News

A renowned expert has joined the staff responsible for the teaching and research activities of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management at the University of Debrecen. Michael Gonda, a professor of the Department of Animal Science at South Dakota State University (SDSU), arrived at the institution on a Fulbright scholarship. During his four-month stay, he will be teaching applied animal husbandry and quantitative genetics at the faculty and will also be involved in beef cattle genetics research.

As a consequence of the automotive investments in Debrecen, our city has become a new center of the automotive industry in Central Europe, which exerts significant influence on the life of Debrecen. In order to study the overall impact, a research group called DEB AUT has been established at the University of Debrecen, which examines how this kind of development affects employment, training needs, university structure, urban transport, cultural life and social mobility.

It is the first Hungarian space plant experiment, called Vitapric program, that the time capsules placed on Tuesday at the Böszörményi úti campus of the University of Debrecen are supposed to commemorate in the framework of the 4th Plant Breeding Memorial Day and Conference. These capsules contain items from the scientific experiments conducted by Tibor Kapu, the second Hungarian astronaut, as part of the mission Axiom-4 on board the International Space Station (ISS), including sowing seeds, documents and special implements. Bertalan Farkas, the first Hungarian astronaut, was also present at the placement of the capsules.

Students of the University of Debrecen did pretty well at this year’s NeuroSpark Hackathon held in Elche, Spain. Our contestants, representing the Faculty of Economics and Business, the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Informatics, competed as members of international teams focusing on potential solutions of problems related to the nervous system and managed to achieve significant results.

Two UD students, who are the recipients of Excellence PhD Scholarship from the foundation Count István Tisza Foundation for the University of Debrecen, have participated in an international course held at the University of Reykjavík in Iceland, focusing primarily on the skills essential for innovation-based entrepreneurship. These doctoral students then reported on their personal professional experiences to their peers, who are also exemplary students of the University of Debrecen.

Increasing the students’ and teachers’ motivation and involving the industrial and business sectors were some of the issues discussed at the CEEPUS Network meeting on circular economy and energy efficiency held recently at the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Environmental Management of the University of Debrecen. There were experts from as many as seven countries participating in this international academic consultation.

The University of Debrecen continues to maintain its leading position among Hungarian institutions of higher education in the QS sustainability rankings. It was ranked 322nd in the Sustainability 2026 world rankings published on Tuesday by the British ranking agency Quacquarelli Symonds, which makes it the best Hungarian institution. In the latest Shanghai Ranking Subject list, also published on Tuesday, UD was ranked in the 301-400 category in the field of ecology, again finishing as the best Hungarian university.

Professor Richard G. Pestell, the renowned Australian-American oncologist is joining the research and innovation activities of the University of Debrecen. The professor spoke to hirek.unideb.hu about his recent breakthrough cancer research, the experiences of the II. Oncology Workshop, and his future plans.

The Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies – CIHEAM) supports the internationalization of the Faculty of Agriculture, Food Sciences and Environmental Management at the University of Debrecen (MÉK), as well as the expansion and strengthening of their foreign partner networks, according to a statement made during a visit to the university by a delegation from the professional organization representing 13 Mediterranean countries. Experts from CIHEAM Bari learned about the educational portfolio of MÉK and the research results of AKIT.

Researchers and industrial experts discussed the most recent scientific findings and possible future directions for further progress at the event titled Biotechnológia a Debreceni Egyetemen – 2025 Szimpózium [Biotechnology at the University of Debrecen – 2025 Symposium]. On Thursday, in the Debrecen Academic Committee Headquarters, participants learned about the latest international trends in addition to the research currently conducted at our institution.