HUN-REN Rényi Secures International Grant to Support Young Researchers' Studies

13.02.2025

The Simons Foundation awarded one of the “Targeted Grant to Institutes” to the Erdős Center of the HUN-REN Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics to support activities aiming at young researchers in mathematics. Recent recipients of the prestigious grant include the Newton Institute of Cambridge University and ICERM of Brown University, RI.

The Simons Foundation’s program is intended to support established institutes or centers in mathematics, theoretical physics and theoretical computer science through funding to help strengthen contacts within the international scientific community. Their aim is to enable institutes to extend and enhance their missions.

According to the foundation's website, the funds will be used to support the participation of young researchers from disadvantaged backgrounds in workshops and summer schools.

Together with his wife, the Simons Foundation was established by the acclaimed mathematician Jim Simons in 1994, who proved fundamental theorems about the mathematics of space-time in his early career, and later established the Renaissance Technologies hedge fund. Due to the long-term aggregate investment returns of Renaissance Technologies based on mathematical models and algorithms, Simons, who was the 55th richest person at the time of his recent death, was described as "the most successful hedge fund manager of all time".

The Simons Foundation generously supports fundamental research in health and science, and is one of the major donors of the best-known Research Centers in mathematics, like the Institute of Advanced Study at Princeton and the Simons Laufer Mathematical Sciences Institute at Berkeley.

HUN-REN aims to become one of the most effective research organisations in Europe and to contribute significantly to Hungary's social and economic success. The HUN-REN Act, effective from 1 January 2025, provides the necessary framework for HUN-REN to transform into a more responsive, collaborative, performance-oriented, and well-functioning network, ensuring the freedom of scientific research and the continuation of exploratory research, while providing multidisciplinary solutions to complex challenges affecting both national and international communities. Employees within the modernising HUN-REN can look forward to a long-term, consistent, value-driven, and performance-focused funding system, mutually reinforcing structure and operation, competitive salaries, and a predictable research career.