Upon the initiative of the Faculty of Agriculture, the University of Szeged and the Agriculture and Veterinary Institute of Morocco signed a Memorandum of Understanding supported by The Francophone University Centre. By virtue of this agreement, the exchange of students and teachers, as well as the launch of joint research programs and involvement in the euro-mediterranean area became possible.
The execution of the memorandum between the Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II of Rabat, Morocco and the University of Szeged is the first step towards a mutually beneficial corporation. Both parties hope for an effective professional collaboration being able to launch joint research programs that is made relevant by nowadays’ climate change, global food security and sustainability.
The exchange opportunity for students is remarkably important as they gain international knowledge and they can establish relations that will be useful throughout their career, thus helping the development of bilateral relations between Hungary and Morocco.
’The Faculty of Agriculture initiated the establishment of the Memorandum of Understanding, however, this is not only the Faculty’s affair. Many complex questions arise in the world involving us, as well as in the agriculture than can only be answered adequately with an interdisciplinary approach. Climate change, sustainability, adaptive technology of food production, digitalization and automatization are all related to this matter. I associate the knowledge base of SZTE with crucial importance regarding the problem arose in the agriculture – signing this Memorandum of Understanding is an elementary part of this concept’ said Dr. József Horváth, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture. He added that students, teachers and researchers of the University of Szeged were all the beneficiaries of this future agreement.
’One of the pillars of the internationalization of the Faculty of Agriculture is based on participating in international projects with foreign partners. Currently the Faculty is taking part in such international projects and maintains beneficial cooperation with several foreign institutions whose work is consistent with SZTE’s concept. Our students and teachers are engaged in mobility programs and foreign visitors attend our Faculty. Western-European practices, especially farm practices in The Netherlands are widely popular. Our internationalizing efforts were boosted in 2015 when we launched our first full-time Agricultural Engineering study program. We keep our human resource capacity and the syllabus of our international study program on the agenda, fast reacting to the social changes requests. Our priority is to promote cross-board relations, to invite foreign scholars and lecturers and to increase the number of international students. With entering such agreements, we intend to establish a dual study and double degree programme at the Faculty of Agriculture’ he added.
The University of Szeged was represented by Dr. Norbert Somogyi, associate professor of the Faculty of Agriculture in formal ceremony in Rabat, Morocco.
Translation Enikő Braun
