Introduction of research activities with the participation of HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research (EK), Alfréd Rényi Institute for Mathematics, Centre for Ecological Research (ÖK), Research Centre for Natural Sciences (TTK), Centre for Agricultural Research (ATK), the Veterinary Medical Research Institute (ÁTKI) and ELTE Research Centre for the Humanities (BTK) at the Researchers’ Forum of the Centre for Energy Research.
The EK Researchers’ Forum, held on April 21 – 22, provided a platform to present the activities of the HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research. This year’s special feature was that the two-day event, hosted by Director General Ákos Horváth, also had special guest speakers: outstanding experts working within both the Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN) and currently at ELTE institutions. In addition to the host, the Research Centre for Natural Sciences (TTK), leading researchers also came from the Centre for Agricultural Research (ATK), the Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics (RAMKI), the Centre for Ecological Research (ÖK), and the Veterinary Medical Research Institute (ÁTKI). Pál Fodor, research professor at ELTE HTK, gave a lecture titled “The battle that changed Hungary’s fate: Mohács, August 29, 1526.”
In his opening speech, Ákos Horváth, Director General of the HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research, emphasized that in a noisy world one of the most important tasks of science is to identify and highlight real signals. Cooperation between the institutes of the Hungarian Research Network serves this goal: through shared knowledge, experience, and dialogue, it helps us navigate an increasingly complex world full of challenges.
There was strong interest in the lecture given by András Stipsicz, Director General of the HUN-REN Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics, on knot theory. Knot theory is a branch of topology that studies how a “string” (for example, a loop) can be arranged in space in different ways. He started from the well-known Gordian knot from history, and then introduced the basics of knot theory and the so-called trivial knot. As the audience learned, the trivial knot is a “knot with no knot” (an unknot): a simple circular loop with no tangles. In knot theory, this is the basic state, and all more complex knots are compared to it.
It was also explained that two knots are considered the same if one can be transformed into the other without cutting, only by continuous deformation. This idea is closely related to the main principle of topology, which focuses not on exact sizes or angles, but on how shapes are connected in space. The Director General of Rényi Institute gave a clear and accessible insight into mathematical results that can sometimes seem complex to researchers from other fields. (Interestingly, although knot theory may seem very abstract at first, it has applications: for example, in studying how DNA molecules twist or in models of certain particles in physics – ed.)
Other lecture topics included mite research (Jenő Kontschán, Director General of the HUN-REN Centre for Agricultural Research), the interpretation of evolution in relation to the criteria of life and the origin of life on Earth (András Szilágyi, research group leader at the HUN-REN Centre for Ecological Research), and lesser-known external parasites of birds living in Hungary (Péter Takács, representing the HUN-REN Veterinary Medical Research Institute).
András Füredi, a researcher at the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences, spoke about directions in the development of anti-cancer therapies, drug resistance, and the latest results in cancer research.
During the two-day EK Researchers’ Forum, laboratory heads and research group leaders of the Centre presented highlights of their current and outstanding results, showcasing the wide range of activities of the Centre and its internationally recognized achievements.
Now held for the third time with the aim of establishing a tradition, this professional event provided an excellent opportunity for researchers to build future collaborations between the institutes of the Hungarian Research Network and to lay the foundations for joint projects.
(This article was prepared using the official statement of the HUN-REN Centre for Energy Research.)