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“Dr. Péter Németh, the Dean of the Medical School 15 years ago, suggested the establishment of the English-language master’s programme in biotechnology, and Professor Judit Pongrácz, who was working at the Department of Immunology and Biotechnology at the time, was the one working out the details. She was also the first major director. This was when the first training programme in the country focusing solely on medical biotechnology was established. Due to administrative changes, we then had to reorganise it, and we added a pharmacology field to it in addition to medicine. Teaching remained at the Medical School, even though Professor Pongrácz was transferred to the Faculty of Pharmacy, where she established the Biotechnology BSc programme in English. This was a very important step for us because, with the establishment of the bachelor training, we can work with more prepared students,”

said Professor Péter Balogh in the podcast, who said that starting the programme was just in time, as there were also students 15 years ago who were interested in medicine but did not want to study for six or more years, take a specialist exam, and did not want to become biologists either.

He said that graduates can play a very important complementary role in theoretical institutes and pre-clinical research. They have now succeeded in getting to the point where many of their graduates stay at the university as PhD students.

"It was a novelty that within the Medical School with its one-tier training, we undertake this four-semester master’s programme since there was no bachelor’s training available back then. Initially, Hungarian students who spoke English well and had completed a BSc in biology, as well as young international students applied to us; at first, there were only five or six of them. Today, the number is between 14 and 18, and they come from a much wider range. We are not aiming for mass education, nor would there be a need for it,” he emphasized.

He said that international students come mainly from the Middle East, from Lebanon, Iran, and Jordan. Most of them have graduated as pharmacists and want to get a degree in biotechnology as well. He stressed the importance of being practice-oriented and providing applicable knowledge.

The interview also reveals that the appeal of the training in Pécs lies in its complexity: they teach immunology, biochemistry, biophysics, developmental biology, and stem cell biology. The curriculum is more limited and the training is shorter in other countries.

“We are becoming more popular; more and more people know about us. Now we are thinking about further training opportunities because we want to keep our graduates here and offer them enticing job opportunities,”

said Dr. Péter Balogh, who also said that more effective cooperation with local biotechnology companies is an important goal for the future as it would help students gain experience.

Photo:

Dávid VERÉBI