- The timing of this year’s International Opportunities Fair could hardly be more accurate. Announced yesterday, the decision by the Council of the European Union to terminate the procedure against Hungary means that Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe programs are completely accessible again to all Hungarian university students and researchers. This development is really delightful but, at the same time, it is also a major challenge for us. The leadership of our university is committed to making sure that our students can take advantage of this opportunity as efficiently and beneficially as possible. We do hope that this mobility chance will only be a first step, prompting them to continue building their international networks and gaining global experience, be that on the labour market after the completion of their studies or during the course of their academic careers at the university- said Vice-Rector for International Affairs Attila Jenei in his opening speech.
It was in December 2022 that the Council of the European Union, acting according to the rule-of-law conditionality regulation, suspended new funding commitments for twenty-one Hungarian universities that had undergone a so-called “model change” (that is, becoming institutions maintained by public interest asset management foundations). As a consequence of this decision, the institutions affected, including the University of Debrecen, became ineligible for EU grants and support, and were gradually cut off from new funding under the Erasmus+ mobility scheme and the Horizon Europe research program.
- At present, Erasmus Days are just being celebrated all across Europe. Therefore, it was not by chance at all that we scheduled our event for the current week. In fact, we also entertained a little hope that, by now, the awkward situation concerning these Hungarian universities would be resolved. So, today, it is a time finally to celebrate. Over the past couple of years, we have struggled to save and maintain our international institutional networks by trying to convince our partners that, even without Erasmus support and funding, the University of Debrecen would remain the same, highly valuable partner. We had to renegotiate our relationships, as our status acted as a risk factor for these partnerships. Right now, we are thrilled that we can continue our work from now on as full-fledged members- said Orsolya Jánosy.
The head of the Centre for International Relations underlined that, besides Hungarian universities, institutions of higher education in Switzerland and the United Kingdom are also expected to return to the ERASMUS+ program this year. As regards the latter of these two countries, there have been several interested parties from it already approaching the University of Debrecen in advance.
All in all, there were as many as 17 exhibiting organizations, including public foundations, scholarship organizations, foundations supporting mobility and companies coordinating professional internships, presenting their mobility opportunities at this year's International Opportunities Fair. It is important to note that, addition to the ERASMUS+, CEEPUS, DAAD and Fulbright scholarships, the Pannónia Scholarship program also continues to be available still.
- It seems that we can access funding to support student travel under the Pannónia Scholarship Program for as long as January 2028. We are convinced that these types of opportunity will remain available, as there is a pretty high demand for student mobility, specifically for short-term and group trips. The reason is that these options are optimal for individuals who, due either to their studies, employment or family commitments, are unable to incorporate a longer-term mobility experience into their academic or professional careers- said Orsolya Jánosy.
For further details regarding the mobility programs available at the University of Debrecen, feel free to visit the website of the Centre for International Relations at Nemzetközi Kapcsolatok Központ.
Press Center - ÉE