# Hungarian Academy of Sciences

The Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Hungarian: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, MTA) is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. Its main responsibilities are the cultivation of science, dissemination of scientific findings, supporting research and development, and representing Hungarian science domestically and around the world.

## History

The history of the academy began in 1825 when Count István Széchenyi offered one year's income of his estate for the purposes of a Learned Society at a district session of the Diet in Pressburg (Pozsony, present Bratislava, seat of the Hungarian Parliament at the time), and his example was followed by other delegates. Its task was specified as the development of the Hungarian language and the study and propagation of the sciences and the arts in Hungarian. It received its current name in 1845.
Its central building was inaugurated in 1865, in Renaissance Revival architecture style. The architect was Friedrich August Stüler.

## Sections

A scientific section is a unit of the Academy organized by one or some closely related branches of science. A scientific section follows with attention, promotes and evaluates all scientific activities conducted within its field(s) of science; takes a stand on scientific issues as well as in matters concerning science policy and research organization, submits opinion on the activities of the Academy's research institutes, and on those of university chairs and other research units that are supported by the Academy, and participates in the procedure of awarding the title of Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the post-Ph.D academic degree, the D.Sc degree in Hungary.
Today it has eleven main sections:
* Linguistics and Literary Scholarship
* Philosophy and Historical Sciences
* Mathematics
* Agricultural Sciences
* Medical Sciences
* Engineering Sciences
* Chemical Sciences
* Biological Sciences
* Economics and Law
* Earth Sciences
* Physical Sciences

## Research institutes until 2019

* MTA Agricultural Research Centre
* MTA Chemical Research Center
* MTA Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences (involved with Konkoly Observatory)
* MTA Szeged Research Centre for Biology
* MTA Centre for Ecological Research
* MTA Research Centre for Economic and Regional Studies
* MTA Centre for Energy Research
* MTA Research Centre for the Humanities
* MTA Research Institute for Linguistics
* MTA Rényi Institute of Mathematics
* MTA Institute of Experimental Medicine
* MTA Research Centre for Natural Sciences
* MTA Institute of Nuclear Research
* MTA Wigner Research Centre for Physics
* MTA Centre for Social Sciences

## Presidents of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

| Count József Teleki | 17 November 1830 – 15 February 1855 |
| Count Emil Dessewffy | 17 April 1855 – 10 January 1866 |
| Baron József Eötvös | 18 March 1866 – 2 February 1871 |
| Baron Menyhért Lónyay | 17 May 1871 – 3 November 1884 |
| Dr. Ágoston Trefort | 28 May 1885 – 22 August 1888 |
| Baron Loránd Eötvös | 3 May 1889 – 5 October 1905 |
| Albert Berzeviczy | 27 November 1905 – 22 March 1936 |
| Archduke Joseph Habsburg | 22 March 1936 – October 1944 |
| Gyula Kornis | 7 March 1945 – 29 October 1945 |
| Gyula Moór | 29 October 1945 – 24 July 1946 |
| Zoltán Kodály | 24 July 1946 – 29 November 1949 |
| István Rusznyák | 29 November 1949 – 5 February 1970 |
| Tibor Erdey-Grúz | 5 February 1970 – 16 August 1976 |
| János Szentágothai | 26 October 1976 – 10 May 1985 |
| Iván T. Berend | 10 May 1985 – 24 May 1990 |
| Domokos Kosáry | 24 May 1990 – 9 May 1996 |
| Ferenc Glatz | 9 May 1996 – 4 May 2002 |
| Szilveszter Vizi | 5 May 2002 – 6 May 2008 |
| József Pálinkás | 6 May 2008 – 5 May 2014 |
| László Lovász | 6 May 2014 – 31 July 2020 |
| Tamás Freund | 1 August 2020 – present |

### Széchenyi Academy of Literature and Arts

The Széchenyi Academy of Literature and Arts (Hungarian: Széchenyi Irodalmi és Művészeti Akadémia) was created in 1992 as an academy associated yet independent from the MTA. Some of the known members are György Konrád, Magda Szabó, Péter Nádas writers, Zoltán Kocsis pianist, Miklós Jancsó, István Szabó film directors. The last president was Károly Makk, film director, who succeeded László Dobszay (resigned on 20 April 2011).