As a key player in Hungarian research, the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network brings together the work of more than five thousand researchers and professionals across 15 research institutes. Following the proposal of President Bal\u00e1zs Guly\u00e1s, the organisation\u2019s governing body appointed new vice-presidents responsible for specific scientific domains as of 1 March. Their task is to promote cooperation and joint research projects among research institutes, thereby strengthening the international competitiveness of Hungarian science. One of them is Dr Petra Acz\u00e9l, Professor at Sz\u00e9chenyi Istv\u00e1n University and Head of the Centre for AI and Future Strategies, who is responsible for the field of frontier sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Vice President of HUN-REN, Dr Petra Acz\u00e9l, Professor at Sz\u00e9chenyi Istv\u00e1n University and Head of the Centre for AI and Future Strategies, will coordinate the activities of HUN-REN research institutes in the field of frontier sciences (Photo: Andr\u00e1s Adorj\u00e1n)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cScience today is no longer one-dimensional: there are no purely technical, technological or life-science challenges. In almost every issue, strong connections appear with other fields, such as the social sciences, psychology, economics or law,\u201d emphasised Dr Petra Acz\u00e9l. <\/em>She added that frontier sciences do not simply represent the margins of individual disciplines, but also the intersections where new perspectives and approaches emerge. As Vice President, she therefore aims to identify and support researchers and research groups that explicitly build on this perspective. \u201cThis is one of the breeding grounds of innovation,\u201d<\/em> she pointed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the professor, this can contribute to launching research programmes that have a significant global impact, supporting Hungary\u2019s ambition to join the international frontrunners in innovation performance. She highlighted that, alongside strengthening international relations, they also aim to create an attractive environment for outstanding Hungarian researchers currently working abroad, encouraging as many as possible to return home and establish new research groups and scientific communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She also emphasised the importance of being able to work as Head of the Centre for AI and Future Strategies at Sz\u00e9chenyi Istv\u00e1n University, as this field is closely connected to her responsibilities within HUN-REN: both focus on addressing the scientific and societal challenges of the future. \u201cThere is already close cooperation between the University and HUN-REN, and I hope that this connection can be further strengthened through my involvement,\u201d <\/em>added Dr Acz\u00e9l.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reflecting on her own career, she explained that her research has always been characterised by movement across disciplinary boundaries: alongside her background in linguistics, she works in communication studies, future skills, artificial intelligence and new media \u2013 fields that naturally evolve at the intersection of multiple disciplines. \u201cWe cannot talk about communication without communication technologies, and we cannot examine communication technologies without their economic or geopolitical contexts,\u201d<\/em> she noted as an example. In her view, scientific work often resembles an architectural project: the outcome can only be complete if experts from different fields work together on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking about her new appointment, she described the nomination as a mark of trust: \u201cAs Mad\u00e1ch writes, this has been entrusted to me as \u2018advance payment\u2019 \u2013 meaning that such trust must be earned.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Created: 2026.03.10. 14:36 The most exciting scientific results today are increasingly emerging at the boundaries between disciplines, says Dr Petra Acz\u00e9l, Head of the Centre for AI and Future Strategies …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":9775,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/alumni.sze.hu\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Kep-1-1024x683.jpg\")
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