Woman using a microscope in a lab.

BUILDING EUROPE'S CAMPUS FOR GLOBAL HEALTH

UNIVERSITY OF SZEGED

The University of Szeged (USZ) is recognised as a leading research university, engaging 2,500 instructors and researchers in both national and international projects. The university features 19 Doctoral Schools and numerous acclaimed research teams. Significant collaborations include 14 research groups supported by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), five MTA Momentum research teams, and several European Research Council-supported projects. In the past five years, USZ researchers have published approximately 25,000 papers in national and international journals and conferences. The university boasts 41 patents and 52 know-hows, some of which have been commercialised through licensing and spin-off companies.

Taking into consideration its Primary Research Fields, as Neurobiology, Preclinical pharmacology, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Clinical Pharmacology, Genetics, Nanotechnology and Material Sciences, Laser Physics, Software Development, Biotechnology and Environmental Technology, Microbiology, Agricultural sciences, Dermatology, and Dentistry, the University of Szeged defined five “Excellence” research areas, as follows:

  • Pharmaceutical research

Covers he areas of medicine, chemical biology, pharmaceutical chemistry, natural compounds and pharmaceutical technology thus being inherently multidisciplinary; with a present focus on cardiovascular and neurological diseases.

  • Material science development (material science and nanotechnology)

Numerous research groups have accumulated considerable experience from controlled synthesis of various nanostructured materials and interfaces to characterization by different assay techniques. The most active fields are the study of catalytic/ electrocatalytic reactions and (bio)nanotechnology.

  • Smart systems

Unified competencies in three major areas regarding the unresolved problems of the industry: software engineering tasks (developing an efficient, reliable and secure IoT software platform); processing of system generated data (problems with optimisation, predictive modelling, and adaptive control which require the tools of mathematics, artificial intelligence, image processing and data mining) and application specific tasks (in the fields of public transport, energy and healthcare requiring engineering, geoinformatics and clinical medical competencies).

  • Therapeutic development (translational biomedicine)

The aims of this research group are to understand the pathogenesis of inflammatory and degenerative diseases representing a major socio-economic burden, and to develop targeted therapies.

  • Photonics and laser research

Represented by the internationally recognized school of optics and laser physics, a wide range of collaborative sciences and the presence of ELI-ALPS justify that photonics is one of the University's top research areas. The ELI-ALPS Research Institute, one of the top investments of the European Union (ESFRI), operates in Szeged in close cooperation with the university. The Extreme light infrastructure is the first infrastructure in the world capable of investigating the interactions between light and matter with the highest intensity, in the so-called ultra-relativistic range.

In addition to the above, the University of Szeged aims to further strengthen its research, innovation and scientific activities and performance in the following fields: safe society and environment, industry and digitalisation, health, culture and family. In particular, among others, in the areas that follow:

  • Neurocybernetics

Development of new generation interfaces to connect machines and the human nervous system: the aim is to develop electrotherapeutic interfaces to support the treatment of chronic neuropsychiatric and sense organic diseases.

  • Theory and applications of efficient and reliable intelligent systems

The aim is to support the development of efficient and reliable intelligent problem-solving systems linking and relying on results of basic and applied researches in measurement technology, signal processing, software and network technology, optimisation and AI. 

  • Multidisciplinary translational research of diseases of public health importance: from the molecules to the medical bed

The aim is to develop a multidisciplinary and translational research network on diseases of public health importance where the collaboration of regional and national clinical centres and innovative research groups enables basic researches with a focus on problems related to clinical practice, as well as industrial applications.

  • Reproduction of the Hungarian knowledge assets: educational, psychological, economic, linguistic and cultural researches

The research area embraces interrelated researches on cultural and knowledge assets reproduction, the strengthening of the role of the family, human resources of sustainable development in the fields of sociology, education, psychology, Hungarian language and identity, economics and humanities.

Numerous research projects are conducted in large-scale infrastructures such as the Szeged Biological Research Centre and in the Albert Szent-Györgyi Health Centre. The University of Szeged is also in close contact with the ELI-ALPS Laser Research Centre, providing access to a highly diverse collection of advanced laser‐based end stations and enabling cutting‐edge research and breakthrough technological innovations.

Research & Innovation at USZ