The launch of the Hungarian Young Academy (HYA) was announced on 7 May 2019 during the Annual General Meeting of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS) in Budapest, Hungary. Preparations to establish the HYA had already started in 2017, with GYA member Gergely Toldi (UK) engaged in the work of the ad-hoc committee of the HAS from the beginning.
The HYA joins a growing worldwide network of young academies, becoming the 40th young academy to be established.
The goals of the HYA include representing early-career researchers in Hungary nationally and internationally, promoting scientific excellence as well as interdisciplinary and inter-generational dialogue between scientists, as well as serving society through public outreach and engagement.
Regarding its legal status, the Hungarian Young Academy is an independent civil society, responsible for the selection of its own members. On the other hand, it is connected to and supported by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, aligning itself with the goals and principles of the HAS.
The founding membership consists of 24 outstanding Hungarian scientists from all disciplines, many of whom are also members of the Young Academy of Europe and the Global Young Academy. Besides scientific excellence, the willingness to serve society through the various activities of the HYA is also among the selection criteria. The term of membership lasts for 5 years, after which members become alumni of the HYA. The total number of members will be 60, admitting 12 new members each year.
The HYA is led by two co-chairs and an executive committee of a further five members. The first co-chairs are Éva Dékány, a linguist working at the Research Institute of Linguistics of HAS, and Péter Török, an ecologist at the University of Debrecen. The work of the HYA will be supported by an advisory board consisting of eminent Hungarian senior scientists.