Szechenyi Istvan University (University of Gyor)

Széchenyi István University (SZE) , is located in the city of Győr, a county seat in the North-West of Hungary, with a population of 131,000, and around 300,000 in the agglomeration. Together with Vienna, capital of Austria, and Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, Győr is on the so-called golden triangle . Győr’s location in Central Europe, at the very heart of the continent, makes many of the region’s capitals easily accessible. Ranking as the sixth largest city in Hungary, the city’s dynamic industrial base produces an impressive one tenth of the country’s exports.

SZE is a dynamically developing University with nearly 13,500 students , employing more than 600 academic staff . The most significant factor in the University’s recent history is the paradigm change in Hungarian higher education. During this process, the fundatorial and controlling rights of selected institutions are handed over by the state to trust foundations. Our transformation to an entrepreneurial university is aimed at creating efficient and modern higher education as well as developing the ability to innovate and opening up to the business world. The controlling rights of our institution were transferred from the state to the Széchenyi István University Foundation on 1 August 2020. 

The rapid pace of the internationalization process at Széchenyi István University is evidenced by the steady annual rise in the numbers of international students, now representing approximately one tenth of the total number of full-time students and originating from 65 nations. This growth has been paralleled by the increase in the number of international programmes. International applicants to SZE now have a choice of 35 English-taught programmes – with 7 at Bachelors level, 18 Masters, 7 Doctoral programmes, an AACSB accredited double degree Masters in Business Administration programme, and 2 post-graduate programmes: LLM in Law and Governance and Expert in Law and Governance.

One of the University’s greatest strengths is in the field of automotive engineering. Due to its location, Győr has become a leading hub of the industry and the base of the world’s largest engine factory: Audi Hungaria Motor Kft . The company enjoys an organic cooperation with Széchenyi István University, which carries out industrial research activities for and in conjunction with the company. The University is also proud of the Audi Hungaria Faculty of Automotive Engineering, launched in 2015. Studies in the field of Vehicle Engineering are consequently a highly popular choice for international applicants. 

Currently under development is a state-of-the-art Science and Innovation Park, on a 3.6-hectare site (Campus 2), facing the University on the opposite bank of the River Danube and only 10 minutes away from the city centre.  The Science Park can be quickly and conveniently accessed on foot, by car or by public transport. The first phase is scheduled to open in 2022, with SIP set to be one of Hungary's most influential science, technology and business environments, providing tenant companies and start-ups with an environment of innovation and creativity. The mission of the development is to enhance collaboration between large, medium and small sized enterprises, university researchers and talented university students. As guarantees of our success, we increasingly rely on active collaboration with numerous industrial partners in the region and local government support complemented by an entrepreneurial research culture and an ever-growing awareness of our social responsibility.

The Park will function as an organizational and infrastructural link in assisting its tenants and corporate partners to come into contact with the University’s 28 testing labs and 19 research labs to realize various testing and research tasks. Importantly, the Science and Innovation Park will also provide an expanded organizational and infrastructural framework for the innovation stimulating activities of the Management Campus. 

The University boasts seven Competence Centres , organised on a matrix structure and operating in an interdisciplinary fashion across the Faculties. These research units are tasked with attracting external resources in the field of key competences, providing innovation and R&D services for both corporate and public stakeholders. They include the Research Centre for the Vehicle Industry , the Agricultural and Food Industry Research Centre , the Globalization Competence Centre , the Health Innovation Competence Centre , the Digital Development Centre , the Management Campus Competence Centre and the Design Competence Centre.