Hungarian Academy of Sciences

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Hungarian: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia [ˈmɒɟɒr ˈtudomaːɲoʃ ˈɒkɒdeːmijɒ], MTA) is Hungary’s foremost and most prestigious learned society. Its headquarters are located along the banks of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. The Academy's primary functions include the advancement of scientific knowledge, the dissemination of research findings, the support of research and development, and the representation of science in Hungary both domestically and around the world.

Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Magyar Tudományos Akadémia
The seat of the academy on the bank of the Danube in Budapest
Abbreviation	MTA
Formation	3 November 1825; 199 years ago (1825-11-03)[1]
Type	National academy
Headquarters	Budapest, Hungary
Location	Budapest, Arany János u. 1, 1051 Hungary
Coordinates	47°30′4″N 19°2′47″E
Region served	Hungary
Membership	1,363[2] (2014)
President	Tamás Freund
Website	mta.hu/english/
Formerly called	Magyar Tudós Társaság

History

The origins of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences date back to 1825, when Count István Széchenyi offered one year's income from his estate to establish a Learned Society. He made this offer during a session of the Diet in Pressburg (Pozsony, now Bratislava), then the seat of the Hungarian Parliament. Inspired by his gesture, other delegates soon followed suit. The Society’s mission was defined as the development of the Hungarian language and the promotion of sciences and the arts in the Hungarian language. It was officially named the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 1845. The Academy's central building, designed in the Renaissance Revival architecture by architect Friedrich August Stüler, was inaugurated in 1865.

Sections

László Lovász, the president of the academy till 2020. Previously he served as the president of International Mathematical Union.

Count István Széchenyi offers one year's income of his estate for the purposes of a learned society.

Within the Academy, scientific sections are organized according to individual disciplines or closely related fields. Each section monitors, promotes, and evaluates scientific activities within its domain. It provides expert opinions on scientific matters, science policy, and research organization. Additionally, the sections assess the work of the Academy’s research institutes, university departments, and other affiliated research units. They also play a key role in the process of awarding the Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (D.Sc.) degree, Hungary’s post-Ph.D. academic qualification.

Today, the Academy is composed of eleven main scientific sections: ^[3]

1. Linguistics and Literary Scholarship
2. Philosophy and Historical Sciences
3. Mathematics
4. Agricultural Sciences
5. Medical Sciences
6. Engineering Sciences
7. Chemical Sciences
8. Biological Sciences
9. Economics and Law
10. Earth Sciences
11. Physical Sciences

Research institutes until 2019

• MTA Agricultural Research Centre^[4]
• MTA Chemical Research Center
• MTA Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences (involved with Konkoly Observatory)
• MTA Szeged Research Centre for Biology
• MTA Centre for Ecological Research
• MTA Research Centre for Economic and Regional Studies
• MTA Centre for Energy Research
• MTA Research Centre for the Humanities
• MTA Research Institute for Linguistics
• MTA Rényi Institute of Mathematics
• MTA Institute of Experimental Medicine
• MTA Research Centre for Natural Sciences
• MTA Institute of Nuclear Research
• MTA Wigner Research Centre for Physics
• MTA Centre for Social Sciences

Presidents of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Count József Teleki	17 November 1830 – 15 February 1855
Count Emil Dessewffy	17 April 1855 – 10 January 1866
Baron József Eötvös	18 March 1866 – 2 February 1871
Baron Menyhért Lónyay	17 May 1871 – 3 November 1884
Dr. Ágoston Trefort	28 May 1885 – 22 August 1888
Baron Loránd Eötvös	3 May 1889 – 5 October 1905
Albert Berzeviczy	27 November 1905 – 22 March 1936
Archduke Joseph Habsburg	22 March 1936 – October 1944
Gyula Kornis	7 March 1945 – 29 October 1945
Gyula Moór	29 October 1945 – 24 July 1946
Zoltán Kodály	24 July 1946 – 29 November 1949
István Rusznyák	29 November 1949 – 5 February 1970
Tibor Erdey-Grúz	5 February 1970 – 16 August 1976
János Szentágothai	26 October 1976 – 10 May 1985
Iván T. Berend	10 May 1985 – 24 May 1990
Domokos Kosáry	24 May 1990 – 9 May 1996
Ferenc Glatz	9 May 1996 – 4 May 2002
Szilveszter Vizi	5 May 2002 – 6 May 2008
József Pálinkás	6 May 2008 – 5 May 2014
László Lovász	6 May 2014 – 31 July 2020
Tamás Freund	1 August 2020 – present

Széchenyi Academy of Literature and Arts

Main article: Széchenyi Academy of Literature and Arts

The Széchenyi Academy of Literature and Arts (Hungarian: Széchenyi Irodalmi és Művészeti Akadémia) was created in 1992 as an academy associated yet independent from the MTA. Some of the known members are György Konrád, Magda Szabó, Péter Nádas writers, Zoltán Kocsis pianist, Miklós Jancsó, István Szabó film directors. The last president was Károly Makk, film director, who succeeded László Dobszay (resigned on 20 April 2011^[5]).

See also

• Open access in Hungary
• HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics