Hungary’s leading university has established a space science centre

The Center of Astrophysics and Space Science was established by the Faculty of Science of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) on 1 June 2021, and it aims to coordinate research in astrophysics, astronomy and space science.

According to the university’s website, the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Science of Eötvös Loránd University decided to establish the Centre of Astrophysics and Space Science as a non-independent interinstitutional centre at its meeting in February to coordinate the research work in the field of space science and astrophysics. Up until now, experiments related to astrophysics, astronomy and space research have been conducted in three different institutes: the ELTE Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, the ELTE Institute of Physics and the ELTE Institute of Chemistry.

The centre will enable scientists to conduct research in astrophysics, astronomy and astrochemistry, and it will also allow more effective astrophysical observations of space.

The members of the new space centre are full-time researchers working in different institutes of the faculty

and the administrative tasks are also performed by the staff of the participating institutes, explained Zsolt Frei, astrophysicist and the director of the space centre.

The development of research conditionality, the strengthening of research and innovation focus and the support of the joint research are mainly financed by the Astro- and Particle Physics Excellence Program.