Hungary delivered its best-ever performance at the 32nd Summer World University Games, earning a total of 18 medals – 10 silver and 8 bronze. Held over a ten-day period in Germany’s Rhine-Ruhr region, the international multi-sport event saw 178 Hungarian athletes compete, representing 46 different universities and colleges. Among them were seven students from the University of Szeged: Renáta Beregszászi and Réka Kling (athletics), Nikolett Ágnes Sági (judo), Bálint and Balázs Pápai (badminton), and Botond Bóbis and Benedek Danka (water polo).

This autumn, the University of Szeged is taking Hungarian–Chinese higher education cooperation to a new level. In collaboration with Shaanxi Normal University (SNNU), SZTE is launching a unique four-year undergraduate program, with students completing three years of their studies in China and one year in Hungary.

Dr. habil. Csaba Szabó, Assistant Professor at the Department of Religious Studies of the University of Szeged’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, has been awarded a Momentum (Lendület) Grant by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) in 2025 – becoming the first scholar from the faculty to receive this prestigious recognition. The Momentum Program supports outstanding early-career scholars and accomplished researchers in launching research groups with the potential for major scientific impact. Professor Szabó’s five-year project, REMITHRA: Faces of Mithras – The Material and Cultural Legacy of an Ancient Cult in Central and Eastern Europe, will be carried out by the newly established MTA–SZTE Momentum Mithras Research Group, which is set to begin work this fall. As principal investigator, Professor Szabó spoke about the significance of the award and outlined his vision for the research ahead.

In an effort to deepen their existing collaboration, the University of Szeged and the technology companies ContiTech Fluid Automotive Hungária Kft. and ContiTech Rubber Industrial Kft. have entered into formal agreements. These new partnerships aim to foster joint initiatives in research and development, education, and grant applications. Reflecting this intent, the leaders of the university and the two companies signed the agreements on Monday, July 28, 2025, marking the occasion in the main building of the University of Szeged.

A giant leap was made toward strengthening Hungary’s space sector with the signing of an agreement to establish the Hungarian Spacelab Network. The new collaborative platform brings together nine universities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, and the HUN-REN Institute for Computer Science and Control. The signing ceremony was held in Budapest on July 14, 2025.

Less than three weeks after receiving Hungary's first smart cochlear implant, 11-year-old Loránd was fitted with the external unit of his new device at the University of Szeged, where the implant was activated and its initial settings programmed.

International Freshmen Orientation Days for the Fall 2025/26 semester will take place from September 2 to 4, 2025.

The University of Szeged’s Center of Excellence for Interdisciplinary Research, Development, and Innovation (IKIKK) is launching the SZTE VIRTUS Research Career Program, inviting researchers who are driven to explore the market potential of their creative ideas while pursuing their scientific research and teaching careers. This new challenge offers participants the chance to gain insight into corporate and investor perspectives, while also experiencing the fulfilment that comes from innovation rooted in real societal needs.

An AI-powered digital platform to support cancer patients, a wearable belt designed to relieve menstrual pain, and a plastic pallet engineered to transform logistics – these were just a few of the innovative ideas presented by students from the University of Szeged at the closing event of the Hungarian Startup University Program (HSUP) in Budapest. This year’s HSUP Demo Day, held on July 3 at the Bosch Innovation Campus, brought together the top student-led projects, several of which received financial backing and professional mentoring.

Today, the University of Szeged has nearly 25,000 students, and while its primary goal is to secure full enrollment in state-funded programs, attracting fee-paying students – whether Hungarian or international – is equally important. This is what Chancellor Judit Fendler emphasized when we spoke with her about the university’s experiences so far with the shift to a foundation-based governance model.

At a ceremony held on campus on July 8, 2025, the University of Szeged officially unveiled a new supercomputer with a capacity of 1.75 petaflops, which means it is capable of performing 1.75 quadrillion (1.75 × 10¹⁵) operations per second. Backed by the Artificial Intelligence Competence Center within the University of Szeged’s Center of Excellence for Interdisciplinary Research, Development and Innovation, the system will provide vital computational resources for AI-driven research at the university. This cutting-edge, European-class infrastructure is expected to drive progress not only in artificial intelligence but also across a wide range of scientific fields. During the ceremony, the University of Szeged and the Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE) signed a strategic cooperation agreement to ensure ongoing professional and technological support for the system.

The University of Szeged hosted the General Assembly of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) Hungary from June 27 to 29, 2025. The event brought together mentors from universities across the country, along with distinguished guests, to provide information to the organization’s mentors and volunteers about international mobility programs and scholarship opportunities. The program included a keynote presentation by Richárd Bodrogi, Director General of the Tempus Public Foundation, who also took part in a Q&A session. 

In June 2025, the University of Szeged hosted a series of interactive workshops as part of a EUGLOH Alliance initiative. The program focused on developing international leadership skills and improving communication within intercultural teams.

The Institute of Geosciences at SZTE’s Faculty of Science and Informatics is undergoing major infrastructure upgrades designed to strengthen the synergy between education and research and to improve the effectiveness of studies addressing global environmental challenges. Fully funded from the University’s own resources, this investment will provide a modern, well-equipped environment that supports world-class scientific work and teaching.

The 2025 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities rankings place the University of Szeged at the forefront of Hungarian higher education in two subject areas: Chemistry and Neuroscience & Behavior.

Seventeen newly habilitated doctors and 129 PhD graduates were awarded their degrees at SZTE’s Doctoral Degree Award Ceremony, held on June 27, 2025, in the congress hall of the Study and Information Center.

An international summer school focusing on the mathematical modelling of cancer was held at the University of Szeged, jointly organized by the Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine (HCEMM) and the National Laboratory for Health Security. According to mathematician Dr. Gergely Röst, the laboratory’s scientific director, the aim was to offer young researchers in medicine and mathematics a gateway into a cutting-edge interdisciplinary field. Reflecting the shift in how mathematical tools are perceived in biomedical research, Professors Joel Brown and Jeffrey West – researchers from the Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida and guest lecturers at the summer school – stated that mathematical algorithms are becoming a form of medicine in their own right.

An eleven-year-old boy named Loránd has become the very first person in Hungary – and one of the first in the world – to receive a smart cochlear implant, the latest innovation in high-end hearing technology. The procedure was carried out on June 25, 2025, at the Department of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology and Head-Neck Surgery of the Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center at the University of Szeged. Thanks to this pioneering device, Loránd now has a renewed chance to experience natural hearing again – something he had been gradually losing despite using a hearing aid.

The University of Szeged and AstraZeneca have taken their partnership to the next level. As part of their new strategic alliance, the two organizations are working together to advance data-driven health research, continue to develop clinical research programs, expand the medical knowledge base, promote widespread educational outreach, and launch initiatives targeting both major public health issues and rare diseases. These joint projects are expected to improve patient pathway management and contribute significantly to scientific and professional engagement – both in Hungary and internationally.

At a formal ceremony held on June 17, 2025, the foundation stone was laid for the new wings of the SZTE id. Jancsó Miklós Dormitory. The development project will expand the University of Szeged’s student housing capacity by 240 premium places, financed through a 3.6-billion-forint investment.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence presents both new opportunities and profound challenges for the humanities. In the spring of 2025, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Szeged hosted an international course titled AI and the Humanities, organized with the participation of lecturers and students from EUGLOH (European University Alliance for Global Health) partner institutions.

On June 19, British higher education analyst firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) released its latest World University Rankings. The University of Szeged earned a place among the top 7% of institutions worldwide, ranking 597th out of nearly 8,500 evaluated universities. This result also reaffirms its status as one of Hungary’s leading universities.

Times Higher Education (THE) publishes its annual Impact Rankings based on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to provide both overall and goal-specific evaluations of universities worldwide. In the latest edition, released on June 18, 2025, the University of Szeged (SZTE) achieved outstanding results. It is ranked in all 17 SDG categories and holds the leading national position in nine of them. SZTE also secured two top 100 global placements: 53rd in SDG 14 (Life Below Water), which focuses on protecting oceans and seas, and 77th in SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). In the overall global ranking – which includes thousands of institutions – SZTE placed among the top 400, making it the highest-ranked university in Hungary, with a shared national first-place standing.

Although the application period has closed for many international study programs, we’re excited to announce that several programs at the University of Szeged are still open for applications for the 2025/2026 academic year!

The University of Szeged is set to become the first regional higher education institution in Hungary to offer a Chinese specialization program as part of its academic offerings.

For the eighth consecutive year, representatives of seven Western Balkans partner universities gathered at the University of Szeged to take part in the first session of the Scientific Board of the Western Balkans Competence Center, part of SZTE’s Cluster for Humanities and Social Sciences within the Center of Excellence for Interdisciplinary Research, Development, and Innovation (IKIKK). This key meeting focused on strengthening educational cooperation and fostering joint research planning.

A delegation from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Szeged participated in the 9th China–CEEC Education Cooperation Exchange Conference, held in Ningbo, China, on May 24–25, 2025. This high-profile international event focused on strengthening educational cooperation between China and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

In May, twenty-nine students from the nine partner universities of the EUGLOH Alliance gathered in Szeged to take part in the Green Future Festival, organized by the University of Szeged in collaboration with EUGLOH and linked to the University’s Design and Art Management Master’s Program. This year’s festival focused on sustainability and material culture.

The 1st International Health Sciences Conference in Szeged came to a close on May 31, 2025, surpassing expectations in terms of participation and outcomes. Held at the Art Hotel in the heart of the city, the scientific conference brought together speakers and attendees from six countries, alongside professionals from Hungary. We asked the chief organizer, Dr. Zsanett Renáta Csoma, Vice-Dean for General and Scientific Affairs at the SZTE Faculty of Health Sciences and Social Studies, to share her reflections on the event.

The University of Szeged now ranks among the top 2.8% of universities worldwide, following its rise in the 2025 Center for World University Rankings (CWUR). Improving its position by 115 places, SZTE secured 590th place globally and stood out particularly in the area of faculty excellence, where it achieved the highest ranking among Hungarian universities.

The 30th Congress of the Hungarian Society of Hematology and Transfusiology was held in Szeged, from May 22 to 24.

In the first five months of 2025, Katalin Karikó delivered lectures at conferences and public events across Europe. During her working visit to Italy in May, she received the Mendel Award from the European Society of Human Genetics. Back in Hungary, she continued to share her latest findings and experiences related to messenger RNA at several conferences.

Aiming to develop a globally unique laser system and its associated applications, the University of Szeged and the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics have joined forces through a newly established memorandum of understanding. The document was officially signed on May 28, 2025, by Prof. Dr. László Rovó, Rector of the University of Szeged, and Prof. Yuxin Leng, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics.

Schauer Flávia, a student at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Szeged, has won the Hungarian final of the 7th Belt and Road Youth English Speaking Competition, securing her place in the global final to be held in China this autumn.

From May 29 to 31, 2025, the University of Szeged’s Faculty of Health Sciences and Social Studies hosted the 1st International Health Sciences Conference at the Art Hotel in Szeged. The event offered a rich and diverse program for professionals and students eager to explore the latest advances in healthcare and medical science. The conference brought together speakers and participants from six countries, alongside representatives from Hungarian higher education institutions.

As climate change intensifies, certain natural disasters are expected to become more frequent, posing serious risks to both human health and life. Should we anticipate more of these extreme events in the years ahead? Can we predict when and where they will occur? And most importantly, can society prepare for them on a large scale? These were the central questions explored at the 2nd Natural Hazards and Climate Change Conference, held at the University of Szeged. The scientific gathering brought together around 150 experts from four continents.

The Klebelsberg Library of the University of Szeged will continue its operation under a new name from 1 June 2025. According to the resolution SZ-8/2025.04.28./4. by the Senate of the University of Szeged, the University Archives will be integrated into the organisation of the SZTE Klebelsberg Library. The new name of the integrated institution will thus be SZTE Klebelsberg Library and Archives.

The University of Szeged received the University of the Year 2025 award in the Innovation category at the prestigious University of the Year 2025 awards gala hosted by the Hungarian Ministry of Culture and Innovation on May 29, 2025. Held at the historic Várkert Bazár event venue in Budapest, the ceremony celebrated excellence across eight categories, honoring Hungarian higher education institutions for their most outstanding achievements, values, and initiatives.

On May 19, 2025, Katalin Karikó was awarded an honorary doctorate and the Semmelweis Medal by the Medical University of Vienna. The Nobel Prize-winning professor from the University of Szeged delivered a lecture before an audience of nearly 900 people.

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, Nobel Laureate Katalin Karikó spoke at the Collegium Hungaricum in Vienna, addressing Austrian high school students and their peers from Hungary. In her presentation, the renowned biochemist emphasized the importance of maintaining both physical and mental well-being. She shared personal reflections from her life, recalling how her fascination with nature – especially with plants – first took root in childhood, gradually growing to include chemistry, biology, and geography, and inspiring her to create detailed illustrations of living organisms.

Starting this weekend, the SZTE Klebelsberg Library will extend its opening hours to better accommodate students preparing for exams, helping them maximize their study time. For a month, the university library will be open from 8 a.m. to midnight on weekdays, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

A captivating exhibition titled Forever Forward, celebrating the life and work of Katalin Karikó, has opened at the Josephinum, Vienna’s Museum of Medical History.

British Ambassador Paul Fox recently visited the University of Szeged to engage directly with students, sharing his unique insights from five years of diplomatic service in Hungary. Well-versed in the country’s culture and political landscape, Ambassador Fox emphasized the importance of balancing empathy for counterparts with unwavering commitment to the core values of British democracy. His candidness, thoughtful perspectives, and lighthearted humor resonated strongly with the audience.

Two new laboratories were inaugurated on May 15, 2025, at the Institute of Pathology within the Albert Szent-Györgyi Clinical Center of the University of Szeged. The Central Sequencing Laboratory and the Ormos Jenő Molecular Pathology Diagnostic Center were established with nearly half a billion forints in funding. These twin facilities are especially valuable in situations where swift decision-making is critical – for example, in cases involving severe neonatal conditions, immune deficiencies, or rare genetic disorders.

From May 8 to 10, ten researchers from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada, visited the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Szeged to take part in the 8th University of Szeged – University of Manitoba Partnership Conference. The partnership between the two universities, established in 2004, centers around biennial conferences that bring together experts from diverse fields to explore a shared topic from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The University of Szeged and MSD have established a joint Pharmaceutical Industry Partnership Department, marking a new chapter in their collaboration. This initiative builds on a long-standing partnership – further strengthened in 2023 through clinical trial cooperation – and seeks to foster innovation in research, education, and pharmaceutical development. The agreement was officially signed in Szeged by Prof. Dr. László Rovó, Rector of the University of Szeged; Prof. Dr. Ildikó Csóka, Director-General for Strategic Planning; Prof. Dr. Zsolt Szakonyi, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy; Sean R. Smith, Managing Director of MSD Pharma Hungary Kft.; and Dr. Szabolcs Barótfi, Director of Clinical Research at MSD Hungary.

On May 9, 2025, the University of Szeged welcomed international high school counselors to its first-ever Counselor Engagement Day, designed to introduce participants to the university’s vibrant multicultural environment and wide-ranging academic programs.

On May 12, the University of Szeged held an official ceremony to inaugurate its new research unit: the Host–Pathogen Interaction Center. Located within the Institute of Biology, the Center features Hungary’s only in vivo experimental station of its kind, alongside five newly renovated laboratories. This state-of-the-art facility is designed to support the development of antimicrobial therapies, with a particular focus on antifungal treatments – addressing a pressing yet often overlooked public health concern. The project was made possible through both professional and financial support from Katalin Karikó, an SZTE alumna and recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

The origins of the University of Szeged date back to May 12, 1581, when István Báthory established the Jesuit College in Cluj-Napoca – an institution recognized as SZTE's legal predecessor. Exactly 444 years later, the University marked this anniversary with a symbolic “birthday gift”: the signing of two strategic partnership agreements. Supported by two of South America’s leading scientific and healthcare institutions, these partnerships are set to position SZTE among the global research elite in emerging and internationally significant fields of healthcare research and education.