Zsolt Márkus, the leader of B-prepared’s IM-prepared development team, participated as an invited speaker at the interdisciplinary conference of NSKI and the University Centre of Odorheiu Secuiesc on the situation of the Hungarian community in the Carpathian Basin.

The conference was held between 15-16 November 2024 in four different venues – the Odorheiu Secuiesc House of Culture, the Reformed Dean’s Office, the Odorheiu Secuiesc University Centre and the Municipal Hospital. The main patron of the event, which attracted more than a hundred renowned speakers and participants from Hungary and abroad, was Dr. Tamás Sulyok, President of the Republic of Hungary.

„Almost two centuries ago, Count István Széchenyi – the greatest Hungarian – donated the annual income from his estates to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Since then, we have always celebrated Hungarian science in November. Moreover, on the fifth of November this year, the Hungarian Parliament declared 2025 and 2026 the Year of Hungarian Science, to celebrate and honour the bicentenaries of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and its Library. Our institute considers it a priority to help to establish fruitful professional relationships across borders through its mandate as a science organiser. The successes and experiences of the past years have proven that this conference series is living up to our expectations: we have welcomed many distinguished and respected researchers and experts from Hungary and beyond. – the President of B-prepared consortium member NSKI, Jenő Szász, said in his welcome speech.

Keeping the entire Carpathian Basin, and even the diaspora, at the forefront, the VI. Interdiszciplináris Konferencia – among others – presented high quality papers on topics ranging from regional development, research on diaspora , rural economy abroad, nature parks and other landscape-scale solutions, health science, climate adaptation and disaster challenges, family and future plans of Hungarians, spatial perspective, social mobility, tourism, the identity-preserving power of culture, and light industry. All of this, of course, through the lens of education and strategic thinking, since research and education are not contradictory but complementary, and science is most useful when – in addition to its exploratory and explanatory role – it also provides answers to future challenges.