The University of Debrecen and The Education University of Hong Kong signed a cooperation agreement this spring, as a consequence of which a joint research and publication project involving the Faculty of Humanities has been launched (https://hirek.unideb.hu/en/our-international-network-expands-include-university-hong-kong).
Balázs Venkovits, the acting dean’s commissioner for international and academic affairs of the faculty and director of the Institute of English and American Studies (IEAS), was a keynote speaker at the conference held in late July. The title of his presentation was “Restructuring Global Migration Trajectories: From Restrictions to New Diasporas and Heritage Preservation.”
-The chief objective of this international conference held in Hong Kong is to provide doctoral candidates from a variety of disciplines with an opportunity to showcase their research and to get connected with researchers in their respective fields from around the world through keynote lectures, roundtable discussions and workshops. Therefore, it is an excellent opportunity for establishing and building professional relationships and even for designing and launching joint research collaborations, as it also happened to be the case for us this time- said Balázs Venkovits to hirek.unideb.hu.
In addition to the keynote presentation mentioned above, there was also a chance for our delegation to continue previously initiated discussions regarding potential collaborations, joint research projects, doctoral supervision and student exchanges.
With support from the host university and from Pannonia Scholarship Program, two doctoral candidates from the Faculty of Humanities also participated in this academic event. Teaching assistants Flóra Csontos and Szilvia Hujber-Mitru (Department of Social and Work Psychology, Institute of Psychology,) also were able to talk about their research to an international audience.
- The academic program was incredibly diverse. We were introduced to quite a few new research findings as well as to future perspectives from the fields of education, social sciences and the humanities, for example, on the role of artificial intelligence and the importance of mental health. We were able to participate in the international scientific dialogue in these fields, and we also had the opportunity to present our own research topics and receive professional feedback- said Szilvia Hujber-Mitru.
Flóra Csontos felt that attending the conference was a truly memorable experience for her, both from a professional and a personal point of view.
- It was priceless to experience the atmosphere of such a top-caliber international academic environment and to gain insight into the work and perspectives of researchers from various countries. In addition, the cultural and social environment of Hong Kong also offered a unique adventure in and of itself. Exploring the city and visiting the Tsz Shan Buddhist Monastery gave us a chance to catch a glimpse of the genuinely special ambience and vibe of Hong Kong- said Flóra Csontos by summing up her experiences.
After the conference was over, Balázs Venkovits visited the campus of Hong Kong Metropolitan University, where he was given an overview of the academic programs and plans of the university. During the discussions with the management of the university and the head of its international office, the topics on the agenda included potential collaborations with the Faculty of Humanities, student and faculty exchanges, the launch of a joint online course and, in the long run, an even broader educational collaboration.
According to information released by the Center for International Relations of the University of Debrecen, there is fairly considerable interest among our students in countries and cultures of the Far East. We have several partner universities in South Korea and Japan to which students from our university can travel every year. Recently, UD has signed cooperation agreements with two institutions in Hong Kong: The Education University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University. As a result, several of our students will have a chance to go to Hong Kong for a study abroad program starting this September. Discussions regarding a tighter partnership with Hong Kong Metropolitan University have already begun, and preparations for sealing the agreement are currently underway. With the generous support of Pannonia Scholarship Program, students and staff from our university can travel to destinations all over the world. Calls for applications are available at https://mobi.unideb.hu/en/pannonia-calls-application.
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