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Traditionally held by the Hungarian Young Academy on the day following the MTA General Assembly, this year’s Young Researchers’ Forum—whose theme was the current working conditions, mental health, and future prospects of young researchers in Hungary—drew a particularly large audience. Participants were welcomed by HYA co-chair Bernadette Kun, who briefly talked about the activities of the organisation. The event continued with a welcome address by Vanda Lamm, professor emerita at ELTE and outgoing Vice-President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

In the first talk of the morning section at the festive event, Júlia Koltai, HYA member and associate professor at ELTE, presented the key findings of a research project carried out in collaboration by MTA and HYA that garnered significant attention in 2025. In her presentation, she addressed the evolving financial situation of the entire Hungarian research community, funding opportunities, and the problem of researchers leaving the field, and compared them with the results of HYA’s 2021 survey focusing on young researchers. In the following, Karolina Eszter Kovács, HYA member and associate professor at the University of Debrecen, presented a detailed statistical analysis of the 2025 survey data regarding researchers’ mental well-being, burnout, and career dropout. László Lovász, research professor at the HUN-REN Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics, highlighted the challenges of the research life in terms of work-life balance, the role of studying abroad, and the balance between research and teaching, while also sharing his personal experiences with the audience. Finally, Tamás Faragó, senior research fellow at Eötvös Loránd University, discussed the dilemmas associated with imposter syndrome and the role of luck and chance, drawing on his own career path. To conclude the session, the speakers were invited to share their thoughts in a roundtable discussion on the challenges of being a researcher. The discussion was moderated by Tamás Ruppert, the incoming co-chair of the Hungarian Young Academy.

More photos of the morning’s event can be viewed in the photo gallery (mta.hu – Tamás Szigeti).

A video of the event is now available on YouTube. (in Hungarian)

During the afternoon session, the HYA annual General Assembly, the newly elected members of the HYA Executive Board (Dávid Havasi, Kata Horváti, Karolina Eszter Kovács, László Koók, Bence Kutus) and new HYA members were introduced (Tamás Dávid Berki, Levente Cseri, Judit Dombi, Júlia Katalin Jósvai, Alexandra Kemény, Roland Molontay, Nóra Lenkey, Erika Lisztes, Gyula Nagy, Orsolya Anna Pipek, Gábor Simon, Marcell Stippinger, Eszter Vaszkunné Kótyuk). Last but not least, HYA members becoming alumni as of 1 May said their goodbyes (Tamás Beke-Somfai, Georgina Fröhlich, Sára Hungler, Zsuzsanna Kolbert, Ákos Lencsés, Réka Lukács, Péter Pál Pach, Ivett Szalma, Dávid Tárnoki, Andrea Toldy, Imola Wilhelm, and András N. Zsidó).

Click here to view a photo gallery of the lively event.

A video of the HYA General Assembly can be viewed on YouTube. (in Hungarian)