Hungary to provide scholarships for ‘postdoctoral’ programs to Kyrgyzstanis

Bishkek, Nov. 17, 2021. / Kabar /. A bilateral meeting was held on Monday in Budapest (Hungary) between Kyrgyzstan’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nuran Niyazaliev and Deputy Minister of Education Nurlan Omurov and State Secretary for the Hungarian Diplomatic Academy and Stipendium Hungaricum Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Orsolya Pacsay-Tomassich. The press service of the Kyrgyz Education Ministry reported that the meeting discussed cooperation issues in the field of education. During the meeting, the Kyrgyz side expressed gratitude to Hungary for increasing quotas for Kyrgyz citizens in the Stipendium Hungaricum Progarmme. Omurov also suggested expanding the Stipendium Hungaricum scholarship program for academics by including a "postdoctoral scholarship" in this program, i.e., allowing scientists working at universities to also receive the scholarship to conduct their research in Hungary. In addition, in order to expand cooperation, the deputy minister suggested creating a joint program of Kyrgyz and Hungarian universities on academic mobility, which would allow citizens of both countries to be awarded joint Kyrgyz-Hungarian academic degrees. Orsolya Pacsay-Tomassich expressed the readiness of the Hungarian side to consider the possibility of organizing an exchange of experience in the above areas. In addition, she noted the Hungarian side is ready to work in this area and consider the possibility of providing scholarships for "postdoctoral" programs also. As a result of the meeting, the sides agreed to organize in 2022 an official visit of the Hungarian delegation to Kyrgyzstan with the participation of rectors of leading Hungarian universities, and to hold a joint forum of rectors and the conference of rectors of Hungary in Bishkek to expand cooperation between universities of the two countries.