Host partner

Greetings from Semmelweis University

Dear visitors and colleagues

It is a pleasure and honour for Semmelweis University to host the THE University Impact Forum in Budapest, Hungary, focusing on health and well-being.

Semmelweis University is the leading medical and health sciences university in Hungary and the Central European region, ranked in the top 300 higher education institutions worldwide by Times Higher Education in 2024.

With more than 250 years of tradition, our university is recognised as a flagship in education, research innovation and curative care. More than a third of our 16,000 students come from 115 countries around the world. Semmelweis University is also Hungary's largest healthcare provider and a European knowledge hub.

As the leading university training the doctors and health professionals of the future, our mission is to improve people's well-being, to protect and serve health.

At Semmelweis University, we have long known that our human resources are our greatest asset; it is the community built by our students and staff that makes our university great. So, I am particularly pleased that this forum focuses on good health and well-being – one of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. This includes the role that universities can play in researching key diseases and conditions, supporting the healthcare professions and looking after the health of students and staff.

As we all know, international cooperation is a key driver of scientific progress and knowledge transfer. For this reason, Semmelweis University nurtures ever-expanding international relations with world-leading higher education institutions, research groups and international research networks. Events such as THE University Impact Forum series provide an excellent platform for further networking and international exchanges, which are indispensable in science today.

We look forward to welcoming all representatives of the higher education sector – university leaders, policymakers and other stakeholders across higher education, healthcare and related sectors – to Budapest to discuss these global issues that will fundamentally affect future generations.

Béla Merkely
Rector
Semmelweis University

About Semmelweis University

Semmelweis University is a leading higher education institution in Hungary and the Central European region within the field of medicine and health sciences. Its main commitment is to the integrity of education, research and innovation, and healthcare, making Semmelweis University an internationally renowned centre of knowledge.

Semmelweis University is among the top 300 institutions in the world, according to the 2024 Times Higher Education World University Rankings; its strategic goal is to be in the top 100, and among the top five medical universities in Europe.

Education is offered in three languages; English and German language programmes have been offered for four decades alongside the 250-year-old physician training in Hungarian. The diversity of the institution’s student life is demonstrated by the fact that a third of the growing community of nearly 16,000 students are international, coming to Budapest from five continents of the world to study at the university’s six faculties.

In addition to education, Semmelweis University is the largest provider of healthcare services in Hungary. Even though practical training takes place at the university’s clinics and hospitals, the best quality of patient care services is guaranteed. Semmelweis University carries out its patient care activities with the highest level of progressivity, making it a top healthcare provider in numerous fields providing care for patients requiring complex treatment.

Research, development and innovation comprise an important part of the university’s three-fold mission. The research focuses on early diagnostics and therapy, disease prevention and active ageing. The diversity and broad spectrum of the university’s RDI activities are represented by more than 300 research groups that are funded by national and international research grants across a broad range of research fields, resulting in intensive scientific publication activity.

Semmelweis University employs more than 10,000 people and is involved in higher education vocational training, specialist postgraduate training, cultivation of the next generation of scientists and nurturing talent. Semmelweis considers international relations a top priority. It cooperates with more than 200 universities around the world and is a member of international university alliances such as the European University for Well-Being. The university organises international conferences and is represented on numerous international scientific boards. Its academic reputation is renowned around the world.

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