Created: 2025.10.20. 14:03
Scholarships, internationalisation, the value of degrees and the practical nature of education were the main topics raised at the forum where students of Széchenyi István University had the opportunity to ask questions directly to Balázs Hankó, Minister of Culture and Innovation.
Balázs Hankó, Minister of Culture and Innovation, held a packed forum entitled “Ask the Minister!” at Széchenyi István University’s Győr Innovation Park on 15 October. More than a hundred students attended the event, during which a wide range of topics were addressed. The aim of the event was to provide young people with a platform to freely ask questions to the minister and to start an open dialogue about the future of Hungarian higher education. The Győr meeting was the third stop in the series, following events at Semmelweis University in Budapest and the University of Miskolc.
Balázs Hankó, Minister of Culture and Innovation (Photo: András Adorján)
At the press conference following the forum, Balázs Hankó emphasised that Széchenyi István University is among the leading renewed Hungarian universities, ranking within the top five percent of universities worldwide. He noted that the University’s international scientific performance has increased tenfold in recent years, and both domestic and international student numbers continue to grow. He underlined that the University’s annual funding has risen from HUF 8 billion to 26 billion in recent years, which clearly demonstrates recognition of its outstanding achievements. He also mentioned that tens of billions of forints have been invested in the University’s development, leading to significant infrastructure renewal.
“The University of Győr plays in the league of renewed universities – and it plays well. But our goal is to move even further ahead: we would like to see at least one Hungarian university among the world’s top 100 and several Hungarian universities among Europe’s top 100 higher education institutions,” said Balázs Hankó when presenting the aims of the ‘Universities 2030’ programme. He added that students at the forum raised several important issues, including the scholarship system, dormitory developments, the practical focus of education, as well as industrial partnerships and the role of artificial intelligence in teaching and research.
Many students at Széchenyi István University took the opportunity to ask questions to the minister (Photos: András Adorján)
Dávid Vályi Nagy, President of the Student Union at Széchenyi István University, highlighted: “It is important that students have the opportunity to share their views directly with decision-makers. Scholarships, housing, internationalisation, and the labour market value of degrees are all issues that directly affect university students.”
Balázs Hankó, Minister of Culture and Innovation, with Dávid Vályi Nagy, President of the Student Union of Széchenyi István University (Photo: András Adorján)
