Former HUN-REN chief Gulyás Balázs discusses leadership changes and EU funding concerns

At the European Academy’s annual meeting, former HUN-REN president Gulyás Balázs warned that certain individuals in Brussels sought to prevent the network’s fifteen research institutes from accessing EU funding. He attributed the controversy to fast-paced reforms initiated after the 2023 elections, which some members found too swift. Following the resignation of both the president and the chief executive on October 21, Stipsicz András, formerly head of the Rényi Alfréd Mathematical Research Institute, assumed interim control on October 22.

The Science and Technology Ministry has announced a full leadership replacement this autumn and will select a permanent director via an open call. Gulyás also defended the network’s continued eligibility for EU projects despite institutional restructuring.