Hungary’s Nobel laureate in Physics Ferenc Krausz
The TISZA government, due to its complete reorganization of the scientific community conforming to party interests, is constantly launching unwarranted attacks against the greatest luminaries of Hungarian science, including Nobel laureates, the FIDESZ parliamentary group wrote in a statement sent to MTI on Thursday.
In their statement, they cite a Thursday article in Telex, which claims that the previous right-wing government signed a 25-year framework agreement with the Élvonal Foundation—led by Nobel laureate Professor Ferenc Krausz and other international Nobel laureates—that would have represented a commitment of more than 1,000 billion forints (2.8 billion euros, 1 euro = 353 forints) —without guarantees—for the Hungarian State.
FIDESZ rejected the claim as false. “In contrast, the fact is that the government signed a six-year financing agreement with the foundation, with a commitment of 261 billion forints and guarantees,” they wrote.
The foundation would have helped bring 75 outstanding international research groups to Hungary and connect them with Hungarian universities, they emphasized in the statement. They explained:
In addition to Nobel Prize hopeful Botond Roska, the foundation committed to nurturing 55,000 young talents, supporting 15 new international patents and innovative Hungarian businesses, and building a new research and preventive healthcare center. Under the agreement, the possibility of securing additional funding—in the case of performance-based commitments—would have arisen only after six years.”
The dismantling of the Élvonal Foundation will cause serious damage to Hungary and the Hungarian scientific and research community, wrote the opposition party’s parliamentary group in a statement, which considers “the incitement of hostility toward Hungarian scientists and our Nobel laureates” to be unacceptable.
FIDESZ calls on “the TISZA Party and its party media to end their unworthy campaign—based on lies and aimed at the complete subjugation of Hungarian science—and to review the harmful decisions posted on Facebook.”
Via MTI; Featured image: MTI/Bodnár Boglárka
