As part of the comprehensive evaluation of the HUN-REN research institutes, the on-site review of the scientific activities of the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences (HUN-REN RCNS) and its affiliated institutes took place between 13-16 February 2024. This marks the completion of the on-site assessment of the 7 life science institutions in the network, including a total of 17 research institutes. Based on experiences so far, both leaders and researchers have expressed a positive view of the process and are open to recommendations that support development.
During personal meetings with the leaders of the institutes and research groups, the Assessment Committees ‒ comprised of internationally renowned researchers in line with the institutes' profiles ‒ familiarised themselves with the research activities, the local research infrastructures, and also met with PhD students. As with all other sites, the visit to the HUN-REN RCNS concluded with the committee sharing its initial impressions and key recommendations. The continuously prepared written assessment reports are being sent to the leaders of the institutions for review prior to finalisation.
The members of the Assessment Committee evaluating HUN-REN RCNS are:
Prof. Alexander J.B. Zehnder, Visiting Professor at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, Professor Emeritus at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, Chairman of the HUN-REN Advisory Board
Dr. István Szabó, PhD, Deputy CEO for Strategy and Innovation at HUN-REN Headquarters, former Vice President for Science and International Affairs at the Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office, founder of the Innovation Section at the Hungarian Economic Association
Prof. Dr. Ole Petter Ottersen, former President of the Karolinska Institute, and former Rector of the University of Oslo (Norway)
Prof. Dr. Ole Holger Petersen, FRS, former Vice President of the Royal Society and the Academia Europaea, and Research Professor at Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences (UK)
Prof. Dr. habil. Ernst Pöppel, member of the Academia Europaea, Professor of Medical Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich (Germany), Guest Professor in the School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences of Peking University (China)
Prof. Dr. Paul Matthews, OBE, MD, Dr. Phil., FRCP, FMedSci, Visiting Professor at the University of Oxford, at McGill University and at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Head of the Department of Brain Sciences in the Faculty of Medicine of Imperial College London, Associate Director of the national UK Dementia Research Institute, and a Fellow by Special Election of St Edmund Hall, Oxford (UK)
Prof. Mats J. Olsson, PhD, member of the Academia Europaea, Full Professor at Uppsala University, Professor of experimental psychology, and Head of the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (Sweden)
Prof. Christer Halldin, PhD, Professor of medicinal radiochemistry at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, and Director of the PET Centre at the Karolinska Institute (Sweden)
Prof. Blaž Likozar, PhD, Head of the Department of Catalysis and Chemical Reaction Engineering at the National Institute of Chemistry in Ljubljana, leader of the “Chemical Reaction Engineering” programme (Slovenia)
Prof. Tibor Kurtán, PhD, Professor and Head of the Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Debrecen
Prof. Janko Kos, PhD, member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Professor of biochemistry at the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Prof. Maria Concetta Morrone, member of the Academia Europaea, Professor of physiology at the School of Medicine at the University of Pisa, Elected President of the Italian Society for Neuroscience (Italy)
Prof. Dr. Péter Nagy, Scientific Director and Head of the Molecular Immunology and Toxicology Department at the National Institute of Oncology in Budapest, and Acting Director of the Chemistry Coordination Institute at the University of Debrecen
The comprehensive assessment of HUN-REN's 49 research institutes was launched in January 2024, at the initiative of President Balázs Gulyás. The aim is to provide an unbiased and candid assessment of the standing of HUN-REN's research institutes in the global competition and identify potential breakthrough points. Building on the results of the evaluation, and by incorporating international best practices and examples, a new research strategy that supports the defined objectives will be developed in collaboration with the research institutions.
