Closing conference summerizes the results of project No. HRDOP-3.6.3. “Young researchers from talented students – Fostering scientific careers in higher education”

The final conference of the project was organized by the leading organization, Corvinus University of Budapest, on 30 May 2022, with the participation of the consortium partners: the University of Debrecen, Eötvös Lóránd University and the University of Pécs. 

The closing conference was opened by Dr Tamara Keszey Vice-Rector for Research. The professional leader of the project, Dr Judit Sass, summarized the results of the project and the outcomes achieved by Corvinus University of Budapest, while the partners reported on their activities. The closing conference was organized by Boglárka Szőke-Szűcs, Project Manager; together with her, nearly 20 staff members of Corvinus University took part in the project implementation.  

The non-exhaustive list of the results achieved by the CUB is listed below. The project management team hope that the developments will effectively contribute to the day-to-day operation of the university and the realization of its strategic goals. 

In collaboration with the Corvinus Doctoral Schools (CDS), several studies have been conducted to support the efficiency and renewal of doctoral schools, revealing experiences, opinions, and problem areas related to the teaching and career support of talented students and doctoral students. Recommendations were formulated for the further development of the existing talent programs (colleges for advanced studies and the Scientific Students’ Association system). Our researchers elaborated new development concepts to support the doctoral training with the development of students’ science communication and mentoring-pedagogical competencies. These research were carried out by research teams led by György Lengyel, Andrea Toarniczky, Gábor Michalkó, Dávid Losonci, Petra Aczél, Attila H. Horváth and Márton Illyés. 

The internationalization and professional networking of the doctoral programmes were enhanced by some 25 foreign and domestic lecturers who held courses at the university at the invitation of doctoral schools within the framework of the project. 

In line with the institutional transformation process and the fusion of the doctoral schools, their curricula were revised as well. The project also contributed to the promotion of doctoral training and the renewal of the university website. 

The project (led by Judit Sass) contributed to the establishment of the CUB Research Ethics Committee and developed a proposal for a procedure for the institutional ethical qualification and licensing process of research activities, which is a prerequisite for international applications and high-quality publication. 

As part of the development of supervisor skills, our colleagues participated in several international training programmes and disseminated their experiences in internal training sessions. 

The research team based application system that was developed to broaden the university’s research portfolio and ensure the preparation of a new generation of researchers supported 66 HRDOP „Research Scholarships” for the internship of master students and 54 “Doctoral Excellence Scholarships”; these activities were implemented in altogether 43 research groups. Participants acquired the skills needed for research activities and got closer to their research career. The leaders of the research teams, in line with the research activities, involved students in the compilation of joint publications, they supported doctoral students with the development of their mentoring skills, and research management competencies. The success of the research teams laid down the foundations for the subsequent successful domestic and international research applications. In addition to the papers submitted by master students for the Competionions of Scientific Students’ Association, 34 publications were published and 51 conference presentations were held. To support several research activities, a behaviour analysis laboratory has been set up enabling behaviour monitoring and analysis (Observer XT) and encoding emotions (Face Reader). 

Two international conferences were organized: the 8th Living Knowledge Conference: “Responsible Research and Innovation” and “The World of Politics from Social Science Perspectives”; furthermore The 5th Conference of Doctoral Students in Political Science, 8 workshops (e.g. New Horizons in Business and Management Studies; KOMMenTÁR; Embracing Change & Transformation; Gendered World; eMotiON / OFF) and 33 research forums were implemented in the frames of the project. 

The project paid special attention to supporting doctoral students. The Creative Research Idea Award was established to support students whose research plan presented in their comprehensive exam includes innovative content-related or methodological approaches. 

A further 33 students received pre-doctoral support in the frame of which the production of 168 publications (more than 60% in foreign languages) and the conference participation of 166 students was supported. 

The project enabled the participation of 580 doctoral students in 47 courses in the following fields: academic writing, scientific presentation skills development, database management, mentoring, and the library’s Writing Center. 

Throughout its duration, the project supported several activities promoting Scientific Students’ Association Conferences, the development of the submission interface, and approximately 198 courses implemented in colleges for advanced studies, involving a total of 647 persons. 

More information about the project and the studies compiled can be found on the project website.

The project management team, Judit Sass Professional Leader and Boglárka Szőke-Szűcs Project Manager would like to thank the university administration and the participating colleagues, doctoral students and students for their support.