Hungarian and international RDI news

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences approved 12 competitions for 10 academic institutes in the value of HUF 1 billion. It is in the framework of a program that supports research infrastructure development required for advanced research activities, MTA's President József Pálinkás announced last week. As a result of the developments, the infrastructure of MTA's renewed research network should significantly improve and boost academic competitiveness.
Source: mta.hu

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences welcomed the second Saudi Arabian delegation of high rank for discussions within a period of six months. After successful negotiations with the delegation led by President of the King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energy (KA-CARE) Hashim A. Yamani in the autumn, President of MTA József Pálinkás now discussed the possibilities of scientific and educational co-operation with Saudi Minister of Higher Education Khalid Mohammed Al Ankary.
Source: mta.hu

European Council Conclusions on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) which Horizon2020 is part of are published. It shows that Horizon2020 funding will be 10bn Euro lower then the original proposals. As of today, Horizon 2020 Budget is 69.24Bn Euro.

The Hungarian Government launched the National Research Infrastructure Survey and Roadmap (NEKIFUT) project as a part of its 2007–2013 mid-term science, technology and innovation (STI) strategy. The project steering committee prepared a report on the actual conditions of the national research infrastructures, defining less developed branches and fields and the necessary measures to be taken.

On 2 February 2013, nine contestants presented their innovative ideas in front of an international jury, during the University of Debrecen Day. The main prize – an innovation voucher worth 5000 EUR – was awarded to Csaba Árendás, representative of QuantisLabs Ltd., for the project called SmartVineyardTM – making grapes healthier.
Source: detti.unideb.hu

Distinguished quantum theory researcher, Ulrich David Jentschura has arrived in Debrecen as a winner of a competition announced by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) to invite six respected foreign guest professors to join research in Hungary. Professor Jentschura was invited by research team leader Zoltán Trócsányi and will contribute to the work of MTA's Institute of Nuclear Research (MTA ATOMKI) until August this year.
Source: mta.hu

The European Commission is widening its search for experts from all fields to participate in shaping the agenda of Horizon 2020, the European Union's future funding programme for research and innovation. The experts of the advisory groups will provide high quality and timely advice for the preparation of the Horizon 2020 calls for project proposals.

Academician Balázs Sarkadi's working group doing stem cell research managed to transform tissue cells into pluripotent stem cells - ones with total knowledge - using a method that entails much fewer risks than the viral-mediated gene transfer method commonly applied. Instead of using viruses researchers used artificial transposons i.e. genes that change their positions in the DNA molecule.
Source: mta.hu

The GE Global Innovation Barometer, now in its third year, explores how business leaders around the world view innovation and how those perceptions are influencing business strategies in an increasingly complex and globalized environment. The Barometer is an international opinion survey of senior business executives actively engaged in the management of their firm’s innovation strategy. It is the largest global survey of business executives dedicated to innovation.
Source: ideaslaboratory.com

A number of studies have been published by Hungarian researchers in highly respected international journals in 2012. The authors reporting on their notable scientific results included physicists, research doctors, biologists, pharmaceutical researchers, geologists and palaeontologists among others.
Source: mta.hu

The deadline for submission of applications for the ICGEB Bioinformatics Course 2013 is now approaching and we would like to ensure that interested young investigators/students in our network are informed.

This year several Hungarian academicians and researchers working in the scientific workshops of Hungarian Academy of Sciences have also been rewarded for their achievements by the international scientific community: Endre Szemerédi has been honoured with the Abel-prize, considered to be the Nobel-prize for mathematicians, László Lovász has been elected as a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and Éva Kondorosi shared the most acclaimed prize of plant molecular biology with her recently deceased husband Ádám Kondorosi.
Source: mta.hu

The prestigious journal Nature Review Drug Discovery has published four Hungarian researchers' summary article on their latest achievement regarding the so called kynurenines which are involved in such neurodegenerative disorders as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, migraine, stroke or multiple sclerosis. On the request of the periodical's editors, the leaders and members of MTA-SZTE Neurology Research Team and MTA-SZTE Stereochemistry Research Team at the University of Szeged (SZTE) put the article together reviewing the most important steps of their research during the last one and a half years.
Source: mta.hu

The Hand-in-Scan team from Hungary won the EIB (European Investment Bank) Institute's Social Innovation Tournament in Luxembourg. The contest was organised for the first time, and Hand-in-Scan won in best concept category as a new device and method, aiming to introduce objective and systematic hand hygiene control in the hospital environment.

MTA's President József Pálinkás appointed twelve new directors to lead MTA's renewed research institute network. He urged the appointed 10 research centre General Directors and the two research institute Directors to exploit co-operation opportunities and to seek out talented young scientists.
Source:mta.hu

Applications now open for International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) courses.

Research results published in Nature by Judit Makara and four other researchers can contribute to a better understanding of data processing disorders in the nerve system. The first-time author returned to Hungary from the United States last year to lead her own Momentum research team at MTA's Institute of Experimental Medicine (IEM).

ScholarshipsTimes.com is an initiative to highlight or simply provide information about scholarships available across the Globe. Website is updated on regular basis and all types of scholarship, finanacial aid information is posted for the covenience of viewers. The scholarships are categorized in Government, NGO's / Trusts and Corporate Scholarships. They are also categorized according to the level of education like Undergraduate, Postgradute, PHD / Doctorate, Post Doctoral Scholarships and Research Scholarships.

Hungary is proving a popular location for shared service centers. Nearly 30,000 people work is this sector in Hungary, a number that is set to grow. A shared service center – or SSC – is responsible for the execution and handling of specific operational tasks, such as accounting, human resources, payroll, IT, legal, purchasing or security, says Zsolt Tóth, member of the curatorium of the Human Resource Foundation, the professional organization of call and contact center professionals.

Under the name „Science at the Service of Europe” a report was published about the activities for 2009 of the Research and Development DG of the European Commission.