The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( hu, Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA) is the most important and prestigious

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an discipline (academia), academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and s ...

of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. Its main responsibilities are the cultivation of

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

, dissemination of scientific findings, supporting

research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in Europe as research and technological development (RTD), is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products, and improving existi ...

, and representing Hungarian science domestically and around the world.

History

The history of the academy began in 1825 when Count

István Széchenyi Count István Széchenyi de Sárvár-Felsővidék ( hu, sárvár-felsővidéki gróf Széchenyi István, ; archaically English: Stephen Széchenyi; 21 September 1791 – 8 April 1860) was a Hungarian politician, political theorist, and wri ...

offered one year's income of his estate for the purposes of a ''Learned Society'' at a district session of the

Diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

in Pressburg (Pozsony, present Bratislava, seat of the

Hungarian Parliament The National Assembly ( hu, Országgyűlés, lit=Country Assembly) is the parliament of Hungary. The unicameral body consists of 199 (386 between 1990 and 2014) members elected to 4-year terms. Election of members is done using a semi-propo ...

at the time), and his example was followed by other delegates. Its task was specified as the development of the

Hungarian language Hungarian () is an Uralic language spoken in Hungary and parts of several neighbouring countries. It is the official language of Hungary and one of the 24 official languages of the European Union. Outside Hungary, it is also spoken by Hungarian ...

and the study and propagation of the sciences and the arts in Hungarian. It received its current name in 1845. Its central building was inaugurated in 1865, in

Renaissance Revival architecture Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

style. The architect was

Friedrich August Stüler Friedrich August Stüler (28 January 1800 – 18 March 1865) was an influential Prussian architect and builder. His masterpiece is the Neues Museum in Berlin, as well as the dome of the triumphal arch of the main portal of the Berliner Schloss. ...

Sections

A scientific section is a unit of the Academy organized by one or some closely related branches of science. A scientific section follows with attention, promotes and evaluates all scientific activities conducted within its field(s) of science; takes a stand on scientific issues as well as in matters concerning science policy and research organization, submits opinion on the activities of the Academy's research institutes, and on those of university chairs and other research units that are supported by the Academy, and participates in the procedure of awarding the title of ''Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences'', the post-

Ph.D A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

academic degree, the

D.Sc Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...

degree in Hungary. Today it has eleven main sections: * I. Section of Linguistics and Literary Scholarship * II. Section of Philosophy and Historical Sciences * III. Section of Mathematics * IV. Section of Agricultural Sciences * V. Section of Medical Sciences * VI. Section of Engineering Sciences * VII. Section of Chemical Sciences * VIII. Section of Biological Sciences * IX. Section of Economics and Law * X. Section of Earth Sciences * XI. Section of Physical Sciences

Research institutes until 2019

* MTA Centre for Agricultural Research * MTA Chemical Research Center * MTA Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences (involved with

Konkoly Observatory Konkoly Observatory ( hu, Konkoly Thege Miklós Csillagászati Intézet; obs. code: 053) is an astronomical observatory located in Budapest, Hungary is part of the Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences ( hu, Csillagászati és ...

) * MTA Szeged Research Centre for Biology * MTA Institute for Computer Science and Control * MTA Centre for Ecological Research * MTA Research Centre for Economic and Regional Studies * MTA Centre for Energy Research * MTA Research Centre for the Humanities * MTA Research Institute for Linguistics * MTA Rényi Institute of Mathematics * MTA Institute of Experimental Medicine * MTA Research Centre for Natural Sciences * MTA Institute of Nuclear Research * MTA Wigner Research Centre for Physics * MTA Centre for Social Sciences

Presidents of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Széchenyi Academy of Literature and Arts

The Széchenyi Academy of Literature and Arts ( hu, Széchenyi Irodalmi és Művészeti Akadémia) was created in 1992 as an academy associated yet independent from the HAS. Some of the known members are György Konrád,

Magda Szabó Magda Szabó (October 5, 1917 – November 19, 2007) was a Hungarian novelist. Doctor of philology, she also wrote dramas, essays, studies, memoirs, poetry and children's literature. She was a founding member of the , an online digital repos ...

Péter Nádas Péter Nádas (born 14 October 1942) is a Hungarian writer, playwright, and essayist. Biography He was born in Budapest into a Jewish family, the son of László Nádas (originally Nussbaum) and Klára Tauber. After the takeover of the Hunga ...

writers,

Zoltán Kocsis Zoltán Kocsis (; 30 May 1952 – 6 November 2016) was a Hungarian pianist, conductor and composer. Biography Studies Born in Budapest, he began his musical studies at the age of five and continued them at the Béla Bartók Conservatory in 19 ...

pianist,

Miklós Jancsó Miklós Jancsó (; 27 September 192131 January 2014) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. Jancsó achieved international prominence starting in the mid-1960s with works including '' The Round-Up'' (''Szegénylegények'', 1965), '' ...

István Szabó István Szabó (; born 18 February 1938) is a Hungarian film director, screenwriter, and opera director. Szabó is one of the most notable Hungarian filmmakers and one who has been best known outside the Hungarian-speaking world since the ...

film directors. The last president was

Károly Makk Károly Makk (December 22, 1925 – August 30, 2017) was a Hungarian film director and screenwriter. Five of his films were nominated for the ''Palme d'Or'' at the Cannes Film Festival; however, he won lesser awards at Cannes and elsewhere. He wa ...

, film director, who succeeded László Dobszay (resigned on April 20, 2011Lemond a Széchenyi Irodalmi és Művészeti Akadémia két vezetője
MTI).

References

External links

*
Brief history of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (in English)

Hungarian Academy of Sciences (in English)
��also available i
Hungarian

Picture of its central building
-
additional picture

homepage
of the Széchenyi Academy
The palace of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
{{Authority control Hungaria Hungaria

Academy of Sciences An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national or royal (in case of the Unit ...

Academy of Sciencesea

Organizations established in 1825 Scientific organizations established in 1825 1825 establishments in Hungary Members of the International Council for Science Members of the International Science Council