Thoughts on the ongoing debate about science and higher education

Szabó, Gábor

Keywords: higher education, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, PhD training

One of the fundamental requirements for the success of Hungarian higher education and scientific research is the creation of appropriate cooperation between higher education institutions and research institutes. The experiences of the past 15 years, however, show that a practical solution in respect of academic research institutes is that they should – following careful preparation – be integrated into the newly forming research universities. The social effectiveness of integration appears obvious, as the intellectual and material infrastructure of the universities would be significantly strengthened, while their international networks would improve exponentially. All this would significantly increase the international competitiveness of Hungarian higher education’s “innovative knowledge wealth” – particularly with respect to MSc and PhD training. The institution of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) would remain; its operation however, would need to be adjusted to the practices of more developed western countries.