Hungarian government to locate the Chinese Fudan University in a new student city

The Budapest campus of Fudan University can be located in the southern part of the capital, near Nagyvásártelep.

Opposite the new Athletic Centre, on the other side of the Kvassay Bridge, the first European campus of Fudan University in China could be built. On the other hand, it is not yet clear which property(s) the Chinese university will receive for the development from the plots bordered by the former Nagyvásártelep, Kvassay Jenő Street, and Ráckevei Danube Branch. In any case, the plots will be purchased by the government for Fudan University’s entry into Europe, for hundreds of millions of forints, writes Népszava.

According to the rather vague government decision at the end of December, “the government agrees to acquire ownership of the properties needed to house Fudan University for the benefit of the state,” mfor.hu noted a few days ago. According to the online portal, they have probably already found the ideal property, as they determined exactly how much they would spend on the transaction.

According to the government decision, HUF 821 million (€2.3 million) will be provided from the Hungarian budget for the purchase of selected properties.

Incidentally, there are several properties in the vast area that the state has not yet been able to purchase. Népszava has now revealed that the selected property is located in the South Pest area designated for the implementation of the governmental development, formerly referred to as the Olympic Village and later as the “Budapest Student City – Southern City Gate.” The cited annexe of the 2018 Act marked in the above-mentioned government decision also names the area bordered by the Ráckevei (Soroksári) Danube Branch – Kvassay Jenő Street – Soroksári Street – Galvani Street line, where a new city quarter is to be built, with a dormitory for about 8,500 people, as well as buildings for sports and recreation and other related infrastructural functions, under the name Budapest Diákváros (Budapest Student City).

The Oslo-based Snohetta architectural firm prepared a master plan for the area, which included a commercial, residential, and office development program, in addition to the dormitory and sports buildings. The Chinese campus could be built in an area dedicated to the latter functions. There is plenty of room for everything else, too, as the former industrial estate covers 130 hectares.

In the first phase, the building complex of Nagyvásártelep could be renewed in the form of state investment. The international architectural tender was announced in mid-December by the Budapest Development Centre (BFK). The building may be reborn as the first dormitory building in the Student City.

The building complex consists of a hall of nearly 10,000 square metres and an office building with an area of almost 6,000 square metres, attached to the main square that connects the Danube Bank.

BFK is looking for applications that will integrate the planned new functions of the building complex into its immediate surroundings and the future university quarter. A key aspect is the contemporary interpretation of the spirit of the former industrial building, as well as sustainability. The new building will serve as student accommodation on an area of approximately 3,000 square metres, and sports facilities will be provided on approximately 1,000 square metres on the ground floor of the dormitory. The Hungarian base of Fudan University could be built in the immediate vicinity.

The Hungarian National Bank initiated the welcoming of the Shanghai university in Hungary. PM Viktor Orbán gave his blessing to the plan in 2018, just as a fierce campaign was launched against the CEU. Minister László Palkovics signed an agreement about the new campus with the representatives of the university. According to the plans at the time, the campus could be completed by 2024, and education would take place in four or five faculties (Economics, International Relations, Medicine, Applied Sciences), although initially, it will only give Master’s degrees.

The five to six thousand students would be taught by 500 teachers.

Although Fudan ranks 34th in the world ranking of universities, there is a lot of mistrust. According to an earlier report by 444.hu, the terms ‘free thinking’ and ‘democratic leadership’ were replaced in the founding document of the university last year with classical state-socialist concepts and an emphasis on the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party.

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Source: Népszava