The Budapest seat of the academy on the bank of Danube
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Formation | 3 November 1825 |
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Type | National academy |
Headquarters | Budapest, Hungary |
Coordinates | 47°30′05″N 19°02′47″E / 47.5013°N 19.0463°E |
Region served
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Hungary |
Membership
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1,352 |
President
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László Lovász D.Sc |
Website | mta.com |
The Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Hungarian: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia (MTA)) is the most important and prestigious learned society of Hungary. Its seat is at the bank of the Danube in Budapest. Its main responsibilities are the cultivation of science, dissemination of scientific findings, supporting research and development and representing Hungarian science domestically and around the world.
The history of the academy began in 1825 when Count István Széchenyi offered one year's income of his estate for the purposes of a Learned Society at a district session of the Diet in Pressburg (Pozsony, present Bratislava, seat of the Hungarian Parliament at the time), and his example was followed by other delegates. Its task was specified as the development of the Hungarian language and the study and propagation of the sciences and the arts in Hungarian. It received its current name in 1845.
Its central building was inaugurated in 1865, in Renaissance Revival architecture style. The architect was Friedrich August Stüler.
A scientific section is a unit of the Academy organized by one or some closely related branches of science. A scientific section follows with attention, promotes and evaluates all scientific activities conducted within its field(s) of science; takes a stand on scientific issues as well as in matters concerning science policy and research organization, submits opinion on the activities of the Academy's research institutes, and on those of university chairs and other research units that are supported by the Academy, and participates in the procedure of awarding the title of Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the post-Ph.D academic degree, the D.Sc degree in Hungary.