University of Szeged

Prof. Dr. Péter Zakar, vice-rector for international and public relations of the University of Szeged, led the delegation that traveled to China at the invitation of the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU). The visit of Xi Jinping, the president of the People's Republic of China, to Hungary gave the meeting a special relevance, during which important agreements concerning higher education were reached between the two countries.

After Katalin Karikó, the University of Szeged has another Nobel Prize-winning professor, Professor Gérard Mourou, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018 for his invention of chirped pulse amplification in the field of laser physics. On April 11, 2024, in the framework of a conference, in the presence of Professor László Rovó, rector of SZTE, and Minister of Culture and Innovation János Csák, Professor Mourou signed his research professor contract with the University of Szeged.

The possible areas of use of mRNA technology are wide-ranging: within a few years, it may even provide a therapeutic strategy that can be used in the case of cancer, cardiovascular, or autoimmune diseases. Several mRNA-based research projects are taking place at the University of Szeged with the support of Katalin Karikó, the first female Hungarian Nobel laureate. Among these, we present the research work carried out in the Laboratory of Neural Regeneration of SZTE SZAOK Department of Anatomy, Histology, and Embryology. The work of the researchers here can form the basis for treating spinal cord injury with mRNA therapy.

Katalin Karikó visited Szeged on April 16-17, 2024, for the first time after the 2023 Nobel ceremony held in Stockholm. The two-day visit included several programs – a celebratory senate meeting, an award ceremony, and a visit to the Botanical Garden, among others. During her visit, the alumna and research professor of the University of Szeged generously donated an authentic replica of her Nobel medal as well as the prize money that comes with the Nobel Prize to her alma mater.

From now on, the Nobel portrait plaque representing Katalin Karikó's Nobel Prize is on permanent display in the dedicated exhibition hall of the József Attila Study and Information Centre of SZTE. The Nobel Prize-winning professor of the University of Szeged announced at the welcoming ceremony on April 16, 2024 that she would donate the authentic replica of her 24-carat gold-plated Nobel medal to the university.

On the first day of her visit to Szeged, Katalin Karikó answered journalists' questions at the University of Szeged. The main focus of the interview was the Nobel Prize, which is on permanent exhibition at the József Attila Study and Information Centre, and the generous donation of five hundred thousand dollars that Dr. Karikó offered to inspire students and young researchers at the university. The discussion was moderated by Ilona Újszászi, the curator of the exhibition and a journalist with a long-standing, direct relationship with Katalin Karikó. Ilona Újszászi is also a member of the SZTE Directorate for International Affairs and Public Relations.

The management of the University of Szeged welcomed Katalin Karikó, research professor, who donated her Nobel Prize to her Alma Mater, at a gala dinner. The main patron of the event, Tamás Sulyok, President of Hungary, also attended the gala evening at the József Attila Study and Information Centre of the University of Szeged on 16 April. In his welcome speech, the head of state stressed that Katalin Karikó remained true to herself even after reaching the top of the world, returning to where she started from and taking responsibility for her country.

On April 16, 2024, Tuesday morning, Professor Dr. Katalin Karikó announced at the József Attila Department of Education and Information Center (TIK) of the University of Szeged that she has offered her Nobel Prize and the associated prize money of over half a million dollars to the University of Szeged. The research professor at the University of Szeged, also shared her experience on the events preceding the Nobel Prize ceremony and the ceremony itself in Sweden.

There are several reasons for studying Health Sciences at the Unviersity of Szeged, but here we highlighted the most obvious 5 reasons.

Dániel Viczián not only partied in a tailcoat at the Nobel Prize ceremony but also gave a presentation on the fascinating world of chemistry as a speaker at the "Stockholm International Youth Science Seminar". The first-year chemistry student of the University of Szeged won the right in a competition to represent Hungary as the only young person to participate in the most prestigious programs of the Nobel Week in Sweden. In addition to nanocomposites, we asked Dániel Viczián about his experiences at the Nobel Prize ceremony.

In his book published twenty years ago, Pál Venetianer compares the Nobel Prize ceremony to great moments and turning points in human and cultural history. By asking the 89-year-old academician and some of Katalin Karikó's guests, we relived the small and big moments of the highlight of Stockholm's Nobel Week on December 10, 2023.

Two Nobel Prize winners from Hungary and the University of Szeged have been awarded the world's most prestigious scientific prize. The mRNA researcher Katalin Karikó, Professor at the University of Szeged, is the first Hungarian woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Ferenc Krausz, who conducted his molecular fingerprinting research in Szeged, is a Nobel Prize winner in physics. Our coverage of the event, which took place at the Stockholm Concert Hall on 10 December 2023, is complemented by exclusive information from our correspondent on the ground.

The lectures by Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, were well attended in Stockholm. If you missed the live broadcast, you can watch the recording in our article.

What kind of jewel is pseudouridine? What tableware is used for the banquet after the Nobel Prize ceremony? What items did this year's laureates donate to the Nobel Prize Museum? We will show the donations of the 2023 Nobel laureates – including Katalin Karikó and Ferenc Krausz, who have strong ties to the University of Szeged.

Referring Kuno Klebelsberg in relation to Katalin Karikó's Nobel Prize is more than a historical artifact of the University. According to Prof. Dr. Márta Széll, Vice-Rector for Strategic Planning at the University of Szeged, due to the network-like character of research, a clear scientific history can be traced between the major biochemical research laboratories at the University of Szeged and the new Nobel Prize.

The Stockholm Concert Hall has seen a lot and still has a lot more to see. Two days after the concert on 8 December 2023 organised in honour of the Nobel Prize winners, this fascinating building will host the world's most prestigious award ceremony on 10 December. Among the distinguished attendees of the concert were the Nobel laureates and the esteemed members of the Swedish royal family.

Stockholm is adorned in pristine white and lights, eagerly awaiting the distinguished guests and honorees for the Nobel Weeks. Nobel laureate Katalin Karikó arrived on December 4, 2023. As an honoree guest, she is a research professor at the University of Szeged. Dániel Viczián, a first-year chemistry student at the University of Szeged, is attending the Nobel Prize award ceremony as a spectator. The official events celebrating personalities recognized with the world's most prestigious scientific award officially begin on December 6, 2023.

The exhibition "Katalin Karikó's Journey to the Lasker Prize and Beyond" of the University of Szeged International Affairs and Public Relations Directorate and the Klebelsberg Library of the University of Szeged was presented in the lobby of the new theoretical block of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Pécs.

Animations and archival footage add color to this year's television portrait of Nobel laureates. The 59-minute film illustrates some of the uplifting, dramatic, and sporty moments of the researchers' lives. In the first twenty minutes of the summary, Katalin Karikó walks and talks at significant places in her life, including locations at the University of Szeged. From the 54th minute, Ferenc Krausz jogs and explains. The stories of two Hungarian researchers frame the film celebrating this year's Nobel laureates, scheduled for broadcast on STV2.

Katalin Karikó's series of achievements shows no signs of slowing down following the recent Nobel Prize announcement. In the past two months, the esteemed research professor at the University of Szeged has garnered numerous recognitions, reclaiming her title as the most influential scientist, maintaining her role as a mentor, earning yet another prestigious award, engaging with celebrities, and contributing to her list of accomplishments by publishing articles about her remarkable autobiography, "Breakthroughs."

The "Nobel Weeks at the University of Szeged" awareness campaign is launched. "Where knowledge and intention meet" - a series of programmes organised under the motto of the University of Szeged extends beyond the borders of Szeged.

"I had a B average in my first class, while half of the class was excellent," said Katalin Karikó when she was asked when and how talent is recognised. According to the Nobel Prize-winning biochemist and research professor at the University of Szeged, if you have goals, determination and perseverance, you can succeed. The "Nobel Weeks at the University of Szeged" information campaign kicked off with a roundtable discussion jointly organised by SZTE and the Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC).

In the week of the announcement of Katalin Karikó's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, the memoir "Breaking Through - My Life in Science" was published in Hungarian. Since then, several book reviews have been published. By summarizing what happened since then we will direct the attention to those who contributed to the success of Breaking Through.

Katalin Karikó traveled to Hungary to visit the University of Szeged, her alma mater, only one week after she won the Nobel Prize in Medicine. She was greeted by hundreds of locals, attended a celebratory meeting, held a press conference, met with researchers, and held seminars for university students at SZTE on October 12, 2023.

Dr. Katalin Karikó, research professor and winner of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for inventing the modified messenger RNA used in modern Covid19 vaccines, visits her alma mater on 12 October.