From the 2026 budget audit
Regional scholarly committees exist across Hungary — but why does the state run their secretariats?
473.1 million Ft funds administrative secretariats for the Academy's regional chapters in Debrecen, Szeged, Pécs, and elsewhere — functions that host universities are the natural successors to fund.
Roughly 115 Ft per taxpayer per year — 473.1 million Ft for learned-society administration that regional universities have a direct interest in absorbing.
What you see — and what you don't
The seen: the secretariat staff and scholars who organise regional academic meetings under state funding. The unseen: the universities that already host these committees and benefit from the scholarly activity — who could absorb the modest administrative function without compulsory taxpayer transfer.
Objection
"These regional committees connect scholars outside Budapest — eliminating state support would shrink Hungary's academic geography."
Answer
The scholarly activity continues — only the administrative funding source changes. Regional universities have an institutional interest in hosting and supporting these committees; a three-year phase-out gives them the time to make the decision and the staffing arrangements. The committees do not disappear; the compulsory transfer does.
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The analyst's verdict
Secretariat of the Regional Academic Committees
Rationale
The Területi Akadémiai Bizottságok (regional academic committees, in cities such as Debrecen, Szeged, Pécs, Miskolc, Veszprém) are the Academy's regional learned-society chapters; this line funds their secretariat. The activity — organising regional scholarly meetings, lectures, and committee administration — is learned-society organising, the same voluntary function examined under the central secretariat above. Regional scholarly societies elsewhere are organised and funded by their participating scholars and host universities; the regional universities that host these committees have a direct interest in the scholarly activity and are the natural successor funders. A three-year phase-out winds down the dedicated state secretariat and invites the regional universities and the participating scholars to absorb the modest administrative function — a small line, but the classification follows the mechanism, not the size.
Transition mechanism
Linear phase-out over three years. The secretariat staff (the 323.0 millió Ft personnel line — a small number of administrative employees across the regional offices) are the protected party. The gradual ramp reflects the realistic time for the host universities to decide whether to absorb the function and to make staffing arrangements; staff not absorbed by a host university receive notice and severance within the three-year window.
Affected groups
Regional-committee secretariat staff (a small administrative headcount, protected by the three-year glide and by the likelihood of absorption into host universities); scholars participating in regional academic committees (the organising function continues under university or voluntary sponsorship).
Free Society Institute
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