A New University Modell Tailored for the Future

In recent years, the higher education landscape in Hungary has undergone significant changes in response to global challenges facing the sector. Most formerly publicly owned Hungarian universities are now maintained by foundations. However, Budapest University of Technology and Economics has chosen to adopt a different model.

In December of last year, the BME Senate voted to adopt the proposal put forward by Chancellor Miklós Verseghi-Nagy and Rector Hassan Charaf to initiate a change in BME’s operational framework. Under the new framework, the university's maintainer rights have been transferred to BME Fenntartó Zrt., a company established by the state.

The goal of the maintainer change at Hungary’s leading technical university is to ensure long-term, stable and predictably growing funding; a flexible internal operational structure; modern academic programme choices; and the expansion of the scholarship system available to students. BME’s new maintainer framework has been created in such a way that the institution can still participate in the EU Horizon and Erasmus grant programmes.

On 31 May, the Hungarian government's decision allowing MOL Nyrt. (Hungarian Oil and Gas Plc.) to become the owner of BME Fenntartó Zrt. was published. With the transfer of ownership, BME will become a privately operated university; however, its accreditations and mandates remain unchanged and will continue to be upheld under the new structure.

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