How much has the Szentágothai Research Centre achieved?

Photo: Szabolcs Csortos, UnivPécs

How can a board of specialists from different countries evaluate?

They were on a site visit in the Research Centre, and we also needed to prepare for the visit: we made a report of 600 pages in English that contained the scientific results of the research groups, their role in PhD education and their ability of project generating. The International Scientific Advisory Board (ISAB) made interviews during the site visit, they visited all of the laboratories and asked the researchers to present what they exactly do, how they see their future and the continuity of their research. At the end of the site visit they had a closing session where they summed up their findings, then they worked for months to refine their final report that contains not only the evaluation of the research groups but also the evaluation of the whole Szentágothai Research Centre (SzRC) and the management.

What findings did they have?

I would like to start with their probably most important statement: they found most of the research groups outstanding even on an international scale.

This qualification was prepared with meticulous care. They evaluated whether the researches can represent a European quality and can collaborate internationally. After receiving the final report we had two days together with the research group leaders where we presented the evaluations, everyone could see the evaluation of other groups so we could discuss them even the critical parts. During this two days there were also very tough conversation and finally we decided to ask four groups not to continue their work as previously but in a new form as associated member leaving their laboratories back. I think we have parted friendly.

We have also accepted the recommendation of the ISAB to create the associate member status: these are research groups that would like to be in connection with the Research Centre, to participate on our events, to get information but they do not have laboratory space, they do not work in the Research Centre. There were three research groups that we need to ask to become associate members. Among these there was one where the decision was based on their performance or their future working. They had also received prior feedback regarding that but they could not meet the requirements. There were also research groups that moved in at the beginning with huge enthusiasm but later it turned out that they could not run two laboratories parallel in the Research Centre and in the Faculty.

Photo: Márk Mirkó, UnivPécs

You said that you have discussed the critics of the ISAB altogether with the researchers. It sound really tough.

I think in Hungary we do not have the habits for that. The thing that we could made it like this is because many of the research group leaders came back to Hungary from abroad where it is not unusaual to discuss someone’s performance in front of their colleagues.

The Advisory Board is absolutely professional in many point of view as they pointed out everything although they did not write anything in the final report that is more than giving advice. This belongs to our managerial tasks. They held a mirror in front of us but they let us do the exact steps.

What were the recommendations for the future?

To define the main research topics of the Research Centre the ISAB reviewed all the research group and they stated that the research topics of SzRC are mainly connected to medicine, health and human organism. The recommended us to try to manage our grants to help the research groups that are not connected directly to these topics to be able to connect by researching more medicine-related topics in the future. For example the High-field terahertz research group, that seems to be far from medicine, can have the medical laser research as new aim – for example the role of laser in the therapy of tumorous diseases. The aim is to define the mission statement of the Szentágothai Research Centre in a simple sentence that everybody can understand.

However, the aim of the University of Pécs (UP) is to have the Szentágothai Research Centre become the flagship of the University the ISAB suggested us to clarify our activities for other people. Though there are about 200 people who work in the Research Centre but among them there are lot whose primary workplace is at the faculty so they are less committed for the Research Centre.

We can stay on an international level if we cooperate with the faculties but in the same time we need to prove that the Research Centre is a separate research and innovation unit. Most research centres in the world are tightly connected to, but not necessarily the part of the universities. In this point of view, we are in a special situation. We are an integral part of the university, but separate from any faculties of it.

The ISAB warned us not to dissolve into the faculties because in this case the Research Centre would become another workplace that just enlarges the research surface of the faculties. According to this they suggested to cooperate with the faculties but try to create an own crew of the young scientists. That’s why we have created a scholarship programme that helps – for the moment - three young scientists. Last year the two of the three new colleagues came back to Hungary and the third one got the opportunity to continue his outstanding research work in the Research Centre by the help of the programme. This three young scientists can continue their works if they can prove that they have strong collaboration with the other research groups in the SzRC.

The ISAB also missed a social place where the research groups can stay together talking, exchanging ideas, we are still searching for the solution. They also suggested us to have someone who can help to represent the Research Centre internationally in grants, mainly in Brussels. They think that it is hard to win any big international grant without having someone who has personal contact. In this topic we need to make steps together with the Rector and the leadership as this is not only the problem of the Research Centre.

Photo: Szabolcs Csortos, UnivPécs

You have mentioned the suggestion to become more independent. How can we imagine that?

We do not want to compete the faculties we are not even the part of the graduate education. I think this centre can exist until we can keep a win-win situation with the faculties. In this point of view we have a definitely different situation than other research centre in Europe as there the centres mostly have research staff. I can imagine that in cooperation with the faculties but making it clear that the Research Centre has separate, internal decisions.

How much were you surprised by the result?

I was not so much surprised and I am very glad that two-third of the 24 research groups was said to be good in international scene. We do not need to feel ashamed as it is a really good result.

Who are our competitors in the region?

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS) has its own research centre that is definitely a competitor decades ahead of us. Our advantage can be that our researchers are mainly focused on medical field so we can manage clinical programmes better. The Biological Research Centre of HAS in Szeged is a very professional, established centre as well. The third big competitor is the Institute of Experimental Medicine of HAS. All the three institutes were established decades ago, they are specialized and internationally renowned centres.

The research centres of the Universities are just about to be established in Hungary. In Western Europe this has begun 15-20 years ago in a better economic environment.

The ISAB said that we are still at the beginning but in Hungary we are pioneers.

Photo: Mark Mirko, UnivPécs

What successes and failures do you see in the last three years?

The UP previously could not be presented in the European research infrastructure because the departments and institutes individually are too small to be research infrastructures as for that 150-200 researchers are needed. By establishing the Szentágothai Research Centre the UP was able to appear in the Hungarian research and innovation scene, we got on the European and Hungarian roadmap of research and innovation. Modestly, but I can say it is one of our successes. If we see our grant-creating activity: 70-75% of the Economic Development and Innovation Operational Programme applications of our university are connected to the Research Centre.

Now we are in a middle of a reorganisation within the Research Centre, practically we do not have any free space there are research group in every little corner. We have finished the construction of the third floor of the A building where the new research groups and the secretary of the ISAB got offices and we moved there our videoconference room.

The interest has been increased from the faculties, this is another success. Originally three faculties, the Medical School, the Faculty of Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering and IT were represented, nowadays the Faculty of Humanities and the Faculty of Health Sciences would like to join us, we have several cooperation with the Clinical Centre and the incubation processes of Faculty of Business and Economic are also in connection with the Research Centre.

I can also say some failures: we were not really successful to cooperate with the business partners, enterprises of the region. We also have an Industrial Advisory Board but they have a more formal and less important role than ISAB has. But we can say that is not a coincidence. If we check the national grants for cooperation between education and industry, Pécs could not win any of these,  because we do not have an economic partner as Győr has Audi, Kecskemét the Mercedes or Debrecen the pharmaciutical industry, all of them are tightly connected to the universities. This field has always been incomplete, and honestly it is still even with SzRC.

Until now the UP has only one spin-off company which’s main profile is the 3D lung tissue printing. The opinion of ISAB is really important for us also because more of them have established research centres like ours 15 years ago and they have more than 40 spin-off companies so they really know what they are talking about.

As you said the aim to explain the aim of the Research Centre in one sentence. Can you imagine now how you can manage this?

There are some rather important topics in our research works, I would like to present some. The most powerful one is the field of neural and brain research and it is internationally competitive. The reason for that the brain research has a great tradition in Pécs, even János Szentágothai was a brain researcher, and this absolutely fits into the National Brain Programme. The clinical part of the research is tightly connected to the Clinical Centre, but the theoretical (research) part is going on here in the Research Centre. For example the last months we have acquired an instrument of 200 million HUF (~640.000 EUR) value. Still we need to be careful as one of the HAS institutes has brain research as main profile so it would be a mistake to focus only on brain research.

Our molecular researches has nearly the same power, we have really good molecular laboratories where colleagues of both the Medical School and the Faculty of Sciences work including our research group dealing with in vitro fertilization.

The microbiological researches are also strong, maybe that field is the easiest to interpret for lay population. On one hand because the researcher working in their spacesuits-like clothes is really spectacular, on the other hand, no one needs to be convinced how important the virus research is. Although we do not mention so much but we have a special field also the laser physics, our researchers cooperate with the laser centre, ELI-ALPS Szeged. All of these are really important.

Did you get any deadline in the final report of ISAB?

They will come back next year and if nothing will be fulfilled of their suggestions – which I think is unbelievable – they will leave us as their time is worth more than that. I need to notice that they do this in their free time, absolutely free of charge. They will do that until they can see that we accept their recommendations and try to fulfil what we can. I think most of their notice is acceptable for me and for the management also. All of their suggestions are for a successful future of the research centre.