We Need a Strategy That Translates into Action Plans

How did this term as Dean differ from previous ones?

in 2012, when I started my first term as Dean, it was a very different environment at the university. At that time, public universities operated under a different framework and deans had more influence in certain areas. Moreover, I was very young – only 38 – and the entire leadership of the KJK had been replaced, with the average age of the management team being just over 40. I was appointed Dean for a total of three terms, leading the Faculty for 13 years, including two years as Vice Dean. I believe that during these 13 years, the KJK made significant progress across many areas, and our discipline – transport and vehicle science – greatly strengthened its performance both in education and research.

What tools can be used to stimulate scientific performance?

As a leader, it’s important to discuss it in every possible forum and to lead by example – which is what I aimed to do. In 2020, I became the first Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (DSc) on the Faculty in 20 years, and others followed soon after. Another important tool was financial incentives: we launched a scheme that awarded bonuses for high-quality publications, which is still in place today. And the third tool was foreign language training. This brought in many international doctoral students and helped double our PhD enrolment numbers. In the meantime, we secured grants that have increased the number of domestic doctoral students, which in turn led to a rise in both the quantity and quality of research output. Another important achievement that I am proud of is that KJK's financial management has become truly stable. We have secured major EU and domestic grants, and we also generate a significant tuition income, with the KJK generating the most own income per unit of state funding of all faculties. Alongside research and fundraising, the third pillar is, of course, education – and I must note that 

none of the three works well without the others. 

We have launched several new degree programmes and postgraduate specialist training programmes – we have a new Master’s programme in the pipeline – and have significantly revised the curriculum and teaching materials.

Looking back as the longest serving member of the Management Meeting, what have been the most striking changes at the university over the past 13 years?

During this period, the business and management approach has gradually strengthened and our operations have become more disciplined. I don't think this is a BME-specific tendency; universities worldwide seem to be heading in the same direction. Institutions are increasingly expected to demonstrate their contribution to the national economy and societal well-being. 

Bme.hu has recently reported on several exciting research outcomes – such as those related to self-driving cars. How can such developments be integrated into industrial practice?

There are always sub-disciplines where we try to delve deeper than companies in a particular research area or technology. These collaborations often don’t involve the large manufacturers, but rather well-known automotive suppliers such as Bosch or Knorr-Bremse, with whom we jointly develop certain products further.

What are the responsibilities of the Vice-Rector for Strategy at BME?

One is the ongoing monitoring and management of the performance of the funding contract concluded between the maintainer and the State, which runs until 2030. This allocates resources based on various educational, scientific and other performance indicators. 

The continuous monitoring of these metrics is one of the most important tasks. 

We are setting up a monitoring system that provides real-time feedback, so that we can intervene in time where necessary. The other major task is to monitor the performance of our internal organisational units, especially from an academic perspective. I would like to introduce a regular (non-financial) performance report to assess the performance of different academic areas. In addition, the Vice-Rector will also have a role in budgeting, for example in the allocation of resources between faculties.

Finally, there is also strategic planning.

Indeed, we are also in need of a new university strategy, a new Institutional Development Plan. Within the next six to twelve months, we aim to submit a comprehensive proposal to the maintainer. We will then aim to derive everything from this strategic document, including the budget and our day-to-day operations. At the same time, we must align the individual strategies of our research, science, innovation, education and internationalisation efforts.

How detailed should a university’s strategy be?

More detailed than previously. It must be structured in a way that allows us to derive concrete action plans from it. It must clearly define roles and responsibilities, specify funding sources and set targets.

Will the role of Vice-Rector allow more time for your own research than your previous position as Dean?

I don’t think so – this is also a full-time commitment. The number of my publications has already reflected how little time I’ve had for research recently, but I try to keep up as best I can.

If time allowed, what direction would your research take?

I work in traffic signal control for road networks, and the emergence of artificial intelligence presents an exciting challenge. Traditional control theory relies on model-based, mathematically closed systems – elegant and well-defined. Then along comes AI, and metaphorically speaking, “we no idea how it works", but it works well. By this I mean that you don't need to build models and understand fundamental relationships to create effective control systems. Combining these two approaches is now an emerging field: the idea is to delegate certain tasks to AI within predefined limits – but those boundaries must be carefully set.

How far has this research progressed? Are there any cities where traffic is already being managed by a learning algorithm?

There are already pilot projects in many places. But it is important to understand that no algorithm can work wonders in road traffic management if capacity is insufficient to meet demand. When congestion occurs on a stretch of road, not even AI can resolve it – often because no viable alternative routes exist. So, the problem with urban traffic is not that we cannot anticipate where major congestion will happen. The issue is that our ability to intervene is limited. 

In Budapest, for example, the number of vehicles simply exceeds the physical capacity of the infrastructure. 

A well-tuned traffic management system alone can only achieve a 5–10% improvement; the question is whether getting to work in 47 minutes instead of 50 in the morning would satisfy anyone. Fortunately, transport is not only about efficient management, but also about organisational solutions and the role of economic incentives.

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