In his oration delivered at the formal ceremony to reopen the recently renovated Old Town Hall in Budapest’s Castle District, György Matolcsy, President of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB), emphasized how the newly designated Bölcsvár, Tudás Háza (Sages’ Castle - House of Knowledge) is opening its doors at a symbolic time and place, calling it “the intellectual centre of the Carpathian Basin”.

The prestigious 800-year-old building, prominently located in the Castle District’s Szentháromság tér, (Holy Trinity Square) opposite the world-famous Matthias Church, now hosts Doctoral Schools of both Hungarian and overseas universities including Széchenyi István University, Győr, the University of Fudan, China, and Corvinus University, Budapest. This illustrious and highly prestigious edifice set in the heart of the capital is not only home to a total of nine “knowledge centres”, but will also house the Pallas Athéné Publishers. As Mr Matolcsy mentioned in his opening speech, Hungary has now found its place in the world, and in addition to representing western values, the country can also build new bridges linking the East and the West.

In his speech, László Palkovics, Minister of Innovation and Technology, stressed that nowadays the ability and potential for innovation and renewed thinking have become key issues. He added that an important goal of the government is to invest 1.8 percent of GDP in innovation by 2020 and for Hungary to become the region’s centre for innovation.

Within the framework of the programme of events for the opening of the House of Knowledge, Széchenyi István University’s  Doctoral Program in Management (SzEEDS^M), an English-taught 4-year international PhD degree programme under the direction of Professor Gyula Vastag, organised a special workshop to mark the opening of the new semester. Speaking in an interview with TV station Győr+ on the occasion of the opening, Professor Vastag emphasized that teaching staff recruited for the prestigious SzEEDS^M programme were all at the professorial level. He further noted how guest lecturers, who are always impressed with the programme and the results achieved, willingly make return visits.