How to Live Not Only Longer But Also Healthier — Healthy Living Symposium 2025 Opens in Budapest

said Balázs Gulyás, President of HUN-REN, at the opening of the Healthy Living Symposium 2025.

‘Healthy living must shift from science to practice, from research to decision-making and from innovation to real-world impact,’ emphasised Balázs Gulyás. He added that responsibility in this area is shared: by individuals who make healthier choices; by companies that safeguard their employees’ wellbeing; and by societies that place health and longevity at the centre of their development.

In his welcome address, Péter Takács, State Secretary for Health, said that alongside individuals’ personal responsibility for healthy ageing, responsibility is also borne by community institutions, the healthcare system, the state and the political sphere. He emphasised that as scientific findings become increasingly accessible, the responsibilities of the state and the political sphere likewise expand: to harness these findings for the benefit of society as a whole and to ensure that they are available to every citizen.

In his welcome address, Béla Merkely, Rector of Semmelweis University, quoted these lines, written in 1887, from József Fodor, a pioneer of public health and epidemiology in Hungary and Professor Merkely’s great-great-uncle. He expressed the hope that the symposium would foster new professional and personal connections that may lead to partnerships and research collaborations.

As host, Péter Bíró, head of the National Sports Agency — which also operates the Puskás Aréna — closed the series of welcome addresses, wishing participants an inspiring three days.