The Hungarian Economic Association (HEA) and the Budapest Metropolitan University (METU) signed a cooperation agreement on Wednesday in Budapest to strengthen the link between education, research and innovation. The agreement was signed by György Kocziszky, Rector of the university, and Gyula Pleschinger, President of HEA.

The mission of the Budapest Metropolitan University is to prepare its students for the ever-changing needs of the labour market by developing creative thinking, and to train professionals with practical knowledge and competences to meet the needs and expectations of the labour market, to become active and effective players in the domestic and international labour market and in the entrepreneurial sphere. METU attaches particular importance to cooperation with the business and creative industries sector, as the linking of education, research and innovation is a key element in the development of the knowledge society, which is crucial for economic growth and job creation.

The university’s new partner in this work is the Hungarian Economic Association, the oldest and most important organisation of Hungarian economists, which is 130 years old this year and has around 3,000 members.

The aim of the agreement is to continuously develop and strengthen the educational, scientific and innovation activities of METU, as well as the dissemination of research results, especially in areas related to the real economy and the labour market, and to strengthen practical cooperation between the university, the business and entrepreneurial sector and professional civil society.

In this context, the HEA undertakes to provide lecturers from the world of economics and finance for METU’s professional conferences, extra-curricular or co-curricular lectures and professional programmes, to co-organise METU’s conferences and professional events concerning the economy, and to provide METU’s lecturers and researchers with the opportunity to appear and give presentations at its own events, depending on the subject.

Within the framework of the cooperation, METU undertakes to provide space and infrastructure for HEA’s professional events and lectures, if required, and to support the establishment and operation of the HEA Youth Organisation at the university, consisting of METU students.