In April 2016, two delegates from Pasteur Institute paid a visit to Semmelweis University’s Department of Medical Microbiology and agreed upon the establishment of an affiliation with the Parisian institution.
Dr. Monica Sala, Executive Director for Education and David Ittier, Coordinator of International Affairs first had a meeting with Dr. Ágoston Szél, Rector of Semmelweis Univeristy. The meeting was attended by Dr. Marcel Pop, Director of International Relations, Sylvette Tourmente, Cooperative Attaché of France in Budapest, Szilvia Szántó, Scientific and Technological Attaché in Paris, Dr. Dóra Szabó, Director of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Dr. Csaba Jeney, Assistant Professor.
“The French institution and the Department of Medical Microbiology are currently organising an international forum, titled Pneumococcus Day which is to take place in the Fall of 2016 in Budapest.”, Dr. Dóra Szabó said.
The meeting was concluded by an agreement reached by both parties, according to which the institutions would prepare and jointly participate in a Horizon2020 Twining project coordinated by Semmelweis University.
The visit was continued at the Department of Medical Microbiology where the French delegation were presented with the main areas of research. The Department organised a student forum as well, where the presentation of Dr. Monica Sala gave an insight into the application procedure for the various training programmes of Pasteur Institute, including short and long term scholarship programmes available for foreign students.
As part of the programme David Ittier held a speech at the “EU-Eastern Partnership STI Cooperation in Addressing Health Research and Innovation” conference.
The delegation’s visit and the renewal of the cooperation are the direct results of a procedure initiated by the Department of Medical Microbiology in October 2015. Dr. Dóra Szabó and Dr. Csaba Jeney, visited Pasteur Institute in Paris and suggested the establishment of a branch of Pasteur Institute in Hungary within the realm of the Department of Medical Microbiology. Their visit was successful and an inter-institutional agreement on ERASMUS+ mobility programme was signed, indicating the first step towards cooperation.
In February 2016 the Rector of Semmelweis University participated in the event “In the footsteps of Semmelweis” in Paris where he had the opportunity to hold meetings with the leaders of Pasteur Institute and to confirm Semmelweis University’s intention to join the network of Pasteur Institute.
Péter Pogrányi
Translation: Ágnes Raubinek
