Response to the statement published on HUN-REN's website on 23 April, as well as to the simultaneously circulated letter from President Balázs Gulyás and CEO Roland Jakab
We were astonished to read the letter dated 23 April 2026 by Balázs Gulyás and Roland Jakab, as well as the official statement of the HUN-REN leadership, in which they question the professional credibility of the directors general of HUN-REN’s 13 research institutes, including András Stipsicz, Director General of the Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics, and suggest that the criticisms voiced by the institutes' directors are driven by fear of losing their positions. We firmly reject this assumption.
With regard to the proposal package set out in the joint statement issued on 21 April 2026 by the HUN-REN directors general, titled “Statement on the Future of the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network,” we affirm that, in our view, it represents a good-faith professional position serving the interests of the research community. Contrary to the claims in the HUN-REN statement, the directors general are not seeking to evade responsibility; on the contrary, they are assuming it, clearly expressing their commitment to research excellence, societal impact, and economic effectiveness. In their statement, they did not propose the dissolution of HUN-REN, but articulated a nuanced and carefully considered professional position on the future of the research network. They did so not out of personal interest, but in the interest of the research communities of the institutions they represent. We, the senior reserach staff of Rényi Institute, fully support them in this.
Furthermore, as heads of departments, research group leaders, and directors at Rényi Institute, we stand unanimously and firmly behind our Director General, András Stipsicz, and reject any claims or insinuations that call into question his professional credibility or constructive intent. András Stipsicz undertook the role of director at the request and encouragement of us, researchers, and he carries out his duties consistently and responsibly. It is our conviction, based on daily experience, that his actions and public statements are guided by a sense of responsibility for the future of Rényi Institute and the research network.
Rényi Institute is one of the strongest and internationally recognized centers of Hungarian science. Our publications in leading journals, prominent international engagements, successful grant applications, and innovation activities, from bioinformatics through artificial intelligence to quantum computing, demonstrate that research and impact are not opposing forces, but mutually reinforcing values.
Progress on the future of the research network can only be achieved through dialogue grounded in facts, professional integrity, and mutual respect.
27 April 2026
Heads of departments, research group leaders, and directors of the HUN-REN Alfréd Rényi Institute of Mathematics:
- Miklós Abért
- András Biró
- Károly Böröczky
- Csaba Csapodi
- Péter Csikvári
- Endre Csóka
- Győző Csóka
- Mátyás Domokos
- Balázs Gerencsér
- András Gilyén
- Gergely Harcos
- András Hubai
- Péter Juhász
- Márton Karsai
- Balázs Keszegh
- László Kökényesi
- László Lovász
- Péter Maga
- Máté Matolcsi
- Dezső Miklós
- István Miklós
- András Némethi
- János Pach
- Péter Pál Pach
- Balázs Patkós
- Gábor Pete
- László Pyber
- Attila Sali
- Lajos Soukup
- Balázs Szegedy
- Márta Szomolányi
- Gábor Tardos
- Tamás Titkos
- Géza Tóth
- Dániel Virosztek