According to Dr. Marcel Pop, director of International Relations, the principal mission of the Directorate of International Relations is to build and develop diplomatic relations and to strengthen international projects supplying the university with foreign currency earnings. The coordination of international projects is supported by the recently established International Committee. Dr. Marcel Pop believes that the knowledge capital of Semmelweis University is remarkably competitive even outside Europe.
The Directorate of International Relations keeps building and developing Semmelweis University’s international diplomatic networks in the field of education, research and patient care, and at the same time international projects generating revenue for the university is of great priority. The university has recently joined the programme “Science Without Borders” launched by the Brazilian government, which resulted in the multiplication of Brazilian students at Semmelweis University and generated a revenue worth 800 000 dollars in 2014. The director considers this programme an opportunity to open up new possibilities of cooperation with South American countries. Besides fostering the already existing European relationships, it is of crucial importance to recognize and uncover the potential of the knowledge generated by Semmelweis University in Central Asia, Asia Pacific, the Far East and the Arab world, as well as to develop stronger collaborations in the United States and Canada.
Semmelweis University has already been in contact with institutions in these regions, however the specific areas of cooperation still need to be identified. To achieve fruitful partnerships, thorough assessments in several areas must be performed taking the university’s free capacities and the market needs of different regions into consideration while focusing on the relationship’s quality.
In order to realise efficient bilateral communication and flow of information, the International Committee was set up. It is made up of the university’s leaders, representatives of all the faculties, the School of Doctoral Studies and the Foreign Students’ Secretariat. The Faculty of Health Sciences has been organizing short summer programmes for Chinese students and there is a considerable foreign interest in the faculty of Medicine. The Committee, providing a central platform for international requests could aid the aggregation and management of such data related to Semmelweis University’s international activities.
According to Dr. Marcel Pop another essential element of the Directorate’s activity is to increase the university’s international visibility by displaying high quality information, thus enabling the university to choose suitable partners. Notwithstanding the efficient communication and well designed strategies, it is crucial to have a team committed to the goals and mission of Semmelweis University, which the Directorate of International Relations strives to create and maintain.
Dr. Marcel Pop has been the director of Semmelweis University’s International Relations for five years after having taught at the Faculty of Health Sciences and having led the faculty’s office of international relations.
Pálma Dobozi
Photo: Attila Kovács, Semmelweis Univesity
Translated by: Ágnes Raubinek
