Following a cornerstone-laying ceremony for SZTE’S Regional Cyclotron and Radiopharmaceutical Supply Center in April, another major milestone has been reached in one of the University of Szeged’s flagship strategic investments. On December 9, GE HealthCare announced that – for the first time worldwide – the MINItrace Magni cyclotron will be installed at the University of Szeged, marking a major advance for nuclear medicine and theranostic treatment in Hungary. At a special event held at the University’s main building, the significance and future impact of the pioneering device were outlined by Prof. Dr. László Rovó, Rector of the University of Szeged; Dr. Judit Fendler, Chancellor; Prof. Dr. László Pávics, Professor at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and project leader; Dr. György Erőss, Regional Customer Relations Manager for Central and Eastern Europe at GE HealthCare Hungary Kft.; and Jan Wolber, Global Product Leader for GE HealthCare Digital.

At the core of the EUGLOH Alliance is a dynamic culture of collaboration among its member institutions. Over the years, the nine partners have built a shared professional ecosystem by exchanging research insights, institutional experience, and educational innovations – collectively shaping the interdisciplinary European campus that has become a hallmark of the Alliance.

The University of Szeged is pleased to announce that it is now accepting applications for its international self-financed study programs for the 2026–2027 academic year. Applications for a number of programs starting in Fall 2026 have been open since December 2025, while application periods for additional programs will begin in January 2026.

The University of Szeged has inaugurated its Human Kinesiology Laboratory, where cutting-edge robotic technologies are being deployed to enhance the effectiveness of rehabilitation therapies and actively support patients throughout their recovery process.

According to the latest UI GreenMetric World University Rankings, published in December, the University of Szeged has achieved 41st place globally in sustainability performance, securing a position among Europe’s top 20 universities. Advancing more than 30 places worldwide, SZTE’s performance signals a clear acceleration in its sustainability trajectory and reinforces its growing international standing as a benchmark institution in environmental responsibility.

Experts in higher education sustainability convened in Szeged on December 4, 2025, as the University Sustainability Roadshow reached the city for one of its key national stops, bringing together experts and stakeholders at the University of Szeged’s József Attila Study and Information Center to discuss current sustainability initiatives and future collaborations. 

Through storytelling sessions, live readings, a documentary, a Nobel lecture, and a playful double quiz, participants at SZTE’s Nobel Day were immersed in the spirit of Stockholm’s Nobel Week, culminating in the screening of the Award Ceremony held on December 10, 2025. Gathering in the CommuniTIK community space at the University of Szeged’s József Attila Study and Information Center, attendees followed the live feed from Stockholm Concert Hall, experiencing the ceremony not as distant spectators but as part of a shared, collective moment. Among the many highlights of the day, the intellectual and emotional high point came with Nobel laureate writer László Krasznahorkai’s banquet speech, marking the close of the official Nobel program.

The University of Szeged and BYD Auto Hungary Kft. have signed a strategic framework agreement that paves the way for new internship opportunities and deepens the university’s economic and social engagement. The partnership elevates the collaboration between SZTE and the Chinese automotive manufacturer to a new level, strengthening their joint professional and research ambitions.

The University of Szeged will host its upcoming Counselors’ Engagement Day on March 11–12, 2026. Organized by the Office for International Academic Programs – a division of the University’s Directorate for International Affairs and Public Relations – the event is designed to deepen engagement with high school counselors from around the world. Through this initiative, the University of Szeged seeks to strengthen ties with high schools by fostering collaboration and offering valuable insights into the academic programs and resources available to prospective students.

Fulbright alumni, current and prospective grantees, and everyone interested in international academic exchange are warmly invited to the Fulbright Szeged Chapter Meeting, hosted at the University of Szeged on Friday, 12 December 2025, from 10:00 to 12:00 in Room V of the Rector’s Office Building.

With the traditional copper baton in hand, the National Conference on Educational Sciences returned to its original home at the University of Szeged. Launched in Szeged a quarter century ago, the event – known by its Hungarian acronym ONK – celebrated its 25th anniversary between November 13 and 15, 2025, marking a symbolic homecoming for the country’s most prominent gathering of education researchers.

The University of Szeged has joined the newly launched European COST Action CA24114 program, BTCs4ATMP (Blood, Tissue and Cells for Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products). Introduced in October 2025, the initiative strengthens cooperation across an established international network, with SZTE participating as a consortium member.

Hungary’s National Academy of Scientist Education held its 25th Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Talented Students in Szeged, marking a milestone year for the long-standing initiative. The event has expanded to such an extent that it has outgrown the University of Szeged’s József Attila Study and Information Center and was relocated to the Pick Arena, where nearly 4,000 students and teachers gathered for this year’s program. After the opening remarks, the audience heard a lecture by Sir Peter Ratcliffe, the British cell biologist awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine – a recognition he shared with two fellow researchers – for uncovering how cells sense oxygen levels and adapt to changing oxygen availability.

From this fall semester, the University of Szeged is broadening its sports classes portfolio with a new sport: cricket is now available as an elective university course. While cricket is among the lesser-known ball sports in Hungary, it enjoys immense popularity in English-speaking countries – and at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, it will return to the Games after a 128-year hiatus.

Times Higher Education introduced its Interdisciplinary Science Rankings last year to highlight universities that excel in cutting-edge, cross-field research. In the newly published 2026 edition, the University of Szeged once again demonstrates its research excellence: SZTE ranks among the world’s top 301–350 institutions and stands as Hungary’s leading university in the rapidly developing domain of interdisciplinary research.

A new chapter has opened in university-driven innovation in Hungary. As part of SzeBIT 2025, Hungary’s largest free IT showcase, SZTE and Hewlett Packard Enterprise inaugurated their joint network-technology research laboratory, the SZTE–HPE Network Innovation HUB. This strategic infrastructure development strengthens SZTE’s position as a key player in cutting-edge industrial innovation programs and enhances its role in both the national and international scientific community.

At a dinner held in honor of literary Nobel laureate László Krasznahorkai, Sweden’s Ambassador to Hungary also welcomed Katalin Karikó, the biochemist awarded the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The special occasion brought together two Nobel Prize-winning Alumni of the University of Szeged’s predecessor institution, József Attila University, highlighting a shared academic legacy that spans disciplines and generations. Against this backdrop, the article explores how the University of Szeged continues to engage with, preserve, and promote the internationally acclaimed work of its distinguished writer alumnus, László Krasznahorkai.

The University of Szeged has once again delivered outstanding results across multiple fields in the newly released ShanghaiRanking listings, which profile the world’s top higher education institutions. SZTE ranks among the global top 300 in Human Biology, Dentistry, and Clinical Medicine, claiming the leading position in Hungary in the first two disciplines. The university also secured prominent international and national placements in Pharmacy and Education, further improving its global standing in the latter.

With the grand auditorium of the University of Szeged’s József Attila Study and Information Center bathed in festive lights, the JATE Award made its debut on November 15, 2025, at an illustrious gala event. Established to honor tradition while also embracing a spirit of renewal, the new recognition was presented to three outstanding members of the university community: Márton Simon Czikkely, Ágota Tóth, and Mihály Ilia. Personal recollections and heartfelt tributes from the award’s founder, Nobel laureate Professor Katalin Karikó, transformed the evening into a celebration not only of individual excellence, but also of the shared values that unite the SZTE community.

According to the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Sustainability Rankings, the University of Szeged continues to stand out for research excellence, operational performance, and its growing societal contribution to a sustainable future. In the newly released global assessment – which evaluates institutions against key environmental, social, and governance (ESG) benchmarks – SZTE again secured a place among the world’s top 2000 universities, ranking 338th worldwide and 161st in Europe. Among the 14 Hungarian institutions featured in the expanding ranking, the University of Szeged took second place this year, trailing the national leader by just 1.1 points.

The 2025 University Day celebration series opened on November 15 with a wreath-laying ceremony, followed by the University of Szeged’s official ceremonial session, where honorary doctorates and distinguished university awards were presented. This year’s festivities carry special significance, marking both the 25th anniversary of the merger that led to the formation of today’s unified University of Szeged and the 150th anniversary of the birth of Kuno Klebelsberg, the statesman whose efforts were instrumental in establishing the university in Szeged.

Shilpa Srinivasan, M.D., DFAPA, DFAAGP is a Professor of Psychiatry at Prisma Health at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia, South Carolina (USA). A board-certified geriatric and general adult psychiatrist, she has built an impressive career spanning clinical practice, medical education, and leadership. In October 2025, she returned to the Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School at the University of Szeged for the Medical Alumni Reunion, where she was honored with the Outstanding Alumna Award and offered insights on geriatric psychiatry to fellow alumni. Calling the occasion “an honor, privilege, and a full-circle moment,” she celebrated the joy of reconnecting with colleagues, and friends – some of whom she had not seen in decades.In this interview, Dr. Srinivasan reflects on her path from her childhood in Dubai to her formative years at the University of Szeged, and on the journey to becoming an influential voice in geriatric psychiatry in the United States.

At the University of Szeged, students can navigate every stage of the innovation process – a message highlighted at SZTE’s 13th Innovation Day, where Katalin Karikó addressed a large audience and reflected on the innovation pathway that ultimately led to her groundbreaking discovery. Held in the Ceremonial Hall of the University’s Main Building, the event also honored this year’s recipients of the SZTE Innovation Award.

On November 17, 2025, the University of Szeged and Roche Hungary signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding, setting the stage for strengthened collaboration in research, development, and education – and enabling the launch of future joint innovation projects. The agreement places particular emphasis on advancing basic and applied research, as well as expanding clinical trial activities, across a broad range of fields including neurology, immunology, oncology, cardiology, diabetology, rare diseases, ophthalmology, laboratory medicine, and pathology. The partnership also creates an opportunity to shape shared clinical trial strategies tailored to the professional priorities that characterize Hungary’s healthcare landscape.

Following the 2024 EUGLOH Annual Summit held in Szeged, members of the university alliance convened this year in the historic city of Porto, where the 2025 Annual Summit took place from October 22 to 24.

At the Francophone University Center of the University of Szeged, literary scholar and associate professor Timea Gyimesi, Head of the French Department at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Ildikó Farkas, specialist interpreter and retired senior assistant professor at the department, received the Knight’s Rank of the French Order of Academic Palms from Jonathan Lacôte, Ambassador of France to Hungary.

On September 5, 2025, at the opening ceremony of the University of Szeged’s 2025/26 academic year, the institution conferred the Young Lecturer of the Year award on Dr. Anita Kéri of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.

On Monday, October 13, the Western Balkans Competence Center held its second international scientific conference in Szeged. The event brought together seven professors from six Western Balkan countries, alongside six lecturers from Szeged. This year’s gathering spotlighted the research of fifteen PhD students, whose work was advanced through a paired-mentoring model that connected scholars from Szeged with colleagues from abroad. Their joint efforts brought the region’s most pressing social challenges into sharper public focus – and aimed to outline viable pathways toward addressing them.

A solar power park was inaugurated on the ELI ALPS site in Szeged, providing enough electricity to meet 30–35% of the laser research institute’s total power needs. In the future, with appropriate energy-storage systems, the solar park could potentially supply as much as half of ELI’s energy consumption.

A project launched by SZTE students Blanka Égi and Teodóra Kiss has the potential to transform the way abandoned newborns are comforted and cared for in hospitals. The University now offers a course on the novel approach to supporting infants who remain in the hospital without parents during their first few weeks of life. Designed to train student volunteers, the special course has seen far more registrations than available places. And this is only the beginning.

Between October 31 and November 3, 2025, a delegation from SZTE’s Faculty of Engineering visited China to strengthen ties with partner institutions and explore new opportunities for collaboration in research and education.

At its fall conference, the Hungarian Geographical Society – founded in 1872 and regarded as one of Europe’s oldest and most prestigious professional organizations – elected Prof. Dr. Zoltán Kovács, professor at the Institute of Geography and Geosciences of the University of Szeged, as its new president for the 2025–2029 term. He is the first professor from Szeged ever to hold this distinguished position in the Society’s history.

The 3rd International Conference on Mechanical System Dynamics took place between September 23 and 27, 2025, at Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, where the delegation of the University of Szeged’s Faculty of Engineering made a stellar impression.

A legend brought to life, mooncakes shared, families and friends connected – a timeless tradition came alive through joyful celebration at the Confucius Institute of the University of Szeged, where guests were invited to experience China’s most poetic holiday: the Mid-Autumn Festival.

A time capsule was ceremoniously set in place at the University of Szeged Science Park, marking the future site of the Sustainable Mobility Industrial Relations Center (FMIKK). Designed as a new hub for materials science and the automotive industry, the center will tackle the complex challenges of the electromobility era. Serving as a research, development, measurement technology, and educational facility, FMIKK aims to strengthen collaboration between academia and industry in one of today’s fastest-evolving technological fields.

New eBooks are now available to readers at the University of Szeged Klebelsberg Library and Archives, acquired with the support of Katalin Karikó as part of the Development of Electronic Content and Information Services project at the University of Szeged Klebelsberg Library and Archives.

Leaders and researchers from the global Pasteur Network gathered once again this year – this time in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – for their annual conference, held in collaboration with the local Pasteur Institute from October 21 to 23. The University of Szeged was represented at the international event by Prof. Dr. Ildikó Csóka, Director-General for Strategy and Development, and Róbert Kurucz, Head of Innovation Management.

In October 2025, the University of Szeged welcomed students from across Europe to participate in the EUReST Stress Management Training, organized within the framework of the EUGLOH Alliance. Focusing on practical strategies for mental well-being, the program underscored the importance of resilience and balance as essential foundations for both academic achievement and future professional life.

The international university network SGroup – Universities in Europe held its annual general assembly at the University of Szeged. The network aims to strengthen international academic relations and foster strategic partnerships between the scientific community and policy-making bodies. Prof. Dr. Péter Zakar, Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Public Relations at the University of Szeged, emphasized that despite the European Commission’s controversial decision to exclude certain Hungarian universities from the Erasmus+ program, the assembly reaffirmed its ongoing commitment to cooperation with the University of Szeged.

Former students of the University of Szeged’s Albert Szent-Györgyi Medical School and its legal predecessor gathered in Szeged for a joyful anniversary weekend celebrating four decades of English-language medical education in Szeged. Heartfelt reunions, moving moments, cheerful stories, and countless smiles marked the event, as alumni from four continents returned to relive the unforgettable experiences of their student years.

Students from all over the world choose Szeged to pursue their university studies. Aleksandar Pilipović, a Serbian student at SZTE and President of the University’s EUGLOH Local Student Board, shares what makes the University of Szeged so appealing to international students.

The University of Szeged hosted an international workshop titled Cryo-Electron Microscopy Development at the University of Szeged on October 14–15, 2025, marking a major milestone in the launch of cryo-electron microscopy research in Hungary. During the two-day event, Rector Prof. Dr. László Rovó announced the creation of the National Cryo-Electron Microscopy Platform. The workshop highlighted the scientific significance of this advanced technology and offered a closer look at the pioneering national initiative led by the University.

The new academic year has brought renewed success for the Hungarian Startup University Program (HSUP), now in its sixth year. Offered in English for the past two years, the program is currently available at 33 higher education institutions across Hungary.

The 2026 edition of the prestigious Times Higher Education World University Rankings, released on October 9, 2025, once again affirms the University of Szeged’s excellence. Despite intensifying global competition, SZTE has successfully retained its position among the world’s leading universities.

The Confucius Institute at the University of Szeged opened its doors in 2012, becoming the second such institute in Hungary and the first outside the capital. Since then, Chinese- language education, cultural programs, and academic exchanges between China and Hungary have continued to thrive – at the university, in Szeged, and across the country. The Institute’s most recent board meeting was held at the SZTE’s main building on October 10, 2025, with leaders from Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) in attendance.

The University of Szeged is contributing as a consortium partner in an international project funded under ITEA 4 – the software innovation cluster of the EUREKA network – led by KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden.

On September 28–29, 2025, the University of Szeged hosted the ABC Learning Design: Train-the-Trainer workshop, organized within the framework of the EUGLOH (European University Alliance for Global Health) Alliance. During the training, instructors from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and UiT The Arctic University of Norway introduced participants to both the theoretical underpinnings and practical application of the collaborative ABC Learning Design methodology.

A chronicler of human alienation and a writer who gives voice to experiences that defy expression in ordinary language – this is how Dr. Gábor Szabó, literary scholar at the University of Szeged (SZTE) and author of a monograph on the newly awarded Nobel laureate, characterizes László Krasznahorkai’s literary universe.