certificates at a ceremony at the Széchenyi tér headquarters of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

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MTA External Members’ Forum features war-related topical issue MTA External Members’ Forum features war-related topical issue

MTA External Members’ Forum features war-related topical issue

In addition to the award ceremonies and toasts, this year’s recipient of the Young Researcher Award has posted a video message from the front in Eastern Ukraine. MTA Vice President György Kosztolányi, meetings chairman of the External Members’ Forum and representative of Hungarian Academy members living abroad, called the viewing of Viktor Traski’s video a historic moment that will be written into the golden book of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

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A renewing, proactive Academy, an increasingly active public body – President’s Report by Tamás Freund A renewing, proactive Academy, an increasingly active public body – President’s Report by Tamás Freund

A renewing, proactive Academy, an increasingly active public body – President’s Report by Tamás Freund

“The changes in the external environment and, thus, in the situation of the Academy have forced it to revitalise itself, but MTA has consistently been able to act as a proactive partner and is now more of a master of its own fate than it was two years ago”, said Tamás Freund in his President’s Report at the 195th General Assembly of the Academy. The President of the Academy also announced the launch of several research programmes linked to social and national strategy priorities.

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The intensively raised goat and the organic cabbage – can we have our cake and eat it? New report on regenerative agriculture presented at MTA by the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Academies The intensively raised goat and the organic cabbage – can we have our cake and eat it? New report on regenerative agriculture presented at MTA by the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Academies

The intensively raised goat and the organic cabbage – can we have our cake and eat it? New report on regenerative agriculture presented at MTA by the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Academies

According to the latest report of the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Academies (EASAC) on regenerative agriculture, not only is ecologically sensitive agriculture not an enemy of food production but, due to climate change and environmental degradation, it will, in a few short decades, represent our only chance of being able to feed humanity. To explore the background of the report presented at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences on Wednesday 6th of April, we interviewed two Hungarian members of the scientific community who were behind it – Orsolya Valkó and András Báldi.

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Gaining Momentum: Kata Horváti Gaining Momentum: Kata Horváti

Gaining Momentum: Kata Horváti

The coronavirus pandemic demonstrated that vaccines based on radically new techniques could be more effective than previous ones. They can be developed faster and protect against those infectious diseases where previously there were no vaccines. However, it is not only mRNA that could be the basis of a new type of vaccine: peptides can also be used for this purpose. Kata Horváti, from the HAS-ELTE Research Group of Peptide Chemistry, Department of Organic Chemistry, Eötvös Loránd University, received the Lendület (Momentum) grant to develop peptide-based vaccine strategies. An overview of her research is the next step in the introduction of the researchers who are the latest recipients of the HAS’s programme of excellence.

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MTA’s Momentum Group on the trail of dark matter MTA’s Momentum Group on the trail of dark matter

MTA’s Momentum Group on the trail of dark matter

The European Space Agency recently released the first spectacular images taken by the Euclid space telescope, demonstrating the unparalleled capabilities of the new telescope. The data collected by Euclid will be analysed over the coming years by an international consortium of thousands of researchers. This consortium includes members of the MTA-CSFK Lendület (Momentum) Large-Scale Structure Research Group, led by András Kovács of the Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences (CSFK) at HUN-REN.

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Big Five 100 – Video of the international conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of five legendary mathematicians Big Five 100 – Video of the international conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of five legendary mathematicians

Big Five 100 – Video of the international conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of five legendary mathematicians

The Department of Mathematical Sciences of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) organised an international conference to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of the mathematicians Lipót Fejér called the “Big Five”. At the ceremony, held at the HUN-REN Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics, László Fuchs, who celebrates his 100th birthday this year, was personally welcomed and received the János Arany Lifetime Achievement Award, the most prestigious academic honour for Hungarian scientists abroad, from the President of the Academy. A recording of the event, partly in Hungarian, is available in our article.

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Featured Lendület Member: Gábor Juhász Featured Lendület Member: Gábor Juhász

Featured Lendület Member: Gábor Juhász

The healthy functioning of cells is inconceivable without the digestion and breakdown of defective or redundant materials or substances that have been absorbed. If this system does not function properly, it can have a number of pathological consequences. These cellular breakdown processes are carried out by membrane-lined vesicles called lysosomes. They are investigated by Gábor Juhász, Scientific Advisor of the Institute of Genetics at the Szeged Biological Research Centre and Head of the Lysosomal Degradation Research Group, with the support of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences’ Lendület Programme.

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Europe’s future depends on robust, open and free science and education – European academies of science issue joint statement Europe’s future depends on robust, open and free science and education – European academies of science issue joint statement

Europe’s future depends on robust, open and free science and education – European academies of science issue joint statement

A joint declaration has been issued by the academies of science or equivalent scientific bodies of the 27 EU Member States, drawing attention to the importance of science and research. The declaration is addressed to all of the candidates standing for the European Parliament elections and, more broadly, to all interested parties, reminding them of the key role that science plays in the future of the European Union. The document was signed by Tamás Freund, President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, on behalf of the Academy.

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Featured Lendület Member: Viktória Kiss Featured Lendület Member: Viktória Kiss

Featured Lendület Member: Viktória Kiss

In the Bronze Age in the Carpathian Basin, huge social changes took place in the population living in the territory of present-day Hungary. Viktória Kiss, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of Archaeology of the HUN-REN Research Centre for the Humanities and head of the MTA-BTK Lendület (Momentum) Base Research Group, and her colleagues are investigating these processes and the characteristics of the people who lived there. They are using state-of-the-art computer science, genetic and isotope-geochemical methods for this work.

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Featured Lendület Member: Ildikó Király Featured Lendület Member: Ildikó Király

Featured Lendület Member: Ildikó Király

In our conversations, we often recall memories which did not really happen, but are just a figment of our imagination, yet tell them enthusiastically, with full feeling, to our interlocutors. They are not lies, because we believe that they really happened to us. Ildikó Király, professor, Head of the Department of Cognitive Psychology at ELTE and Head of the Lendület MTA-ELTE Research Group on Social Minds, and her colleagues will be researching the formation, functioning and adaptive role of these memories in the coming years. These constructed memories seem to play an important role in our social relationships.

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