A new two-year talent support programme has been launched at Semmelweis University, through which nearly two hundred outstanding undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students are expected to receive support.

The approximately EUR 1.57 million (HUF 426 million) Magister programme, financed through the New Széchenyi Plan, provides assistance to young people in entering the scientific field and launching their careers. The programme offers grants for a wide range of purposes, including participation in international scientific conferences and the purchase of equipment necessary for research.

One of the main aims of the Magister programme is to hold together the University’s various ongoing talent support initiatives and establish closer cooperation between their respective participants through joint trainings and fellowships.

Fifteen research groups enjoy the programme’s prioritised support. At the same time, the programme aims to provide each student with equal access to the available grants. To this end, students working in labs not expressly named in the programme can apply for funding through the “Meritocracy” support fund (part of the Magister programme). This fund may be used to finance, for example, the research methodology study trips of Union of Research Students (TDK) members.

An important intent of the Magister programme is to allow as many people as possible to become familiar with the students’ research both domestically and around the world. The International Scientific Students’ Conference, projected to take place annually in Budapest, will serve as one of the means to this end.

Within the area of international cooperation, an emphasis will be placed on the exchange of information and experience with cross-border, Hungarian-language health science institutions. Students of the University’s Frigyes Korányi College for Advanced Studies, for example, are planning to organise a study tour to Targu Mures (Marosvásárhely), Romania each year, within the framework of the Magister programme.

(Translated by Gina Gönczi)