HUN-REN Presents 2025 Awards at Ceremonial Gala

“At HUN-REN, we value scientific excellence, sustained high-quality work, setting an example, sharing knowledge, and supporting young researchers. That’s what the HUN-REN Excellence Award, the Róbert Bárány Award, and the emeritus title stand for. The awardees have made the strength of our community more visible than anyone else, and behind their successes, the work of others is there too,” said Balázs Gulyás, President of HUN-REN, in praise of the honored researchers and the HUN-REN community.

“Hungarian researchers at different stages of their careers all deliver world-class performance. Their work is not only about individual achievement, but also about the communities, schools, workshops, and institutes that stand behind them,” Balázs Gulyás emphasized.

The celebration carried special significance because this was the first time HUN-REN could honor its awardees in its own new headquarters, as a true network. “This year marks a real milestone in HUN-REN’s history, the year the new HUN-REN was born. A previous era has come to an end, and a new chapter has opened in Hungarian research. HUN-REN’s success is a shared achievement for all of us,” the president stressed.

“Our organization is now stronger and more unified than ever before, but never have we carried such great responsibility and such a mission,” he stated. “We work so that Hungarian science is not only valuable in itself, but serves society, the nation, and people’s everyday lives in a tangible way. Our aim is for research results to find their way into healthcare, education, the economy, and the various levels of decision-making.”

The President of HUN-REN gave a special welcome at the gala to Sigrid Bárány, the great-granddaughter of Nobel Prize-winning physician Róbert Bárány. He said that both the Róbert Bárány Award and Sigrid Bárány’s presence were reminders of the close ties between Hungarian and international science. “It is HUN-REN’s task to strengthen this connection further, and to create an environment where careers and oeuvres like those of our Nobel laureates can be born,” he declared.

At the gala, CEO Roland Jakab highlighted that the HUN-REN Excellence Award is proof of the world-class standard that can be achieved in Hungary, the emeritus titles express appreciation for researchers who have spent decades building institutes and scientific schools, and the Róbert Bárány Award symbolizes trust in young researchers, innovative ideas, and international collaborations.

He added that society, the economy, education, and healthcare all rely on scientific results and on the knowledge produced through HUN-REN’s collective efforts. Jakab also stressed the role of staff working in HUN-REN’s central units - less visible, but indispensable contributors to the network.

In his view, all of these achievements are only possible with an organizational framework that is strong, transparent, and run in a way that truly supports research work. He said this was exactly what HUN-REN’s renewal was meant to achieve.

“We are moving toward a model that puts research at its center, backed by long-term, predictable funding and strong strategic leadership. The new HUN-REN is already a functioning reality: a registered organization with a special legal status, a new governance structure, a Governing Board and a Supervisory Board, and responsibility at the network level,” he stated. He added that under the new operating model they will cut unnecessary administrative burdens for researchers, ensure faster decision-making, and allow for transparent planning of resources.

“Our goal is to ensure there is more professional freedom at HUN-REN, so that researchers can truly devote their time and energy to what they do best: science,” he said. He added that this is supported by measures taken jointly with the government, including ensuring long-term funding and implementing salary increases. These will also help make a research career more attractive to young people and strengthen HUN-REN’s international competitiveness, the CEO emphasized.

HUN-REN awards presented on 4 December 2025 and the researchers honored

The 2025 HUN-REN Excellence Award went to linguist Mária Gósy, a Széchenyi Prize laureate and emeritus research professor at ELTE’s Research Centre for Linguistics.

Established in 2021, the HUN-REN Excellence Award is given to a researcher who is widely respected in both the Hungarian and international scientific communities, and whose career and achievements stand out — through an exceptional professional path, remarkable scientific performance, major research results, and/or patents.

Alongside the professional recognition, the recipient also received a unique, artist-made small sculpture. Created by visual artists Csilla Bogdán and Ildikó Zsemlye, the piece captures the process of intellectual creation: the journey of an idea from its first spark, through its shaping, to its final realization. The sculpture symbolizes one of HUN-REN’s core values: scientific freedom, as the condition that allows creativity and innovation to unfold.

Nine young researchers received the HUN-REN Róbert Bárány Award

The Róbert Bárány Award is presented by HUN-REN to early-career researchers under 40 whose innovative, outstanding scientific work makes a significant contribution to the advancement of science. From this year on, the award certificate is accompanied by a unique piece of art. The work by visual artists Csilla Szilágyi and Gergely Mindák expresses both growth and progress, as well as the firm foundations of science and the freedom of thought.

HUN-REN honors successful research careers with professor emeritus titles

At the awards gala, ten researchers received the title of research professor emeritus. With this distinction, HUN-REN recognizes both their outstanding research careers and their significant contributions to the organization and development of science.