Greetings from the General Director

Welcome to the homepage of the HUN-REN Centre for Economic and Regional Studies.

The HUN-REN Centre for Economic and Regional Studies consists of three institutes, the Institute of Economics, the Institute for Regional Studies and the Institute of World Economics.

The Deed of Foundation of HUN-REN Centre for Economic and Regional Studies can be read here.

Mission

Our institution is a leading centre of Hungarian economic and regional research. We operate as an independent research community characterized by intellectual curiosity, the pursuit of a deeper perception of the world and of impartial treatment of facts. Our mission is to gain a better understanding of economic, social and spatial processes in Hungary and elsewhere through state-of-the-art scientific analysis which, in turn, can contribute to policy decisions in an innovative way. We strive for achieving outstanding research results and for further improving our position as an internationally recognized centre of excellence. It is an essential pillar of our policy that the research fellows of the Centre rigorously adhere to ethical principles of scientific work.

Research methods and areas

The activities of the institutes of the HUN-REN CERS are located in five cities of Hungary. The units have been characterized by an organizational and operational culture based on high expectations and the recognition of outstanding professional work. Our basic and applied research strives for forming a bridge between theoretical knowledge related to each sub-discipline and everyday practice. The activities of the institutes are characterized by the application of advanced quantitative methods and nuanced, qualitative approaches. Publications of our researchers in prestigious scientific journals meet demanding international standards. The most important research areas of HUN-REN CERS are: the study of macro- and micro-level factors of economic development; regional disparities and cohesion policy; international competitiveness and innovation; health and society; economic, environmental and social conditions for sustainability; the role of emerging and developing regions in the world economy and their impact on Central Europe; geopolitical issues in the Carpathian Basin.

Research infrastructure

The HUN-REN CERS has developed strong cooperation linkages with Hungarian scientific communities, government organizations and with actors from the private sector. The Centre is also a part of a dense international research network and strives for the further expansion of its partnerships.
The publications of the Centre are excellent tools for the dissemination of our research results and ensure the visibility of Hungarian economic and regional research in international scientific life. The Centre branches out into higher education and a strong asset of our researchers is their teaching activity in doctoral programs. The Centre boasts a huge database which offers a unique opportunity in Hungary for high quality empirical social science research. An experimental laboratory is also located on the premises of the HUN-REN CERS and its innovative activities have been widely acknowledged. The HUN-REN Centre of Economic and Regional Studies, while providing opportunities for the formation and development of successful research groups, seeks to support the establishment of research careers that bring outstanding results in both Hungarian and international scientific life.

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