Portfolio overview

An important step in the life of our university was when in January 2016 we were awarded the status of 'University of Applied Sciences' in January 2016 and in the same year the Rector's Council of BBU adopted a scientific strategy to develop research activities. We have identified three closely interlinked areas for the development of our scientific activity: high quality scientific research, practice-oriented applied research, and the development of quality education and talent management.

BBU in numbers

1 university;
3 faculties;
1 strategy;
5 centres of excellence;
60+ research fields;
60+ research groups;
1250 publications in 2023.

Milestones

January 2016 represents a major step forward in the life of the University. It was the time we were awarded the status of University of Applied Sciences. Our objective over the past years has been to fill this title with quality content. We are proud to have achieved important successes in the areas of high-quality academic research, practice-oriented applied research and the development of quality education and talent management.

High-quality scientific research	Practice-oriented applied research	Improving quality education and talent management
New scientific strategy and tender system	Four centres of excellence are established at the university, focusing on four main areas of our applied research	3 colleges for advanced studies, 1 joint strategy, nearly 150 students 10 international and 30-40 domestic competitions annually
A Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Attached to Universities and Other Institutions was established under the leadership of Professor Miklós Losoncz	A Research Coordination Centre is established - 5 research groups, 30+ students and young researchers, 5 top topics	Excellent Mentoring Award for Talent Management already for 20 colleagues
Launching of the Research Society (20+ researchers, nearly 60 research topics)	We now have 60+ researchers in our Centres of Excellence generating direct R&D&I revenues from external customers already in 2018	New Student Research Societies strategy, an increasing number of participants in institutional Student Research Societies and in the number of papers proposed for the National Conference for Student Research Societies
BBU receives support from the Ministry of Human Capacities Higher Education Institutional Excellence Program (60+ researchers currently)	Developing scientific events 4000+ participants 60+ press releases	The YES (Youth Enrichment Society) is an organization for foreign students that organises various events to help foreign students integrate and develop scientifically and professionally.
BBU Doctoral School of Entrepreneurship and Business launched its first year in the 2019/2020 academic year	Domestic projects and international activity EFOP and NKFI FK127972 Examination of the social role of higher education institutions in international comparison In 2019 we won 4 more international (ERASMUS + Strategic Partnership) applications: (INTEREST, CORALL INCOLLAB, EFFORT)	In 2018, we launched the Conference of Researching Students of the Colleges of Advanced Studies and Students (CRPS), based on the presentations of our student who received a Research Fellowship in the New National Program of Excellence (NHRDP), which has created a tradition and has been held every year since
BBU Doctoral School of Entrepreneurship and Business - EDAMBA membership	The Visitor Economy Centre of Excellence (CEVE), founded in March 2023	To support scientific research and education in the field of entrepreneurship development in Hungary, the Demján Sándor Entrepreneurship Research Fellowship was established in the autumn of 2019

Focus Areas - Applied research for economic and social impact

BBU's diverse research and academic activities are characterised by focusing on research topics that are relevant to corporate practice and economic actors and have practical relevance. Our research teams work on R&D projects together with important players in the Hungarian economy, always with the aim of achieving a specific social and economic impact, so that our results can be utilised. We also strive to ensure that the results of our research are disseminated in the field of education and encourage our students to participate in research and scientific activities. The development of new curricula and related materials, the writing of new textbooks and notes is an important part of our scientific activity. Over the past years, BBU has produced a number of textbooks, coursebooks, notes and e-learning materials that are used in several universities in the country.

In line with our strategy, we aim to increase the economic and social impact of our research, the number and visibility of our publications on several levels in the coming years. A significant part of the enhancement of high-level and international scientific activity takes place in the Centres of Excellence established by BBU. In the case of applied research, we aim to generate knowledge that is useful for everyday life, where possible in collaboration with business partners, thus strengthening the applied scientific approach. Equally important to us is the development of quality education and talent management, which will significantly expand the University's talent base and make science a real and meaningful goal for all teaching colleagues.

Doctoral School

The profile of our Doctoral School of Entrepreneurship and Business is unique, as it is the first doctoral programme in Hungary that focuses its training and research on business and management issues of small and medium-sized enterprises. We were the first Hungarian institution with the status of a university of applied sciences to establish a Doctoral School.

Our Doctoral School offers a unique training programme in the Hungarian higher education space, from which both those interested in academic careers and those in close contact with business practice can benefit. Our graduates will enter the labour market as highly qualified professionals, teachers, and researchers, open to innovative approaches.

For further information, visit the Doctoral School website.

Centres of Excellence

In line with the BBU's strategic goals, we have established five Centres of Excellence at the University, starting in 2017, focusing on the five main areas of our applied research activities. The Centres of Excellence are key players in their respective fields of activity in Hungary, play an important role in the relationship between higher education and companies and carry out high quality applied scientific research relevant to practice, involving corporate partners and students.

BBU Centres of Excellence:

International cooperation

Development projects in international cooperation are an important part of our scientific activities. In the past, BBU has been involved in a number of scientific projects, often as project coordinator. Since the launch of ERASMUS+ programme in 2014, we have been involved in more than 25 scientific collaborations, working with more than 50 partner institutions from over 20 countries. In all cases, projects are contributing to achieving the 3 core strategic pillars of the BBU and its 9 related objectives. In addition to publications, the results of international research collaborations have been translated into the development and renewal of teaching materials.

Key International Cooperation

HEHE - interactive entrepreneurial skills development in higher education (2014–2016)
INSIST - generational transitioning in the management of family businesses (2014–2016)
MARCIEE - marketing communication innovativeness of European entrepreneurs (2014-2017)
ICCAGE - intercultural communicative competence - competitive advantage in global employability (2015–2017)
GREEN MENTOR - encouraging environmentally conscious entrepreneurship in the framework of an innovative ECVET-based training program for a new professional profile of a mentor of green entrepreneurs (2015-2017)
TRUST ME - training program to develop unique skills and techniques for mentoring (2015–2018)
FAME - family business sustainability and growth (2016-2018)
CONSUME-AWARE - enhancing quality in innovative higher education about consumer awareness (2016-2019)
MENTORCERTT - business mentoring and certification (2017–2019)
ISSUE - innovative solutions for sustainability in education (2018-2021)
EU-CAB - comparative analyses of European identities in business and every-day behaviour (2018-2021)
DE-DROP - developing the motivation of adults at risk of drop out (2018–2021)
BRANDY - experiential education, interactive/intensive course of European Brand Management
INTEREST - integrated reporting for SMEs transparency (2019-2022)
EFFORT - effectiveness of responsibility teaching (2019-2022)
LEARN TO CHANGE - collaborative digital storytelling for sustainable change (2021-2023)
CORALL - coaching-oriented online resources for the autonomous learning of LSP (2019-2022)
LEAD - learning and development in micro- and small enterprises (2021-2024)
BESPOKE - business presentation skills for employability (2021-2024)
COMMITTED - compliance of academic activities with foreign trade (2022-2024)
ETDTFA - education and training development for the treatment of food allergies in the Horeca sector (2023-2025)

Faculty-related scientific activities

In addition to the university research focal points, our colleagues at the 3 Faculties of the BBU carry out faculty-specific research. Researchers and research teams are typically linked to individual departments, but collaborations across departments or even Faculties are becoming increasingly common. The main research topics of the faculties are listed below.

Faculty of International Management and Business	Faculty of Commerce, Hospitality and Tourism	Faculty of Finance and Accountancy
Global Economic tendencies International trade and logistics Social communication and media sciences Applied linguistics and translation studies Macro and microeconomic effects of digitalization Development of East-Asian economies Economic and Political History of Eastern and Central Europe	Performance of tourism destinations Visitor survey Marketing and consumer behaviour Geomarketing - Analysis of the spatial processes of trade and marketing Responsible hospitality - Food allergies in the hospitality sector Sustainable and healthy diets Food safety and food quality Development of graph theory and other mathematical methods Impacts of alternative methodology on students' motivation and autonomy Political-economic classification of countries	Internationalisation of SMEs and HR practices Family businesses in Hungary - Longitudinal research programme (succession, innovation, management, HR, sustainability) Sustainability and social responsibility from the entrepreneurial perspective, integrated reporting Digitalisation, logistics and financial innovation Higher business education and financial awareness

Faculty of International Management and Business

Faculty of Commerce, Hospitality and Tourism

Faculty of Finance and Accountancy

Global Economic tendencies

International trade and logistics

Social communication and media sciences

Applied linguistics and translation studies

Macro and microeconomic effects of digitalization

Development of East-Asian economies

Economic and Political History of Eastern and Central Europe

Performance of tourism destinations

Visitor survey

Marketing and consumer behaviour

Geomarketing - Analysis of the spatial processes of trade and marketing

Responsible hospitality - Food allergies in the hospitality sector

Sustainable and healthy diets

Food safety and food quality

Development of graph theory and other mathematical methods

Impacts of alternative methodology on students' motivation and autonomy

Political-economic classification of countries

Internationalisation of SMEs and HR practices

Family businesses in Hungary - Longitudinal research programme (succession, innovation, management, HR, sustainability)

Sustainability and social responsibility from the entrepreneurial perspective, integrated reporting

Digitalisation, logistics and financial innovation

Higher business education and financial awareness

Publishing activity

The university's lecturers and researchers have numerous publications in foreign and Hungarian languages and give hundreds of presentations at scientific and professional conferences every year. Research reports on the work of the research groups operating in the 3 faculties are available in the University Publications Repository.

The development of publication activity is a priority for the BBU, both in terms of high-quality research and applied research, as well as quality education and talent management. The total number of publications of our university was 804 in 2019, 698 in 2020, 891 in 2021, 898 in 2022 and 1250 in 2023. The faculties of BBU have published around 4541 publications in the last 5 years.

The vast majority of the University's publications during this period were scientific publications. Between 2019 and 2023, 59% of BBU's publications were in Hungarian and 41% in foreign languages.

An important tool for scientific dissemination is BBU’s Prosperitas journal, of which we publish four issues a year, and in addition to which the faculties have published a number of professional periodicals. BBU publications have reached numerous researchers, with 4705 citations between 2019 and 2023, of which 3949 were independent references.

As a University of Applied Sciences, the utilization of knowledge from scientific results is our main goal, which is reflected in its integration into our programmes and its utilization by corporate, state, and non-profit stakeholders. The socio-economic impact is elaborated on here.

About us

Our lecturers play a major role in national and international academic life. Many of our colleagues are members of the various scientific committees of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, certain committees of the Hungarian Rectors' Conference, and leading and opinion-forming representatives in international and domestic professional organizations. BBU has an important role in disseminating professional knowledge and shaping social attitudes - our lecturers often appear on radio and TV programmes as outstanding experts in their fields. We support the professional development of our lecturers and researchers through a range of programmes and the academic certification process for their careers, so that the proportion of qualified lecturers is increasing year by year.

The scientific activities of the BBU are managed by the Vice-Rector for Research, who is supported by the Vice Deans for Research of the Faculties. The Vice-Rector may rely on the Scientific Council and the Research Society for discussions and decisions on scientific matters.

Outstanding scientific achievements of BBU lecturers are recognised by the BBU Science Prize, which is awarded annually as part of the Hungarian Science Festival conference series. A special recognition - the Outstanding Mentor Award - is also given to our outstanding colleagues who are at the forefront of talent management based on the results of their Students’ Research Societies activities and thus play a key role in the realisation of our strategic objectives.

Our university devotes considerable resources to the systematic development of the scientific research activities of its lecturers. Our Research Office is dedicated to the individual and group development of researcher qualities. The resources of the Research Fund can be used for the costs of publishing articles, attending conferences, organizing scientific conferences and workshops, and for developing the research qualities of students. In addition, BBU rewards publications of high quality according to a specific reward system. To support scientific research and education in the field of entrepreneurship development in Hungary, the Demján Sándor Entrepreneurship Research Fellowship was established in the autumn of 2019.

Csapatunk

Dr. habil. Krisztina Szegedi PhD

Vice Rector for Research

Office: 1055 Budapest, Markó utca 29-31.
Office: Room 255
Phone: +36 1 374-6200
Internal extension: 484
E-mail: szegedi.krisztina@uni-bge.hu

Bettina Angéla Samarjai-Békésy

Professional Coordinator

Office: 1055 Budapest, Markó utca 29-31.
E-mail: samarjai-bekesy.bettina@uni-bge.hu

Budapest Business University