On 4 July 2019, ACA’s Hungarian member Tempus Public Foundation (TPF) organised a workshop conference in Budapest, Hungary, gathering more than 150 experts active in the field of internationalisation of higher education. The participants were mainly representatives of higher education institutions (HEIs), relevant ministries and representatives of the Hungarian diplomatic bodies responsible for scientific and educational affairs, as well as cooperating partners, such as the Hungarian Rectors’ Conference. The aim of the event was to provide efficient, professional support for diplomats actively working on the international promotion of Hungarian higher education, as well as for the international offices’ staff of HEIs. It provided an excellent platform for sharing experiences and meeting with partners, also with the aim to promote scholarship programmes at the domestic and international level and to increase the visibility of the Study in Hungary brand.

During the event, the main discussion topics focused on:

• possible ways for promotional activities;
• active and expected roles of the diplomatic corps;
• identifying potential partners, best practices, difficulties and possible solutions.

Leaders of both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Ministry of Human Capacities (Ministry of Education) addressed the relevant strategic directions and connections in the whole process of internationalisation. As the Deputy Secretary of State responsible for higher education declared, “the significance of a country depends on its education system”. In addition to the plenary presentations, HEIs and diplomats had the great opportunity to discuss further cooperation opportunities during a networking session.

Each year, thousands of students from all around the world apply for higher education studies in Hungary. For example, the number of applicants to the Stipendium Hungaricum programme, the most successful Hungarian scholarship programme, is continuously increasing, as well as the number of scholarships available. In the academic year 2019/2020, more than 5 000 students will study in Hungary thanks to this programme. The Stipendium Hungaricum is based on bilateral educational cooperation agreements with almost 70 sending partners throughout 5 different continents and the geographical scope of the programme is spreading each year.