Maecenas Universitatis Corvini Foundation

The Maecenas Universitatis Corvini Foundation is the maintainer of Corvinus University of Budapest, with the founder’s rights exercised by the Ministry of Education and Children’s Affairs. Its Board of Trustees and Supervisory Board have been entrusted with a mandate from 1 September 2026 to 1 August 2027 to transform the operating practices of the public-interest asset management foundation system performing public functions (KEKVA), introduced in 2019, and, in consultation with the Ministry, to facilitate the definition of the legal framework for a new operating model.

Beyond reviewing the functioning of the model, the mission of the new Board of Trustees is to ensure the stable operation of the University during this period of transition and to support its long-term professional development with renewed energy. The overarching objective of the transformation initiated by the government is to create a higher education system in Hungary in which universities can operate with greater academic and institutional autonomy, within clear frameworks of responsibility, transparency, and accountability. Accordingly, the renewed model places particular emphasis on further strengthening academic freedom, quality operations, and international competitiveness, while fostering continuous dialogue with university communities and decision-makers. The Erasmus+ mobility opportunities, once again becoming available, and the research funding provided through Horizon Europe will once more open up the European horizon of experience-gathering and academic cooperation for our students and researchers.

A new era may begin in the life of Corvinus. The institution’s ambitious goals remain unchanged: our University continues to educate the leaders of the future and the key actors of public administration, the business world, and civil society in Hungary and across the region. Achieving this requires an inspiring environment that supports the acquisition of knowledge, the recognition of connections, independent thinking, and bold initiative. The responsibility of the Board of Trustees is to create the best possible professional, operational, and financial conditions for the University’s leadership and community to sustain these objectives.

As Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Maecenas Universitatis Corvini Foundation, I invite all stakeholders, students, faculty members, professional services staff, academic partners, and business partners, to engage in shared thinking and collaboration that serves the best interests of Corvinus in an era marked by new global and local challenges, uncertainties, risks, and opportunities.

Milán Gauder