Insights From Hungary’s Minister of Culture and Innovation at the "THE Eurasian Universities Summit 2025"

At a panel session of the Eurasia Universities Summit, Balàzs Hankó, Hungary’s Minister of Culture and Innovation, highlighted the remarkable early success of Hungary’s new competitive higher education model, which has fundamentally reshaped university governance and financing over the past two and a half years. He explained that this new comprehensive reform links institutional funding directly to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and promotes industry-aligned leadership. According to the Minister, the core philosophy is that “Universities are not serving themselves; they should serve the careers of their students and the nation’s economy.” As a result of these changes, he noted, international high-impact (Q1, T1) publications have increased by 48%, while Research and Development income has grown by nearly 70%.

The Minister also emphasized that fairness is maintained by tailoring KPIs to each university’s profile, ensuring that performance metrics align with institutional missions. For instance, a medical university is evaluated primarily on scientific publications, while an arts institution may be assessed by producing a new performance on an international stage—recognized as equivalent to an academic publication. This approach is embedded within a broader strategic framework guiding the reforms, which prioritizes Research Excellence, Educational Excellence, International Strategy, Talent Management, and Sport Development, while allowing each institution to define performance indicators suited to its unique role.

The second key component of the reform, Minister Hankó explained, is the transition of universities from state ownership to Public Interest Trust Fund ownership, granting institutions greater flexibility and autonomy. This governance model ensures that university strategies directly respond to labor market demands by including CEOs from major Hungarian and international companies on the Boards of Trustees, which serve as the primary maintaining bodies.

Answering audience questions, Minister Hankó also introduced a new initiative at Hungarian universities: the Csontváry Program. Named after the famous Hungarian painter whose original profession was pharmacy, the program allows students to earn university credits by engaging with cultural activities such as visiting museums, exhibitions, cultural events, and folk heritage sites. The Minister emphasized that this approach reflects the belief that cultural engagement is an essential part of a comprehensive university education.