What Will BME Be Like in 2032? Strategy Development Process Is Under Way

Around fifty experts are participating in the preparation of the BME 2032 Program, including university staff, students, external advisors, and corporate partners. All members of the university community will have the opportunity to express their views and help shape the strategy. The final decision on the Programme will be made by the BME Senate and will become official upon approval by the maintainer.

“Following the change of maintainer in 2025, our university now operates within a new governance framework that supports education and research under more flexible conditions. In 2026, the renewal process entered a new phase. An important milestone of this is the creation of a new long-term institutional strategy extending to 2032, which will serve as a compass for BME’s development over the next decade,” wrote Rector Hassan Charaf in a letter sent to university staff and students about the strategic planning process.

“BME is the resource center of Hungarian technical higher education and the knowledge and technological development center of the country’s economy. 

The goal set out in the rectoral programme is that by 2032, the 250th anniversary of our university’s foundation, we should be among the top 100 universities in Europe and in the top 10 of technical universities. The purpose of the strategy currently being prepared is to define the priorities according to which education, research and innovation, industrial and social partnerships, international relations, and the development of university operations should be carried out,” emphasized the rector.

He highlighted that BME is starting this work from a strong position: it is Hungary’s leading technical university and ranks 236th in the QS Engineering World Rankings, as the only Hungarian institution in the subject ranging. In addition to its extensive engineering education and R&D activities, it also offers excellent opportunities in economics and natural sciences. It educates 21,000 students in twenty-six bachelor’s and nearly fifty master’s programmes. During the 2026 admissions period, the number of applicants choosing BME as their first choice increased significantly by 10 percentage points compared to the previous year, making it the 5th most popular university in Hungary.

At the same time, BME’s senior managemenet is fully aware of the areas in which it must improve in order to strengthen its competitiveness in the domestic and international higher education market and to offer its staff a predictable career path.

Preparations for the strategy development already began in November 2025, when the leadership defined the framework and basic principles on which the tasks of the working groups now being launched are built.

To establish the foundation of the strategy, four working groups are preparing proposals through broad professional cooperation. During the process, special attention will be paid to the future of education, the learning experience, international opportunities, innovative educational solutions, and strengthening labor market connections — all conditions that directly affect current and future students and staff, and indirectly higher education and industrial partners as well:

• The Education Working Group, led by Vice-Rector Péter Bihari, focuses on the educational portfolio, curriculum and methodology development, internationalization, student experience, teaching excellence, and educational technology. The work is carried out with the involvement of faculty leaders, instructors, student representatives, and external partners.
• The Scientific Research and RDI Working Group is led by Vice-Rectors János Levendovszky and Gergely Zaránd. The group works on proposals related to research and innovation goals and actions, with particular focus on research career paths, doctoral education, international excellence, innovation, and technology transfer.
• The Operations Working Group is managed by Chief of Staff Barbara Bíró and Director General Dávid Bauer. Its focus is improving the efficiency of university operations: simplifying administrative processes, digitalization, organizational and decision-making structures, and the development of financial and human resource management.
• The Governance, Culture and HR Working Group, led by Rector Charaf Hassan, deals with the strategic challenges of the institutional governance model, leadership and organizational performance management, culture and change management, as well as university values and HR principles.

Further development of international relations and the university’s ability to attract international students and faculty is a key goal for BME; therefore, Vice-Rector András Nemeslaki participates in every working group representing this horizontal area. The working groups are supported by senior officers, faculty and professional stakeholders, student representatives, and external advisors, ensuring the professional foundation of the strategy (the list of working group members is available here).

Staff members, employee interest groups, and decision-making bodies — the Rector’s Management Board and the Senate — will receive regular updates on the activities of the working groups. During the strategic planning process, planned until October 2026, special emphasis will be placed on broad communication with and involvement of the university community and the wider public.

“So far, strategic directions were defined by the Institutional Development Plan, however, our experience showed that its system of goals and tools did not fully evolve into a framework that shaped the entire institution and was consistently reflected in daily operations. Now we are dedicated to ensure that 

the strategy is not merely a document, but an achievable and measurable system of goals that serves as a reference point for everyday decisions and strengthens BME’s national and Central and Eastern European role in the long term,” 

promised Rector Charaf Hassan.

The Senate will play a distinguished role in the process: throughout the entire strategy development period, the body will receive regular updates, since the adoption of the strategy —which later becomes valid with the maintainer’s approval — is within the Senate’s authority.

BME will continuously provide information on its platforms about the strategic planning process, the work of the working groups, and opportunities for engagement.

Rector’s Office, Communications Directorate