Every November, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) holds the Hungarian Science Festival (Magyar Tudomány Ünnepe), a distinguished event in the country’s scientific life. Because the Academy and its Library are celebrating their 200th anniversary in 2025 and 2026, the festival is again officially called the Jubilee Science Festival (Jubileumi Tudományünnep, JTÜ). The motto for 2026 is “Freedom and Science.”
Wekerle International University is joining the nationwide programme this year. Three of our lecturers will give talks, which will appear as official events of the Jubilee Science Festival between 3 and 30 November 2026.
Our Programme
The Symbiosis of Change Management and Knowledge Management (in Hungarian)
Speaker: Dr. Andrea Bencsik, Professor
Date: 12 November 2026, 1:00 PM
The relationship between knowledge management and organisational change is especially important for today’s organisations. Technological progress, digitalisation, generative artificial intelligence, sustainability requirements and a changing market environment all call for the conscious management of organisational knowledge. The lecture argues that knowledge management is not merely the collection, storage and sharing of knowledge, but also a strategic resource for organisational change. It can help organisations understand, accept, implement and sustain change over the long term. The two fields presuppose each other: change itself is one of the most important sources of creating, sharing and reinterpreting knowledge.
Imagination and Science: Popular Culture as a Tool for Science Communication and Constructivist Learning (in Hungarian)
Speaker: Dr. Ádám Nagy, Professor
Date: 13 November 2026, 6:00 PM
This lecture examines the science communication potential of popular culture, especially science fiction and fantasy universes such as Star Wars, Harry Potter and Marvel. Pseudoscientific theories offer simple answers, while scientific inquiry is complex and often demands serious intellectual effort to understand. The lecture argues that well-known stories and imagined worlds can help bridge this gap. Its theoretical basis is constructivist pedagogy and schema theory: learning means actively interpreting new information and building it into existing knowledge. Popular universes work as shared schemas to which concepts from political science, law, physics or education studies can be anchored. Using examples from the Fantasy & Science book series, the lecture also shows how popular culture can become a useful element of non-formal and informal learning, and how it can strengthen critical thinking against pseudoscience.
The Chinese practice of industry-university cooperation: what Europe can learn from China (in Hungarian)
Speaker: Dr. Gábor Halász, UII Research, Professional Leader of the Project
Date: 27 November 2026, 5:00 PM
University–Industry Integration (UII) has become a key element of China's education policy. Under this model, universities and businesses jointly shape curricula, learning environments and student assessment, with a strong focus on developing practical skills and fostering innovation.This article introduces the key features of China's UII policy and explores the lessons the model may offer Europe and Hungary. The topic is explored through the research project University–Industry Integration Policies and Practices in China – Potential Applications in Hungary, conducted at Wekerle International University.
Venue: Wekerle International University, Jázmin utca 10, 1083 Budapest
Photo and audio recordings will be made at the events, and by attending, participants consent to their public release.
For more information about the nationwide Jubilee Science Festival programme, visit the MTA website: mta.hu/tudomanyunnep
