The Hungarian-American Fulbright Commission (Fulbright Alapítvány) celebrated the 30th Anniversary of its establishment on October 7, 2022 at a Gala held in the Solti Concert Hall at the Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music in Budapest. If the pre-Commission period is included, the history of the Fulbright Scholarship Program in Hungary goes back another 14 years to 1978.

Our Gala program recognized all Fulbrighters, Hungarians and Americans alike, through the presentation of culture. One important leg of the global Fulbright program, cultural exchange, means experiencing the different, sharing the familiar, and integrating this synthesis into a life of learning and curiosity. Fulbright scholars and students in all fields, such as the natural and social sciences, engineering, law, the arts and humanities are destined to absorb the culture and heritage of the US and Hungary respectively.

The Commission and its staff are eternally grateful to our alumni in the US and Hungary, who volunteer to act as peer reviewers, references, hosts, mentors, board members and interview panel members. Our work would not be possible without the support of the alumni community, thank you.

We are also grateful to our two founders, the governments of the United States and of Hungary, for their financial, technical and logistical support over the past three decades. Read Ambassador David Pressman’s remarks.

The Commission would like to thank our Hungarian host universities, many of whom are here with us today, for offering not only academic homes for our American students and scholars, but also for their ever-increasing financial contributions. In this sense too, Hungarian universities are rapidly converging with their US peers.

Our Board, upon suggestions from staff, has approved up to 5 Fulbright alumni travel awards per year, on a first-come-first-served basis, to help defray the cost of Hungarian Fulbright alumni attending academic conferences in the United States in order to serve on a panel or better yet, to present a paper. Details forthcoming.

The Fulbright Commission has decided to present an award, the Fulbright Hungary Medal, to five members of our alumni community who have served the cause over the past three decades.

Their service includes negotiating the initial bilateral agreement between Hungary and the United States, serving on and/or chairing the board, organizing alumni association activity, peer reviewing, interviewing, hosting, recommending and mentoring generations of students and scholars. Their time spent in the US as grantees, or in the case of Professor Donald Morse, as a US grantee in Hungary, contributed to US-Hungarian cultural, educational and scientific exchange in more ways that we can possibly list.

The awardees are: Professor Donald Morse; Professor Zoltán Abádi-Nagy; Professor Katalin Nagy; Professor Zita Zoltay Paprika.

There is a fifth awardee, who unfortunately has passed away a few weeks before this event. Our immediate past Board chairman, Professor Tibor Frank.
He will be sorely missed by all of us. We honored Professor Tibor Frank’s memory with a minute of silence and reflection.

More pictures of our event in the gallery below. Video material soon!

A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon

Fulbright Hungary (@fulbrighthungary) által megosztott bejegyzés

It is with great sadness that the Fulbright Commission and global Fulbright alumni community heard of the passing of Professor Tibor Frank, a multiple Fulbright grantee and chair of our Board several times over the past 30 years. His wisdom, humor, dedication, steadfast mentoring and adherence to academic integrity will be sorely missed and remembered by all who knew him.

Tibor Frank Professor Emeritus of History at the Department of American Studies, former Director of the School of English and American Studies (ELTE). He has lectured in over 40 U.S., Canadian, British and European universities and contributed to over 80 conferences in both Europe and the United States. His books, articles, chapters were published in Austria, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, and the United States.

He served as member and Chairman of the Hungarian-American Fulbright Board. Professor Frank received the C. E. Eckersley Prize (1970), Felsőoktatási Tanulmányi Érdemérem (Hungarian Higher Education Award 1972), Országh László Prize (2000), Pro Universitate and Pro Neophilologia in Hungaria awards (2002). In recognition of his achievement in higher education he was awarded the Szent-Györgyi Albert Prize in 2005.

May he rest in peace!

Higher Education Questionnaire
by Tempus Public Foundation for higher education students who studied in Ukraine, and want to continue their program in Hungary, as well as for higher education academics who want to participate in a Hungarian academic scholarship program.

Students at Risk Subprogramme of the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Programme for Ukrainian students fleeing the war in Ukraine

Semmelweis Medical University helping refugees from Ukraine

The University of Pécs opens its doors to refugees from Ukraine

Budapest University of Technology and Economics Helps Transborder Students and Ukrainian Partner Universities

Corvinus University of Budapest is offering help by recruiting interpreters and hosting refugee students

The University of Szeged helps refugees from Ukraine with accommodation, food supply and medical care

Széchenyi István University welcomes Indian students fleeing from Ukraine

How to donate? Budapest Helps

Statement on Ukraine by Fulbright Commissions in Europe

The Fulbright community in Hungary celebrated the 75th Anniversary of the Global Fulbright Program and the 30th Anniversary of the Hungarian Fulbright Alumni Association on October 7-8, 2021.

2021 is the 75th Anniversary of the launch of the Fulbright Program. In 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed legislation into law to establish the Fulbright Program, an international academic exchange program with an ambitious goal to increase mutual understanding, and support friendly and peaceful relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program now operates in 160 countries and has provided over 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and in all fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to complex global challenges.

Chargé d’Affaires Marc Dillard of the US Embassy in his keynote address at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences highlighted that “the Fulbright program has continued to exchange some of the best and brightest minds, building a cultural bridge which links our two nations. The continuing collaboration between Fulbright participating institutions is a great example of how to get the most out of a Fulbright grant, how Fulbrighters can make a long-term impact, and how beneficial it can be for a larger community.”

Deputy State Secretary Balázs Nagy of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology emphasized in his keynote address that the Government of Hungary is to quadruple its annual contribution to the Fulbright Commission in three steps, reaching HUF 200 million (USD 700,000) in 2022.

See here the detailed program of the conference.

For more pictures of the festivities (by photographer Péter Szalmás), see here:

 

Visit to the Parliament

 

Prior to the conference, on October 7, 2021 MP Zsolt Németh, Chair, Foreign Affairs Committee hosted 24 US Fulbright grantees of AY 2021-2022 at the Hungarian Parliament for a talk and a tour of the building.

 

Reception at the Royal Guard Café

 

In the evening the Fulbright Commission organized a reception to honor US Fulbright grantees, their Hosts and Institutional Partners at the Royal Guard Café, Buda Castle.

In late January, 7 newly arrived U.S. Fulbright students and scholars participated in a unique orientation session in Budapest. U.S. Embassy Counselor for Public Affairs James Land greeted the group virtually, stressing the value of exchange, and encouraged them to develop and strengthen personal and professional ties between Hungary and the United States. ED Karoly Jokay noted that the grantees joined the ranks of the many notable Fulbright alumni who have participated in the global program since its inception 75 years ago. The Fulbright grantees will, for example, teach English, do peer advising, read Ottoman documents, study high-level math, offer courses in Native American studies, collaborate with medical researchers, and observe MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) investigators.

This book is a culmination of seven months of work with the Eger Roma Residential College of Eszterházy Károly University, during which Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Chandler Fritz ’19 interacted and collected paintings, recipes, and essays from students.

“I write this note far from the artists, scholars, cooks, and friends who have created this book. It is a testament to the dedication of our supporters and the spirit of this group that such a project prevailed despite the distance. It is, in fact, entirely due to the proven commitment and resilience of the Roma students I met in Eger that I was able to pick myself up from the pandemic and play my small role in their great cause. If you’re anything like me, you could use a bit of that same inspiration these days. I’m proud to tell you, from the bottom of my heart, that you can find it in grand abundance in the work of these students.”

Fulbright Hungary is proud of its Roma English Teaching Assistant projects:

• Together We Dream: Roma in Eastern Hungary
• Cookbook Roma Style!
• Roma Folk Tales
• Think Roma Style!
• Speak Lovari Style!

and continue to expand collaboration with the Roma Residential Colleges and other foundations throughout Hungary in upcoming academic years.

To view the booklet, see issuu.com/fulbrighthungary/docs/roma_eger

To download the booklet, see www.fulbright.hu/doc/Roma_Eger.pdf

As a Professor of Mathematics of the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, he came to Hungary on a Fulbright grant in January 2008 to collaborate with mathematicians of Eötvös Loránd University.

Ever since that time, he returned to Hungary twice a year – each time with a fun story, and with lots of energy to continue his research with his Hungarian colleagues. The last time he visited our office, he was pale and tired, but ready to fight his illness. We are sorry he did not succeed. He is part of Fulbright Hungary history. We remember him fondly.

Thanks to significantly increased funding from the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, Fulbright Hungary proudly announces a new distinguished grant in STEM for US scholars starting in the Academic Year 2022-23 competition (deadline: September 15, 2021).

See: awards.cies.org/content/john-von-neumann-distinguished-award-stem

Named after Hungarian-American scientist John von Neumann, who was born in Budapest, emigrated to the US in the early 1930s to Princeton, where he made major contributions in mathematics, physics (quantum mechanics, hydrodynamics, and quantum statistical mechanics), economics (game theory), computing (Von Neumann architecture, linear programming, self-replicating machines, stochastic computing), and statistics.

Priority areas for the von Neumann grant include, but are not limited to: autonomous (self-driving) vehicles, artificial intelligence (AI), 5G networks, molecular biology, physics and material science.

Some Hungarian institutions that specialize in these fields:

• ELI-ALPS Institute in Szeged: Extreme Light Infrastructure research center funded by the European Union for attosecond projects. ELI is connected to the particle and x-ray center in Prague and the photonuclear center in Bucharest, Romania. Hungarian university researchers and their departments have access to ELI.
• ZalaZONE Test Track in Zalaegerszeg, whose mission is to: “Establish a full-range validation facility for the vehicles and communication technologies of the future enabling multi-level testing opportunities from prototype tests till serial products development.” ZalaZONE is affiliated with three Hungarian universities.
• Biological Research Centre, Szeged, affiliated with the University of Szeged, is a European Union Centre of Excellence, focuses on: biophysics, biochemistry, genetics, plant biology.

While US scholars are free to associate with any university in Hungary, the following departments have direct relationships with the priority institutes listed above and have strong ties to the Fulbright Commission in Hungary:

• Vehicle Industry Research Centre, Széchenyi István University, Győr
• Department of Transportation and Vehicle System Control, Budapest University of Technology and Economics
• Department of Telecommunications and Media Informatics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics
• Research Group on Artificial Intelligence, University of Szeged and Hungarian Academy of Science
• Department of Atomic Physics, ELTE Institute of Physics, Eötvös Lóránd University, Budapest

Scholars, of course, may seek affiliation with any accredited research facility and university not on the above list.

For more information, please contact Annamaria Sas, US Program Officer or Károly Jókay, Executive Director.

What has been happening at Fulbright Hungary since the Covid outbreak arrived in early March?

March and April:

The Fulbright office has switched to a work-at-home model on March 13th, as the Technical University campus, including our building, closed that week and we do not know when the campus will reopen. We have access to the office if needed.

The State Department in March issued a level 4 travel warning covering all of the EU, and we had to ask our US grantees to leave Hungary at their earliest convenience. All but two US grantees have left Hungary by early April.

All but 5 Hungarian grantees in the US have returned already.

Despite rumors about the global Fulbright program, all of our grantees have been paid until the end of their original grant agreements.

Academic Year 2020-21:

There are several “known unknowns” and “known knowns” (credit to Secretary Rumsfeld) that directly affect our grantees already selected for Academic Year 2020-21.

The global Fulbright program will be fully reinstated on January 1, 2021.

All of our Hungarian and US grantees, with a few exceptions, will start their grants in January, most of them for the original duration of the grants. US students will be able to choose between 6, 7, and 8 month grants (taking them through August, 2021).

We will have 13 Hungarian students and 12 researchers, as well as 12 US researchers and 11 students during the 2020-21 academic year.

We do not know when:

a) the level 4 Travel Warning will be lifted for the EU,

b) when the US will allow EU citizens to travel to the US,

c) when the Schengen Zone will allow US citizens entry,

d) when airlines will fly again and

e) when US and Hungarian universities will reopen for real (on-line does not really count, as Fulbright does not support off-site, online-only enrollment).

Academic Year 2021-22:

Despite complete uncertainty, we are recruiting for the 2021-22 Academic year, and expect Hungarian applications to arrive at the end of May and in October. US students have an October 13th deadline and scholars face a September 15th deadline. We will interview Hungarian applicants as usual in late June and early July, as well as late November. These could be on-line for the first time ever, we shall see.

A few words of parting by Rita Hoffmann ’19, one of her fellow Fulbrighters:

“April 29th was the end of a long, difficult and merciless marathon. Bea did not arrive at a finish line of her choosing. But she is there now, exhausted, in eternal silence. Bea was an enthusiastic Fulbrighter, a community organizer, a struggling heroine, stubborn but all the more humble. God be with you dear Bea, may you rest in peace, you restless, eternally cheerful soul who strived for justice and a better world.”

Dr. Beatrix Kotlan was awarded a Fulbright research grant twice along with numerous other prestigious international fellowships. She did her Fulbright research at the John Wayne Cancer Institute, in Santa Monica, CA (2006-2007) and the University of Texas Houston, MD Anderson Cancer Center (2014-2015).

Dr. Beatrix Kotlan was a leading researcher in biology and immunology at the National Institute of Oncology in Budapest, Hungary. She dedicated her entire life to research, first of all cancer research. She truly believed in the potential of immunotherapy. As a Fulbright researcher, she worked on developing this form of therapy.

As a member of the Hungarian League Against Cancer, she regularly organized and supported free time activities, fundraising runs and walks in the true spirit of fighting against cancer.