Sustained newsletter – issue 4

Sustained newsletter – issue 3

https://unec.edu.az/

We aim to revolutionise higher education by developing an innovative learning program that integrates living labs and WebQuests. This will enhance students’ understanding of sustainability and circular economy concepts, develop essential green skills, and prepare them for active participation in the green transition.

The whole newsletter is available here!

The innovative learning toolkit resulting from the project will integrate the living lab approach and thanks to the host institution’s researchers, we had the opportunity to see several successful real-life examples for living labs.
Please follow the progress of the project on sustain-ed.eu to see how the project is paving the way towards a greener future through innovative teaching methods that address real problems.

More about the project, here:
https://sustain-ed.eu

The translation of the WebQuests is underway, and all exercises will be available in Hungarian for the pilot testing to be carried out in autumn 2024. Hungarian WebQuests are to further support the learning process for our undergraduate students who will participate in the testing of the learning materials.

Once the course materials have been finalised, they are recommended to all those who wish to improve their existing knowledge about sustainability.

The Eurasia Center of John von Neumann University, the Hungarian-Chinese Youth Friendship Association, the Department of International and Political Studies of Milton Friedman University, and the Center for Contemporary Asia Studies at Corvinus University of Budapest cordially invite you to the next session of the Eurasia Roundtable discussion on the topic:

„Geopolitics of maritime chokepoints in the Indo-Pacific”

Date:            Thursday, September 26, 2024

Time:          16:00-18:00.

Venue:        Corvinus University of Budapest, Building C, Room 102, 1093 Budapest, Közraktár u. 4-6.

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required:

[Fill in the registration link]

Eurasia Roundtable Speakers:

• Dr. László Csicsmann, Professor, head of the Corvinus Center for Contemporary Asia Studies, Corvinus University of Budapest
• Dr. Scott N. Romaniuk, Research Fellow at the Corvinus Center for Contemporary Asia Studies, Corvinus University of Budapest
• Dr. Péter Klemensits, Senior Research Fellow, Eurasia Center, John von Neumann University

Refreshments will be provided by the organizers.

The Indo-Pacific region holds strategic significance due to its critical role in maritime trade, security, and geopolitics. Key maritime chokepoints in the region include the Strait of Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, and the South China Sea, all of which play vital roles in regional security, trade, and freedom of navigation. These so-called “maritime chokepoints” have a significant impact on the geopolitical balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. Countries like China, the United States, India, and Japan are actively involved in securing these chokepoints to protect their interests and ensure the free flow of maritime trade. The tensions and rivalries over the control of these chokepoints are expected to persist in the future as countries in the region seek to assert their influence and safeguard their economic and strategic interests.

Moderated by Máté Szakáli, Researcher at the Eurasia Center of John von Neumann University, this roundtable discussion will be held in English and will address the following questions:

• What are the key maritime chokepoints in the Indo-Pacific today?
• How are major powers such as China, the United States, and India seeking to assert their influence and protect their economic and strategic interests in the region?

We warmly welcome those interested in the topic!

For more information about the program, click here.

This invitation was a direct result of our recent contact and signing of a Memorandum of Understanding and our first online consultation meeting with Kasetsart University in Thailand. H.E. Dr. Sándor Sipos, Hungarian Ambassador to Bangkok, who also visited our University in March, played a significant role in establishing contact with the Thai partner university.

The Ambassador was received by Dr. Péter Szatmári, Vice-Rector of the University, and Prof. Dr. Henrietta Nagy and Prof. Dr. György Neszmélyi were also present on behalf of the University. The Ambassador was accompanied by Councillor Donlada Thongborn.

The Association brings together nearly 60 higher education and research institutions not only from the Visegrad countries, but also from Asia and the USA. For more than 10 years, the members of the Association have been working to establish and maintain closer professional ties with institutions in the region, resulting in a number of joint conferences and projects.

The management of our institution has considered it important to be part of this international association, where its innovative approach will certainly contribute to its development, and our membership is also an important milestone in the internationalisation activities of our university.

Following our admission, we will organise, in collaboration with the Association, an online international academic conference on “ESG Guidelines and Sustainable Development” under the auspices of VUA YOUTH (the youth section within the Association) on 15 November 2023, which will be attended by representatives of VUA member institutions and the edited manuscripts submitted to the conference will be published in the 2024 special issue of the VUA Journal.

Prof. Dr. Henrietta Nagy, one of our professors also delivered a lecture during this winter school about the journal indexing, ranks of journals, the opportunities of international databases.

The conference chief patron in this year and also the years before was Szilárd Németh Deputy Minister of Ministry of Defence, Hungary. The conference scientific patron was Prof. Dr Miklós Maróth the President of the Eötvös Loránd Research Network who supported the conference series continuously in the last few years. The conference was organized in English, in a hybrid form in accordance with the recommendation of the COVID situation. In the place of the chief patron Dr Ferenc Attila Varga colonel, Head of Department of the MOD Department of Defense Administration, Hungary held a welcome speech in the opening ceremony. Dr Ferenc Attila Varga colonel, Head of Department of the MOD Department of Defense Administration, Hungary held a welcome speech in the opening ceremony and welcomed the participants of the conference, instead of the chief patron. Prof. Dr Zoltán Rajnai Honorary chair of the conference, dean of the Bánki Donát Faculty of Mechanical and Safety Engineering had greeted the conference participants in his opening remark. After it the rector of the Milton Friedman University, Dr János Perényi delivered his opening speech. The final remark of the opening ceremony was interpreted by István Pócza on behalf of the host, Batthyány Lajos Foundation.

The event was persisted by plenary speakers presentations. The first plenary speaker was Prof. Dr Alexis Rusinek Attaché of the French Embassy in Budapest. He was followed by Prof. Dr Tibor Kovács associate professor of Óbuda University and after by Dr Kostiantyn Afanasenko associate professor of the National University of Civil Defence of Ukraine, Ukraine and Dr Robert C. Castel the scientific associate of the Israel National Parks Authority, Israel. The final plenary speaker was Prof. Dr Kornélia Lazányi professor of Óbuda University, who closed the plenary session with her excellent speech.

This year during the one day conference was delivered 21 presentations included plenary speeches too, on Individual Security, Cyber Security, Physical Security and Political Security of Critical Infrastructure Protection. In the poster session, it was displayed several different research area results on eight posters. The success of the conference is confirmed by several foreign participants. Next to the Hungarian participants were from Poland, Albania, Bosna-Herceg, Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Marokko, France, Iraq, Algerie, Syria, Izrael, China, speakers, represented on 16 universities and 3 associations. The scientific results of the conference speeches and posters will be published in article form in different journals, like Defence Review, Interior Review, Military Technique, National Security Review, Military Logistic, Közelítések, Safety and Security Sciences Review, Aeronautical Science Bulletins are Hungarian scientifical journals, also the Critical Infrastructure Protection Review and Cyber Security Review British scientifical journals, the Security Engineering of Anthropogenic Objects és Rzeczocnawce/Engineering Exper Polish scientifical journal, Transactions of the VSB – Technical University of Ostrava Safety Engineering Series Bohemian scientifical Journal and the European Journal of Materials Science and Engineering Romanian scientifical Journal.

As part of the closing ceremony Prof Dr Zoltán Rajnai, dean of Bánki, Honorary chair of the conference in his closing speech told thanks for the speakers and poster presenters, the participants in the event and told thanks for the organizer group and told highlighted thanks for the organizing of the event for Dr Tunde Anna Kovacs chair of the international organization board, for Dr Zoltán Nyikes director of the international organization board and István Pócza the professional program director of the host.

The honorary chair in addition invited the participants for the fourth event, which will be held in November 2022, the ICCECIP 2022 as part of the conference series.

Dr Tünde Anna Kovács

associate professor, chair of the international organization board

Dr Zoltán Nyikes

associate professor, director of the international organization board