CEU signs cooperation pact with German university TUM

The Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Central European University (CEU), located in Budapest, signed a cooperation agreement on Tuesday, CEU announced on its website.

The agreement was signed by President Prof. Herrmann, leading a delegation from TUM to CEU, and CEU Rector Michael Ignatieff.

“The parties understand that the offer of the Bavarian government to support TUM’s engagement in Budapest is conditional on the ability of CEU to operate freely as a US-degree granting institution in Hungary,” the announcement said.

“In this light, both parties call on the Hungarian government to provide CEU with the legal guarantees that would make it possible to inaugurate this new chapter in Hungarian and Bavarian academic and scientific cooperation,” CEU added.

CEU Deputy Rector Zsolt Enyedi said Bavaria and German carmaker BMW both provided significant financial support to CEU and hoped that this would entice the Hungarian government to recognise CEU as a US-degree granting higher education institution.

Enyedi said a related agreement with the Hungarian government would benefit Hungary’s higher education sector, Hungarian society and CEU.

Hungary tightened rules governing the operations of foreign universities in the country in 2017, requiring foreign colleges and universities in Hungary to operate on the basis of an interstate agreement and to run a campus in the country in which they are based.