The Senate adopted the presentation of the board’s work plan for the autumn semester. The proposal for the acquisition of a 10 percent stake in UC Clinical Limited Liability Company was approved. According to the decision, a tripartite cooperation will be established between AIP Medical Holding Zrt., Swiss Clinic Group and Semmelweis University, with the aim of creating a private healthcare provider unique on the Hungarian market, which will integrate and apply artificial intelligence-based technologies in the fields of dermatology, cardiology or wound care. For the remote diagnostic telemetry system, the university will provide the know-how, i.e. professional quality, quality control and research and development processes.
Within the framework of the cooperation, the owner of the Company will transfer 10 percent of the share to Semmelweis University for a symbolic amount of HUF 1, AIP Medical Holding, responsible for the IT background and artificial intelligence development, will receive a 70 percent share, and the private healthcare owner Swiss Emergency Services Ltd. will retain a 19 percent share.
A decision was taken to amend certain provisions of the Organizational and Operational Regulations (SZMSZ). In this context:
- The Centre for Research and Innovation Business Development has been integrated into the Office of the Vice-Rector for Science and Innovation and the name of the department has been changed to the Centre for Research and Innovation Vice-Rector and Business Development, and the organogram has been changed accordingly.
- The rules on exceptions to the composition of the University Innovation Committee (EIB) have been amended.
- Pursuant to the normative internal regulations and the provision on the forms repository provide for the authentic electronic copies of the SZMSZ, the University Rules and the instructions to be made publicly available.
- For companies, the powers relating to the management of the exercise of ownership rights will be regulated in the form of instructions.
The Senators were informed by the Chancellor of the semi-annual financial data of the institution. As it was revealed in the report of Dr. Lívia Pavlik, the result for the first six months of the year 2022 was HUF 6.6 billion, which is 45% of the annual planned balance. Revenues and expenses were 48 percent of the annual plan, i.e. the results were in line with the plans on a pro-rata basis, and the university’s management was balanced and stable in the first semester. Out of the annual investment and renovation plan of HUF 16.2 billion, HUF 6.2 billion was realized in the first 6 months of the year, of which approx. 40 per cent was financed by tenders and the remainder by operating profit. Regarding the finances for the next three months, the Chancellor informed the Board that an extra budget for public utilities had been created due to rising energy prices and that, from a liquidity point of view, the University, rather than the departments, would be responsible for managing the issues arising in this context.
The Senate adopted the proposal on the process of assessing student requests for exemption from attending Physical Education classes. In order to avoid abuses, the university has developed an application for students to apply for exemption through the Neptun system. The students are examined by a team of sports doctors set up at the Városmajor Heart and Vascular Centre, the cost of which has been adapted to the practical hourly rate of the foreign currency tuition fee. Students can complete the Physical Education course in three ways: by attending regular classes, by participating in the work of a sports club department or by participating in a sports activity at their own expense at a place accredited by the Physical Education and Sport Centre.
A new award, the Semmelweis University Outstanding Teaching Professional, has been established to recognize health professionals who have performed exemplary and outstanding work in the university’s professional training institutions over a number of years. The board’s decision provides for the awarding of two prizes with diplomas and rewards per year, which will be presented at the opening ceremony of the academic year.
The board decided to award the Budapest Award 2022, the Ignác Semmelweis, Gedeon Richter, Vilma Hugonnai, Tivadar Huzella and Ernő Jendrassik medals and prizes. They decided on the winners of this year’s innovation prize winners in various categories, decided on the awarding of honorary titles to lecturers, including associate professor and master lecturer titles, and reviewed a current leadership application.
Under the special agenda item, the rector informed the senators about the modification of the remuneration of outstanding researchers. University citizens will receive a publication fee of HUF 1 million for D1 publications with exclusive affiliation to Semmelweis University. For articles with a non-exclusive university affiliation, 50 percent of the fee will be awarded. In addition, researchers and lecturers who achieve outstanding research and citation results will receive a monthly bonus of HUF 1 million for the given year.
Ádám Szabó
Translation: Gábor Kiss
