The University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest implemented a historic salary increase starting from November of this year. While the guaranteed minimum salary for an assistant professor was previously 205,000 Hungarian forints at our university, it is more than double that amount: 500,000 Hungarian forints. The previous salary for the rank of a university professor, 1st degree, was 554,000 forints, while at our university, it is nearly double that amount, with a minimum of 1 million forints.

We are further enhancing our competitiveness with additional measures. The University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest is the Alma Mater of veterinary graduates in Hungary. In the current 235th academic year, 700 Hungarian and 1,200 international students study in Budapest with the international accreditation of the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education. Our foundation-funded university, established a year and a half ago, has the primary goal of enhancing its competitiveness. We are promoting advancement in international rankings and strengthening our position in domestic and international higher education through an unprecedented salary increase.

As part of this, the minimum gross base salary for clinical veterinarians, assistant professors, and research assistants employed for 8 hours per week will be 500,000 forints, for adjunct professors and research associates, it will be 600,000 forints, for associate professors and senior research associates, it will be 750,000 forints, and for full professors, it will be 1 million forints at the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest.

Furthermore, starting from January 1, 2022, every employee will receive a 15% salary increase. As a result, assistant professors, for example, will earn at least 575,000 forints. The opportunity for this outstanding salary increase in Hungarian higher education was created by the university’s change of model, state funding, and successful financial management. In 2020, the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest was the first among the six universities undergoing a change of model to gain full autonomy. As a result of the agreement with the Ministry of Innovation and Technology, the university’s state support has doubled. The state has defined various indicators to measure the university’s performance. These include the number of students and the institution’s position in international rankings, where research and publication performance play a crucial role.

In terms of the number of scientific articles published in prestigious journals per faculty member, the University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest occupies the first position in Hungary. We provide additional incentives for authors’ publication activities. We have raised the salaries of young colleagues who have completed the European Diplomate examination to 1 million forints.

Starting from January 1, colleagues with a PhD degree from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences receive an additional monthly allowance of 500,000 forints in recognition of their degree. From 2022, we will introduce a cafeteria benefit for employees, with an amount of 62,500 forints every quarter.

Despite the coronavirus pandemic, we have managed to complete the first semester of the academic year through in-person education, which is a fundamental requirement for successful veterinary training. We have planned the upcoming examination period, starting on December 20, to take place with the physical presence of students. For this purpose, we have equipped three modern lecture halls with 180 laptops, and written exams will be conducted using them.

Thanks to the change of model and the Marek József Foundation, exercising the rights of the founder, the Marek József Scholarship has been established, providing full funding for students in tuition-based programs starting from the current academic year, for those who commit to working in the healing of livestock or in the food safety areas of the profession for ten years after graduation, which Hungary is in great need of.

A recent prominent government decision has been made regarding the reconstruction of the university, which includes the construction of new buildings and the renovation of existing ones, with a value of several tens of billions of forints. The public procurement procedures are expected to be concluded in March, and the relocation can take place in the summer, followed by construction aimed at creating better working conditions. This major investment will provide modern facilities for the work of young lecturers and researchers, who form the backbone of the university, in the coming decades.