The Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN) (former name: Eötvös Loránd Research Network, ELKH) Secretariat is an independent public budgetary institution. It was established by the Parliament effective August 1, 2019 with the aim to manage and operate the publicly funded independent research network in Hungary, which constitutes a central pillar of the country’s scientific domain. HUN-REN is led by a 9-member independent Governing Board whose President and most members are academicians, among others a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
HUN-REN currently comprises 11 research centres, 7 research institutes and 116 additional supported research groups operating at universities and other public institutions, conducting research in the most varied disciplines of mathematics and natural sciences, life sciences, social sciences and the humanities.
HUN-REN builds on the rich legacy of the collective wealth of knowledge accumulated in the research network over more than a century.
Our Mission and Vision
The mission of HUN-REN is to safeguard academic freedom and to operate Hungary’s publicly funded research network more efficiently with continuous emphasis on performance, transparency and excellence.
As part of our mission we support the efforts to translate research results into solutions that contribute to the resolution of domestic and global social and environmental challenges. We promote collaboration between domestic and international members of the research, development and innovation ecosystem that also strengthens the competitiveness of the Hungarian economy. Furthermore, we support Hungary’s endeavor to be at the forefront of research and development in Europe and the world.
An important strategic dimension of our vision is to initiate challenge-driven research with a social mission and to expand, revitalize and open up Hungary’s social capital to the world, including historical knowledge, culture and natural resources.