According to a Prime Minister’s Decree published in the Hungarian Gazette (Magyar Közlöny), a new institute of the United Nations may be established in Kőszeg. The Prime Minister has tasked the Minister of Culture and Innovation and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade with preparing its establishment. The institute will serve as a new research center in Central and Eastern Europe, specializing in international research on peace and security, transformative technologies, and the social and economic processes shaping the future, the Ministry of Culture and Innovation announced on Tuesday via MTI.

According to the statement, the new institute will be hosted by the Institute of Advanced Studies Kőszeg (iASK).

The institute will cooperate in the future with both domestic and international higher education and scientific institutions, further strengthening the international recognition of Hungarian scientific research, the statement added.

Balázs Hankó, Minister of Culture and Innovation, emphasized in the statement: “The establishment of the United Nations University Institute in Kőszeg simultaneously strengthens Hungary’s international scientific position and the development of the region. This is not merely the creation of a new research center, but also a new opportunity for Hungarian researchers and students to join the global forefront, while the local community and the Hungarian economy also benefit.”

Cover photo by:  szallas.hu / Panorama of Kőszeg

The Minister recalled that thanks to the renewal of higher education in recent years, 12 Hungarian universities are now among the top 5 percent of the world’s institutions.

As part of the global network of United Nations University institutes – which currently includes 13 institutes worldwide – the new research center will significantly increase the international embeddedness of Hungarian research, the statement said.

Original Hungarian article: Magyar Hírlap https://www.magyarhirlap.hu/belfold/20250819-koszeg-adhat-otthont-az-ensz-uj-egyetemenek