Hungary has expressed interest in expanding academic collaboration with the University of Dhaka (DU), including scholarships, student and faculty exchanges, and joint research initiatives.

A Hungarian delegation met with DU Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Abdus Salam on 28 October at his office on the university campus to discuss opportunities for cooperation.

The delegation included Dr Diana Daczi, counsellor for science and technology at the Embassy of Hungary in New Delhi, and Md Sultanul Arefin, chief of staff at the Consulate Office of Hungary in Bangladesh.

During the meeting, Daczi said Hungary offers 140 scholarships annually to Bangladeshi students, covering study opportunities from undergraduate to postdoctoral levels. The scholarships include benefits such as tuition fees, accommodation, healthcare and living expenses. She added that Hungarian universities offer academic programmes in more than 660 fields of study.

Prof Abdus Salam highlighted DU’s academic and research strengths in areas including science, engineering, artificial intelligence, computer science, biotechnology, genetic engineering, business studies, economics and social sciences. He said these fields offered opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships with Hungarian universities.

He also proposed collaboration through student and faculty exchanges, joint research, academic publications, international conferences, seminars and webinars. He emphasised the importance of cooperation at both faculty and departmental levels alongside university-wide partnerships.

Daczi expressed interest in facilitating connections between DU and Hungarian universities to identify potential areas for academic cooperation.

The meeting concluded with both sides expressing their interest in strengthening educational and research ties and expanding international higher education opportunities for Bangladeshi students.