“In addition to the wide-ranging and long-standing efficient network of Western relations, the University of Debrecen has put considerable emphasis on cooperation with Eastern countries in recent years. We are convinced that connecting Eastern and Western cultures has a lot of potential,” said Rector Zoltán Szilvássy at the meeting, where he received the staff of the Budapest Embassy together with Okszána Kiszil, Director of Coordination and Strategy.
The head of our university gave a presentation of the unique, horizontally and vertically organized industrial cooperation system of the University of Debrecen, involving as many as 400 corporate partners, which includes industrial giants such as BMW, General Electric, Rosatom, Richter and TEVA. Furthermore, he also highlighted the importance of our institution's industry-branch cabinets, which serve knowledge-based economic development at the international level.
As regards the development of products with high added value, the rector highlighted the achievements in the food and pharmaceutical industry as well as the operation of the institute that is established to assist and promote them.
“We ourselves can learn a lot from Asian culture and traditional Asian medicine but, at the same time, we could help our Vietnamese colleagues in development and innovation processes, and this combined culture can open up new perspectives,” said Zoltán Szilvássy.
Reacting to this, Ambassador Nguyen Thi Bich Thao said he would normally consider the cultural and educational field as one of the pillars of more than 70 years of cooperation between Vietnam and Hungary.
“I, too, believe that the key to the future and the path of development is in cooperation combining Eastern and European cultures, for which well-trained human resources are indispensable. In addition to economic development goals, training is also of paramount importance. It is essential that young Vietnamese people can now go to the most excellent universities like, for example, here in Debrecen. Thank you for providing the best conditions to them, in order for them to be able to integrate and access state-of-the-art knowledge,” said the diplomat.
There are 221 Vietnamese students currently at the University of Debrecen, the largest numbers of which are enrolled at the Faculties of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health Sciences. Nguyen Thi Bich Thao supported an increase in the number of students, including the number of Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship recipients. In connection with this, Rector Zoltán Szilvássy noted that the University of Debrecen can also assist its students through its own scholarship system, which amounts to 6-700 thousand dollars per year. At the end of his visit to Debrecen, the Ambassador met with the Vietnamese students.
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