Budapest, 17 October 2024, Thursday (MTI) - Research physicist Gergely Endrődi, professor at the University of Bielefeld, will continue his research work in Hungary under the Research Grant Hungary programme, the Minister of Culture and Innovation announced on Thursday.
In the Research Grant Hungary programme, we are building a ‘golden team” of Hungarian science; the first scientist to return to Hungary to continue his research here is theoretical particle physicist Gergely Endrődi who is studying the formation of the universe, Balázs Hankó pointed out.
According to the Minister, science needs to be renewed both in Hungary and Europe, as the competitiveness of science in Europe declined. Four out of the 50 most innovative technology companies are based in the EU, but many other countries are also doing better in terms of scientific performance.
The Minister also revealed that a new model is being developed. Initiatives have been launched in the Hungarian Research Network that can set a new direction for increasing the competitiveness of Hungarian science.
The autonomy of science has been further strengthened in the recent period, an important step of which was the setting up of the Research Council of Hungary, thus reinforcing excellence-based funding. The budget of the National Research Excellence Programme has been increased from HUF 13 billion to HUF 19 billion, and the Scientific Patronage Programme has also been renewed, Balázs Hankó added.
The Minister thanked Ferenc Krausz for his contribution to the renewal of Hungarian science and the creation of the “golden team” of Hungarian science through his work as Chief Advisor for Science Policy. The team also counts on physicist Péter Domokos, President of the Research Council of Hungary and Co-president for Science, responsible for innovation and research funds, of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office.
Balázs Hankó explained that the Research Grant Hungary programme aims to reach prominent researchers such as Gergely Endrődi, who focuses on a topic of particular importance in natural sciences and with whom a five-year agreement has been signed.
“We will expand this team so that we can renew the world of Hungarian and European science. Our mission is to work together for science and innovation,” underlined Balázs Hankó.
According to Nobel Prize laureate Ferenc Krausz, there is no future without competitiveness, scientific research and technology development. We need to enable a sufficient number of top researchers to do world-class work in Hungary under competitive conditions, he stressed. He stressed that the aim is to create knowledge centres around excellent researchers returning from abroad that are attractive to the next generation. Young people who have aspired to do world-class research have so far been largely confined to doing it abroad. The National Excellence Education Programme is designed to remedy this situation, Ferenc Krausz pointed out, adding that the primary task of the Nobel Prize Laureates’ Office is to bring home Hungarian researchers of proven excellence who are currently working abroad.
Research physicist Gergely Endrődi explained that he works in theoretical particle physics, studying the formation of the universe, the structure of stars and the microscopic structure of matter. He specialises in lattice field theory, a method that allows elementary particles and their interactions to be described using simulations on supercomputers, added the physicist who will start working at the Faulty of Science of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE TTK) in November.
Gergely Endrődi said that he first encountered lattice theory at the department of physics at ELTE TTK, where he obtained his diploma and doctoral degree, and then he joined a research group that is among the best in international comparison. He spent five years researching at the University of Regensburg, became head of a research group at the University of Frankfurt in 2016 and was appointed professor at the University of Bielefeld in 2020, said the physicist, who noted that last year he won a European Research Council research grant of EUR 2 million, which can be spent in any country in Europe.
“For me, it is an uplifting feeling to be able to bring home the knowledge and experience in education and research that I have gained abroad and to be able to put to good use the international collaborations, we do not have time to build here, at ELTE TTK,” said the researcher.
ELTE TTK Dean Imre Kacsovics hopes that Prof. Endrődi will not only bring science back to Hungary but will also participate in the education of excellent scientists. The aim is to attract more foreign students to study at the Faculty of Science, he said.
“Gergely Endrődi is returning to a team that understands and knows what he is doing and can offer him valuable support”
Source: mti.hu