The Transdanubian Department of the Centre for Economic and Regional Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the International Geographical Union (IGU), organised a two-days workshop in Pécs on 9-10 May 2019, about challenges of local governments and decentralisation.

This website has not been updated since 1 September 2022. The new website of the Institute is available at the following link: https://rki.krtk.hun-ren.hu/en/

The COST Empower-SE ("Empowering the next generation of social enterprise scholars") WG1 “Foundations” meeting was hosted 16th-17th January in Budapest at the Corvinus University. The meeting, on which 93 researchers from 33 countries participated, was co-organized by our colleague Melinda Mihály (IRS CERS HAS, Békéscsaba), by the colleagues of Corvinus University of Budapest (György Pataki and Julianna Kiss) and by the colleagues of the EMES International Research Network (Marthe Nyssens, Rocio Nogales, Sabine Spada and Thomas Pongo).

The final conference of the project „Renewable energy sources and energy efficiency in a function of rural development-RuRES”, co-financed by the European Union under the Interreg V-A Hungary-Croatia Co-operation Programme 2014-2020, was held on 17th December 2018 in Osijek (Croatia) at University of Osijek Faculty of Electrical Engineering Computer Science and Information Technology Osijek. Details are available here.

The RELOCAL consortium meeting held on the 9th – 10th of October in Budapest aimed at discussing insights, commonalities, differences and key messages of the first 18 Case Studies already available. Panels and group discussions were meant to help partners in the elaboration of new case studies and finalisation of ones already provided. Two from among the Hungarian case studies were discussed after being reviewed, both were evaluated positively. The event was hosted by the Central and North Hungarian research Department of the Institute for Regional Studies where most of the colleagues who participates in the project are affiliated.

The purpose of the Slovakian-Hungarian INTERREG-project entitled „Smart Communities – Virtual Education and Research and Development and Innovation Network in the Slovakian-Hungarian Border Region” is to raise the level of digital knowledge of members of the local community in the lagging border region, thereby facilitating their access to higher value-added employment opportunities. The prioritised sectors of the project cover training and R+D+I with a focus on sustainability and ICT. These processes are facilitated by the creation of a network of stakeholders of civil society, educational and research institutions, and the organisation of joint professional training programmes and a mentor system in collaboration with the target groups.

The HAS CERS IRS Transdanubian Research Department (Pécs) organised an international conference between 19-20 April, 2018 celebrating its 75th anniversary and discussing the issue of a potential circular economy from a multidisciplinary perspective. More information is available on the conference website.

We proudly inform our readers, authors and reviewers that Tér és Társadalom, the quarterly journal of the institute was selected for inclusion into Web of Science Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI). ESCI indexes around 6000 journals of regional importance and in emerging scientific fields, being constantly evaluated for inclusion in the more prestigious SSCI database. Currently, volumes 30 and 31 (years 2016 and 2017) of Tér és Társadalom are indexed in the database. The editors wish to thank the authors, reviewers and the editorial board for their work, without which this growing international visibility of the journal would not have been possible.

Twenty-five years into transformation, Central and Eastern European regions have undergone substantial socio-economic restructuring, integrating into European and global networks and producing new patterns of regional differentiation and development. Yet post-socialist modernisation has not been without its contradictions, manifesting in increasing social and territorial inequalities. Recent studies also suggest there are apparent limits to post-socialist growth models, accompanying a new set of challenges within an increasingly uncertain world. Aiming to deliver a new synthesis of regional development issues at the crossroads between ‘post-socialism’ and ‘post-transition’, this book identifies the main driving forces of spatial restructuring in Central and Eastern Europe, and charts the different regional development paths which take shape against the backdrop of post-crisis Europe. A comparative approach is used to highlight common development challenges and the underlying patterns of socio-economic differentiation alike. The issues investigated within the Handbook extend to a discussion of the varied economic consequences of transition, the social structures and institutional systems which underpin development processes, and the broadly understood sustainability of Central and Eastern Europe’s current development model. This book will be of interest to academics and policymakers working in the fields of regional studies, economic geography, development studies and policy.

With the approval of the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences the Director General of the of HAS Centre for Economic and Regional Studies appointed Katalin Kovács, senior researh fellow, head of the Central and North Hungarian Research Department director of the Institute of Regional Studies as of January 4, 2017.

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The international conference organised by the Institute of Regional Studies titled „New Ideas and New Generations of Regional Policy in Eastern Europe” was organised in Pécs between April 7-8. Over 150 participants from 15 countries attended the conference, where the successful work was conducted in 8 thematic sessions (socio-economic inequalities, regional policy, cohesion, sustainability, migration, border regions, territorial capital, rural innovations, smart city). A major objective of the event, alongside the presentation of the most state-of-the art results of territorial researches and the debate on current questions was to contribute to strengthening the international relationships of researchers and to encourage new cooperations. The conference was opened by Ádám Török, secretary general of Hungarian Academy of Sciences and Ilona Pálné Kovács director of Institute for Regional Studies. The plenary lectures was presented by excellent scientists as Simin Davoudi, Dominic Stead, Giancarlo Cotella, Gabriel Badescu. The conference presentations and abstracts are available on following link.

Hungarian social science has suffered a great loss with the tragically sudden death of Gyula Horváth. Gyula Horváth was for 15 years Director-General of the Centre for Regional Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, he was also scientific advisor of the HAS Centre for Economic and Regional Studies, professor of the University of Pécs and Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Gyula Horváth would have been 64 years old on the 4th of October.

With the approval of the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences the Director General of the of HAS Centre for Economic and Regional Studies appointed Ilona Pálné Kovács corresponding member of HAS, research professor of the Transdanubian Research Department director of the Institute of Regional Studies as of April 1, 2015.

At present we are experiencing explosive development in photovoltaic energy production. During the past one or two years the number of installed photovoltaic energy-generating modules has started to increase both in the developed and underdeveloped world and capacity installation projects indicate a continuation of the dynamic growth. Costs incurred by the production of solar modules decrease year on year and the reliability and efficiency of inverters are also constantly improving. In addition to efficiency, focus must be placed also on the life-cycle of the materials used and on the reintegration of such materials into the recycling chain.

With the approval of the president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences the director general of the CERS appointed Iván Illés, scientific advisor of the Transdanubian Research Department research professor emeritus as of 1st of July 2013. Iván Illés is a great authority on regional economics and planning, EU policies and development of Central and Eastern Europe. He has obtained non perishable merits in the domestication of Hungarian regional science and institution building, and the establishment of the links between basic and applied research.

With the approval of the president of the HAS the director general of the CERS appointed Györgyi Barta, scientific advisor of the Central and North Hungarian Research Department research professor emerita as of 1st of July 2013. Györgyi Barta is an internationally recognized researcher whose research areas include the spatial structural relations of the economy, industrial and enterprise geography of Hungary, socio-economical development of Budapest region. From January 2011 she is editor-in-chief of Space and Society scientific journal, and will continue to assume this task in the future upon the request of the leadership of the Institute.

The book contains the papers of an international scientific conference which was organised for the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Transdanubian Research Institute. The authors representing the main current of regional science – among others Andreas Faludi, Michael Keating, Anssi Paasi, Robert Leonardi, John Bachtler, Riccardo Cappellin – have also contributed with their papers in the 516 page long English language book. The jubilee book was edited by professor Ilona Pálné Kovács, James Scott visiting professor of the institute and Zoltán Gál senior research fellow. The book is available in electronic format at the link below.

The Transdanubian Research Institute (Dunántúli Tudományos Intézet in Hungarian) was founded in year 1943. This was an excellent opportunity to invite our international and national academic partners; to bring together well-known senior experts and talented junior research fellows; and of course, to discuss fruitfully and prospectively about the current research developments on regional policy and territorial cohesion. For the 70th anniversary the TRI organised a two-day international conference on the 27th–28th of June 2013 in the Zsolnay Cultural Quarter of Pécs. The conference's presentations and photos are available on the TRI's 70-year anniversary website.

The scientific institute based in Moscow was established in 1996 for the purpose of the development of international regional scientific cooperation and the coordination of spatial research. Its founding president is the internationally Russian regional scientific researcher, academic Alekszandr Granberg. Gyula Horváth was granted membership during the general assembly of the Academy on the 13th of June, 2013. His appointment was a sign of the recognition of the role he played in the dissemination of regional science in Russia, his scientific results, the development of Eastern European regional research collaboration and the international fame of the research institute under his former leadership.

Ilona Pálné Kovács, scientific advisor of the Institute for Regional Studies of CERS HAS was elected by the General Assembly of the HAS corresponding member of HAS on the 6th of May 2013. Ilona Pálné Kovács (born in Pécs, 1954) graduated as a lawyer (1978), CSc in political science (1988), DSc in regional science (2000). From 2002 she has been a full time professor at the Department for Political Studies of University of Pécs, founder and head of the doctoral programme. She has been a researcher of the Transdanubian Research Institute from 1978, between 1997-2012 she was the director of TRI.

The Institute of Regional Studies sadly announces the death of former colleague Professor József Tóth, geographist, rector emeritus of the University of Pécs, the first Deputy Director-general of the former Centre for Regional Studies. József Tóth passed away on February 7, 2013 in Pécs, following a short battle with incurable illness. Tóth’s funeral service will be held February 22, at 10:30 at Pécs Cemetery.

With the approval of the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences the Director General of the of HAS Research Centre for Economic and Regional Studies appointed Éva Perger Senior Research Fellow, Head of the Great Plain Research Department Commissioned Director of the Institute of Regional Studies as of January 25, 2013.

The Hungarian Regional Science Association granted Pro Regional Science Prestigious Title to Scientific Advisor of Institute for Regional Studies, Gyula Horváth in order to acknowledge his outstanding research, educational and science building activities. The HRSA grants this title to a natural person whose outstanding activities contribute to the development of regional science and the realisation of the objectives of the Association. The Pro Regional Science Title is valid for a lifetime. The General Assembly decides about its holder based on the propositions of the Presidency. The Award was granted for the first time during the 10th Annual Meeting of HRSA on November 22, 2012.

The Municipality of Pécs and the Institute for Regional Studies signed a Cooperation Contract on the 29th of November, 2012. The Cooperation between the Institute and the City has a several decade-long past. The signature of the contract was a sign of the acknowledgement of this cooperation and aimed at the better exploitation of future mutual advantages. Pécs is counting on the work of the research unit in Pécs, the Transdanubian Research Department and a more efficient utilisation of the available knowledge and partnerships. It is a common interest of both parties to mutually validate this knowledge and partnership in order to boost the cultural and scientific life, educational and research activities of the City.

The Transdanubian Research Department and the European Institute of University of Geneva launched a joint research programme in autumn of 2011. The overall aim of this project, that it explores them principles and views of Swiss state structure and policy, which are applicable and adaptable in a centralized county, e.g. in Hungary. This research covered a number of activities, the most important of these a handbook, what entitled Federalism and Decentralisation – Handbook of the Swiss structures and the Hungarian utilization. Other activities: publications, forums and workshops, study tours and conference.

The activities of the Great Plain Research Department in the ESPON SEMIGRA project have been successfully completed. The research was motivated by the fact that the gendered out-migration result in a ‘deficit’ of young women in the peripheral, mostly underdeveloped rural regions of Europe. The international consortium studied the reasons for and effects of this phenomenon and the expectations of young people in 5 regions of 4 countries, as well as submitted proposals for gender-specific regional development strategies.

The objective of the project was developing historical towns to remain attractive places by preserving their heritage and improving the quality of public spaces, and meanwhile, to retain their role as regional centres, i.e. foci of economic activities, social inclusion and identity. To achieve it, the project was focused on capacity building of local governments and other stakeholders to develop good urban governance practices in planning and implementing revitalization.

The CRISKÖR project accounts and evaluates the environmental harmful human activities in 30 Romanian and Hungarian settlements affected by the Fekete and the Fehér-Körös rivers; thereby it would like to contribute to the spatial development policy, which intends to implement sustainable use of the environment and conservation actions of the region. To do this, we need to explore those social activities, which have environmental risk in the region, especially in the Körös valley.

The annual Spa-ce.net conference was jointly organized by the Dresden Leibniz Institute and the Institute for Regional Studies this year. The topic of the event was the renewable energy and its regional aspects. Spa-ce.net is a self-interest network integrating Central, Eastern and South Eastern European institutes and organisations active in the field of spatial research and planning. The Network pursues to develop scientific and professional approaches in research and planning, to strengthen partnership relations, and to define common interests in the field of European research policy and to represent these interests jointly at the European level. The network-conference was take place on 25th - 26th October in the Great Plain Research Department of Institute for Regional Studies in Kecskemét.

The Institute of Regional Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences sadly announces the death of Professor György Enyedi, a Full Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the first Director-general of the predecessor Centre for Regional Studies, the former Vice-President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the International Geographical Union. György Enyedi passed away on September 10, 2012 in Budapest, following a long battle with incurable illness. He was the founder of regional science in Hungary. Enyedi’s funeral service will be held October 8, at 14:15 at Farkasréti Cemetery, Budapest.

A new opportunity arose to invite prominent guest researchers to Hungary as part of the renewal program of the Academy's research network. One of the six guest researchers, James Wesley Scott will participate in the scientific activities of the HAS Research Centre for Economic and Regional Studies for 10 months. Along with his hosting professional, Ilona Pálné Kovács and other members of the research team, they will examine the effects of Europeanisation and its consequences on Hungarian political culture and geopolitical thinking, the format and they way in which these appear in political public speech, in scientific research, and in background analyses of cross-border co-operation practices.

The South Transdanubian Research Institute submitted the winning project proposal titled „New space shaping forces and development paths in Eastern Europe at the dawn of the 21st century” in the framework of the large-scale project of OTKA. The objective of the research whose duration is from September 2012 to December 2015 is the modelisation of regional development paths, detecting the regularities of space shaping processes, and the elaboration of new theories of regional science. Project leader: Gyula Horváth.

The Foundation for the Cross-border Hungarian Ethnic Minority granted the „For the Nation” Award to the Institute of Regional Studies for taking care of the Regions of the Carpathian Basin series, the organisation of the cross-border Hungarian regional scientific workshops and their programmed management, and for the outstanding results achieved in the training of regional scientific researchers in the Carpathian Basin.

With the approval of the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences the Director General of the of HAS Research Centre for Economic and Regional Studies appointed former Deputy Director László Faragó Senior Research Fellow Commissioned Director of the Institute of Regional Studies as of May 16, 2012.

Former Director Gyula Horváth submitted his resignation. The Director General of the HAS Research Centre for Economic and Regional Studies accepted the resignation and released him from his post as of May 15, 2012. The reason of his resignation, which Gyula Horváth explained in detail in a note addressed to the Director General was that he represented a view about the strategy of the organisation of the new research centre relying on an efficient practice of the network control of the Centre for Regional Studies opposing that of the Commissioned Director General.

A professional conference was held in the Ceremonial hall of the New City Hall about the possible cooperation between the capital city and its agglomeration, the common problems, the relationship between Budapest and the surrounding settlements on the 26th of April, 2012. The Budapest Agglomeration Conference was organised by the Municipality of Budapest Capital City in collaboration with the Institute of Regional Studies of the HAS Research Centre for Economic and Regional Studies. The conference publication and the presentations can be accessed on the web page of the event.

The Institute of Regional Studies regrets to inform with grief and great sorrow the sudden demise of László Hrubi, research fellow of the Institute of Regional Studies on the 20th of March. Our Colleague has taken an active part in regional research since 1974, has been a dedicated professor of regional economics at the Faculty of Economics of the Pécs University of Sciences and conducted numerous South Transdanubian regional development programmes. The funeral of László Hrubi will take place on March 30, Friday, at 12.30 p.m. in the Pécs-Vasas cemetery.

The Centre for Regional Studies was dissolved on the 31th of December, 2011 and as a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Research Centre for Economic and Regional Studies it has been operating from the 1st of January, 2012 under the name of Institute of Regional Studies. The new organisational order will hopefully contribute to the efficiency of spatial and settlement development research. We are indebted to several institutions, organisations and professionals for their support of the development of regional science. The distinctive attention given to our activities was and remains an important motivating force for us. I sincerely hope that our new research results will further strengthen the international competitiveness of Hungarian regional science and contribute to the favourable change of the Hungarian spatial structure. In hopes of the realisation of all this, I wish all our readers interested in the results of regional science a successful new year. Gyula Horváth Director.

The West Hungarian Institute of the CRS of the MTA held its ceremonial session titled „Knowledge- Space- Society” on the 1st of December, 2011 on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. The Jubilee Volume issued on the occasion of the anniversary was presented during the event and two awards were granted

The final conference of the Serbian-Hungarian IPA project called “INNOAXIS - The borderline as an axis of innovation” was organised by the Centre for Regional Studies, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA RKK) - as the lead partner of the project - with cooperation of the Regional Scientific Association (RTT) and the Local Government of Mórahalom. This important event of the project was held in Baja on 19th July 2011. The main aim of the conference was to introduce the prepared documents: the Economic Operative Program and the Human Operative Program. The professional lectures also presented at the conference revealed the developmental and cooperation opportunities of the border regions.

Head of Institute Mihály Lados presented the study prepared by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre for Regional Studies West Hungarian Research Institute titled „Smart cities” in the building of the Veszprém Academic Committee of Sciences on June 2, 2011. The press conference presenting the results of the research commissioned by IBM Hungary was opened by Minister of Public Administration and Justice Deputy Prime Minister Tibor Navracsics, dean of the University of Pannonia Faculty of Information Technology Ferenc Friedler and Zsolt Veres CEO of IBM Hungary.

The Centre for Regional Studies of Hungarian Academy of Sciences, in cooperation with the Institutes of Geography and Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, held a conference organised by the Hungarian Embassy in Moscow about perspectives of European regional cohesion policy and development directions of Russian regional policy on the 12th of May, 2011. The conference was opened by Ambassador István Íjgyártó and Academic Vladimir Kotljakov. Amongst others, the two scientific communities were represented by Sergej Artobolevskiy, Leonid Smirjagin, Olga Kuznetzova, Györgyi Barta, Gyula Horváth and Zoltán Hajdú who presented their views about certain scientific issues. Senior Advisor Wolfgang Streitenberger held a presentation about cohesion policy directions of the European Commission.

The closing event of the project “UNIREG IMPULSE” of the Hungary-Croatia Cross Border Cooperation Programme 2007-2013 was held at the Main Hall of the Municipality of Baranya County in Pécs on the 4th of May, 2011. During the conference titled “The regional development role of universities”, besides the presentation of the general results and activities related to the programme, the four working groups (spatial and strategic planning, rural development, environmental protection, university knowledge transfer) also presented the theme-specific results and experiences of their 16-month-long research. The presentations of invited speakers sharing with participants their practical experiences and realisations further raised the standard of this event.

The conference titled „Innovation and cooperation – The impact of social networks on innovation” was organised at the Main Building of HAS in Budapest on the 14th of April, 2011. The organisers were the Regional Scientific Committee of the HAS and the West Hungarian Institute of the CRS of the HAS. The conference also served as the closing event of the research titled „The impact of social networks on innovation, territorial and sectoral disparities of economic cooperation in the domestic SME sector”. Besides the presentations related to the research topic held in the plenary session, the other objective of this event was the discussion of the major results of the two-year research and the presentation of a book with the same title summarising the results.

The Centre for Regional Studies of Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Hungarian Regional Science Association and the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Pécs organise a Conference presenting the results of the research performed jointly by the Centre for Regional Studies of Hungarian Academy of Sciences and OECD to all those interested. English and Hungarian language volumes containing the research results will be released during the event. The objective of the free conference is the wide popularisation of the results and methodology of regional science.

The collapse of Yugoslavia added a new dimension to the problem of regional inequalities. Becoming former regions to independent states resulted in territorial changes. The disparities between smaller areas within the new countries became more apparent. Serious problems were posed by the new state organisation also. During the initial phases of the organisation of the new state formations, spatial aspects were obviously neglected. The book analyses the spatial structure of the countries of the Western Balkans as well as the factors contributing to this.

Central Transdanubia is the smallest NUTS2 region of Hungary with a population of 1.1 million. Even though the region's population is declining in line with national trends, its rate is considerably lower. The destiny, history, current situation and future of Fejér, Veszprém and Komárom-Esztergom counties are all embedded in the process which led to the creation of Hungarian regional development and planning regions. Industry has an overwhelming weight in the economic structure of the region, with the highest number of employees.

A book presentation in the Headquarters of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences was organised by our institute to celebrate the 80th birthday of our first Director General, György Enyedi academic on the 29th of September, 2010 in the Headquarters of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. In honour of the founder of the Hungarian school of regional sciences, the researchers of CRS published a volume titled „The focal points of spatial research”. The authors reflect on the main themes of the wide research areas of György Enyedi in the following thematic units:

A two-volume publication titled "Geographical selections without borders from present-day Hungarian papers on natural, social and economic geography" was published by the Centre for Regional Studies of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Šafárik University of Košice. The anthology was prepared in the framework of a project titled "Let us learn from each other!" of the Hungarian and Slovak Cross Border Cooperation Programme 2007-2013. Project manager: István Mezei. The Slovak version was published simultaneously with the Hungarian volume in Kosice.

The leading scientific organisation of European regional science, Regional Studies Association (RSA) held its annual international conference in Pécs between May 24–26, 2010. The winning project proposal of the HAS Centre for Regional Studies about the organisation of the conference was selected in strong competition with five Western European cities proposals. Co-organisers of the conference were the Hungarian Regional Science Association and the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Pécs.

József Pálinkás, the president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences appointed Gyula Horváth, DSc, scientific advisor, holder of the Széchenyi Prize, professor at the University of Pécs, Faculty of Business and Economics, director of the HAS Centre for Regional Studies on April 11 for a period of five years. Tamás Németh, secretary-general of the HAS and Valéria Csépe, deputy secretary-general were present at the event, on April 6, 2010.

Dear Guest! The new CRS portal launched officially May 20th, 2009. In the near future we will renew the pages of our institutes and foreign language content as well. We are continuously adding new content and trying to improve the appereance. Your comments are welcome, please do not hesitate to contact the editor: szracz@rkk.hu

The latest volume of the series explores socio-economic relations of the South Great Plain Region, through the review of the reviving interregional relations. South Great Plain, encompassing the counties of Bács-Kiskun, Csongrád and Békés is the largest region in Hungary. Szeged, the region’s capital, is the 4th largest town in the region according to population data, its educational institutions and vibrant cultural life place the town in an even more prominent position. Most of its micro regions have emerged as losers of the transition of the past two decades, therefore our book aims to contribute to their catching-up as well. The volume was edited by Gábor Nagy.

Academic Professor György Enyedi was designated Honorary Member of the World Society of Ekistics during its General Assembly held in Antalya (Turkey) The Society (and its journal, Ekistics) was founded by Doxiadis (1913–1975), one of the most influential urbanists of the 20th century in 1965 and operates as a consultative, non-governmental organ of the UNO. The Society, owner and publisher of Ekistics Journal, is a prestigious organ of settlement sciences.

The eleventh volume of the series presents the Ukranian Transcarpathia Region, focusing on its present socioeconomic conditions, mapping the various factors of development embedded in a historical perspective. This administrative unit, covering an area of 12 800 km2, with a population of 1.25 million originally formed by the historical counties of Ung, Bereg, Ugocsa and Máramaros in 1920, consists of 13 districts, 11 towns, 19 urban-type settlements, and 579 rural settlements in our days.

The West Pannon Regional Development Agency and the West Pannon Regional Development Council, in collaboration with HAS Centre for Regional Studies West Hungarian Research Institute published a book titled “West Transdanubian Region – Past Present and Future”, which seeks to map the processes shaping the region in the past decade, with a special focus on development policy initiatives and cohesion processes. The editor of the book is Mihály Lados, the director of the HAS Centre for Regional Studies West Hungarian Research Institute. The book is available in electronic format at the link below (hungarian, 11 Mb).

The economic crisis processes, going on in the world and having detrimental effects on Hungary too, have once again drawn academic attention to the issues of reindustrialisation. Within the issue of reindustrialisation, an issue of primary importance, the issues related to the role of environmental industry are given special emphasis, in connection with the processes of global climate change. Environmental industry, using the achievements of the academic sector, is expected to be the sector with the most dynamically expanding market both in the international arena and in Hungary. The papers of this book deal with the Hungarian characteristics and possibilities of environmental industry, each chapter was written on the different segments of this industry The recently published book was edited by Béla Baranyi and István Fodor.

The Centre for Regional Studies of HAS was granted the most highly regarded award in the area of regional development. The Pro Regio Award was handed out to the leading institute of regional sciences by Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on March 15, in recognition of its outstanding contribution to regional science and the elaboration of Hungarian territorial development theories.