Projects are listed in a chronological order with their details following below the list:

GNÔTHI SEAUTON
DYNANETS
Teller Ede Programme
Astrobiology Potential of Mars
SEA-EU-NET
INCORE

GNÔTHI SEAUTON! – CLASSICS AND COMMUNISM (The History of the Studies on Antiquity in the Context of the Local Classical Tradition - The Socialist Countries 1944/45-1989/90), Focus Group project supported by the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung (April - June 2010)

Focus Group Conveners:
Axer, Jerzy (Institute of Classics, University of Warsaw/Warsaw Theatre
Academy), Karsai, György (Department of Classical Philology, Pécs University, Hungary) and Klaniczay, Gábor (Collegium Budapest)

In the Eastern part of Europe, the study of classical Antiquity (philology, archaeology, history, etc.) has been a most successful and worldwide acknowledged field of research since the nineteenth century. In Hungary, for instance, the interest in the Roman imperial period (first to fifth century AD) took its origin in the history of the Roman Empire, where provincial Pannonia played an important role as the North-Eastern limes, the borderterritory
of the Empire. Just to illustrate the complexity of the meaning of the term “classical philology” in this part of Europe, the same period – and even the one preceding it – became an essential field of research in Romania, where the ideology of Great Romania was founded on the basis of the so-called “Daco-Roman theory”. This theory attempted to prove that the territory of the present Romanian state had – since the early Antiquity –
belonged to the ancestors of the Romanian people. This question, among others, became a crucial point in the discussions between the two countries throughout the whole twentieth century.

The arrival of the Soviet-Communist dominance fell on different soil in the different countries, and accordingly, the strategies that the new authorities applied towards studies of Antiquity were also different. Within the framework of this research, scholars will not only obtain knowledge about the community professionally involved in the study of Antiquity, but they will also apply a very interesting and as yet unutilized tool for identifying the similarities and the differences in the cultural traditions of the nations that
were driven into the “camp of Socialist countries”.

The project aims to discover and explore the history of classical philology after the Second World War and that not only in Hungary but also in the whole “camp of Socialist countries”. Working together with colleagues in other ex-Socialist countries and sharing their common experience may uncover the history of this important domain of European culture under the
Communist period; a subject not so far examined in details.

In all Socialist countries, there were eminent scholars who – because of ideological reasons; their supposed or real opposition to the Communist system – were banished from the institutional frames of classical philology (universities, academies), if not even from their country. They include Károly Kerényi in Hungary, Jan Patočka in Czechoslovakia, etc. A set of comparative case-studies is envisaged to discover the mechanisms adopted to put an end to the careers of those classical philologists who were deemed dangerous for the development of Communism.

Work will involve country studies and national surveys. Within the framework of country studies, two issues will be explored in great detail: one is classical philology in Hungary after World War II., and the other is the position of classical philology in Poland after World War II. As for national surveys, classical studies will be explored in the following countries: Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Russia and Yugoslavia.
The majority of the Fellows will be present between April and June 2010, and the research
results will be discussed in a series of seminars during this period and a conference at the end of June 2010.

Participating Fellows:
Borhy, László, Archaeology (Budapest), (Dummer, Jürgen, Classical Philology (Jena), Gaspar, Christian, Medieval Studies (Timisoara), Gochev, Nikolai, Ancient Greek Literature (Sofia), Hajdú, Péter, Literature (Budapest), Jovanovič, Milena, Classical Philology (Belgrade), Movrin, David, Classical Philology (Ljubljana).

Visiting Scholars: Budaragina, Olga, Classical Philology (St. Petersburg), Juchneviciene, Nilojé, Ancient Greek Historiography (Vilnius), Moural, Josef, Philosphy (Prague), Olechowska, Ezbieta, Classical Philology (Warsaw), Szastynska-Siemion, Alicja, Classical Philology, (Wroclaw) and Wolodkiewicz Witold, Roman Law (Warsaw).

Computing Real-World Phenomena with Dynamically Changing Complex Networks (DYNANETS), an FP 7 project funded by the European Commission (Jun. 2009 - May 2012).

Recent advances in experimental techniques such as detectors, sensors, and scanners have opened up new windows into physical and biological processes on many levels of detail. The complete cascade from the individual components to the fully integrated multi-science systems crosses many orders of magnitude in temporal and spatial scales. The challenge is to study not only the fundamental processes on all these separate scales, but also their mutual coupling through the scales in the overall system, and the resulting emergent properties. These complex systems display endless signatures of order, disorder, self-organization and self-annihilation. Understanding, quantifying and handling this information complexity is one of the biggest scientific challenges of our time. Amazingly nature seems to be able to process information on many spatial scales simultaneously. DynaNets will study and develop a new paradigm of computing through Dynamically Changing Complex Networks reproducing the way nature processes information. It will develop theory and methods of dynamical networks providing us with new insights into the underlying processes of nature, economy, and society. As a pilot study we will investigate the dynamics of the HIV and influenza epidemics from the molecule all the way up to the population. For more information on this project please visit http://www.dynanets.org/.

Focus Group convener is György Kampis (Department Head and Professor of Philosophy of Science at ELTE, Budapest); research fellows: László Gulyás (Computer Science), Susan Khor (Computer Science).

Teller Ede Programme, financed by the National Office for Research and Technology of Hungary (NKTH) (Dec. 2008 - Nov. 2011).

Based on the success of the so-called NAP project of last year, stakeholders decided to continue it under the name “Teller Ede Program” with an enlarged consortium also including the Computer and Automation Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (SZTAKI) in addition to Collegium Budapest and Eötvös Loránd University. The project consists of basic and applied research, with the former being carried out at the Collegium in the form of “large international research collaborations” with a number of acknowledged foreign experts. Applied IT research are carried out at consortium partners Eötvös University and SZTAKI. Results and corresponding infrastructure support the data intensive basic research at the Collegium. Consortium leader for the Teller Program (for the entire consortium) is Zsolt Frei, project leader for the Teller Ede Fellowship Program is Permanent Fellow Eörs Szathmáry. Permanent Fellows Imre Kondor and Eörs Szathmary, as well as Zsolt Frei and Resident Fellow Gábor Vattay lead Focus Groups corresponding to their respective subprojects as follows: ‘Astrophysics’ - Zsolt Frei, ‘Complex Systems’ - Imre Kondor, ‘Biological networks: Evolvability of metabolic, genetic and neuronal networks’ - Eörs Szathmáry and ‘Large Complex Networks’ - Gábor Vattay.

More specifically, the afore-mentioned subprojects focus on the following issues: ‘Astrophysics’: the extention of the Laser Interferometer Graniteware Observatory’s (LIGO) Scientific Collaboration, and the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) project that is aimed at radio observations at low frequencies. The ’Complex Systems’ subprogram addresses some of the fundamental problems in complex systems and networks, e.g. the irreducibility of complex systems, or the problem of correlations in complex systems. Within the framework of the ‘Biological networks: Evolvability of metabolic, genetic and neuronal networks’ subprogram, researchers focus on - among other things - the theoretical analysis of the evolvability of compartments based on compositional and digital information carriers and also on the hypothesis that neuronal replicators exist in the brain and evolve by natural selection.

Collegium Budapest Principal Investigators are Frei, Zsolt (Fellow of Collegium Budapest), Kondor, Imre (Permanent Fellow of Collegium Budapest), Szathmáry, Eörs (Permanent Fellow of Collegium Budapest), Vattay, Gábor (Fellow of Collegium Budapest).

Astrobiology potential of Mars funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Hungarian Space Office (HSO) (Oct. 2008 - Jun. 2013).

The project titled "Mars Express, Dark Dune Spots and the Astrobiology Potential of Mars" is aimed at the further analysis of Dark Dune Spots with emphasis on the possibility that liquid water exists there on the one hand, and on cryptobiotic communities as earthly analogues, on the other. The main tasks are built on results gained in the first, phase of the project spanning between 2004 and 2007. Based on the observations of Mars probes, experiments in Mars simulation chambers, and discoveries of surviving strategy of earthly analogues, such ephemeral conditions may exist on Mars that are tolerable for hypothetic organisms. The DDS-MSO hypothesis propose that in springtime, during the retreat of the annual polar cap, thin ephemeral liquid water may appear on the surface of dune grains. At the same time, a 1-2 mm-thick grain layer shields the shallow subsurface from strong UV radiation, but lets through enough light for photosynthesis. The model explains the formation of the strange surface features called Dark Dune Spots, and the flow-like structures that emanate from them. In the course of the project the group will analyse pressure and temperature conditions on Mars, their changes on a daily and a seasonal basis, as well as the possibility of liquid water existing inside the porous material. Theoretical models of liquid, above all adsorbed water, as well as cryptobiotic crust, as an ideal environment, will be implemented into the model. Various survival strategies have already been identified that could show, how hypothetical organisms may survive the harsh environment of Mars. For more information on this project please visit http://www.colbud.hu/esa.

Focus Group leader is Eörs Szathmáry, Collegium Budapest Permanent Fellow. Other CB Fellow working on this project is Ákos Kereszturi. Hungarian scholars involved are Szaniszló Bérczi, (Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences), Tibor Gánti (emeritus), András Horváth (Budapest Planetarium), Sík András (Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences), and Tamás Pócs (emeritus, Eszterházy Teacher Training College, Eger).

SEA-EU-NET (Facilitating the Bi-Regional EU-ASEAN Science and Technology Dialogue), an FP 7 project funded by the European Commission (Jan. 2008 - Dec. 2011).

SEA-EU-NET will increase the quality, quantity, profile and impact of bi-regional Science and Technology (S&T) cooperation between the ten member countries of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Member- and Associated States of the European Union (EU). Thus, this project not only supports the internationalisation policy of the EU, and in particular the specific objectives of its Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development (FP7), but also contributes to the S&T foundation essential to the EU's political, economic and social objectives. The SEA-EU-NET project, supported by 23 key S&T institutions (15 participants and 8 members of the steering board), will deliver a wide range of measures to increase SEA-EU cooperation amongst academic and government stakeholders. Measures include the implementation of joint forums facilitating and strengthening the bi-regional and bi-lateral dialogue, analysing S&T structures and reporting to EU-presidencies in order to incorporate recent political developments and to generally highlight EU-ASEAN initiatives within the political decision making process. In addition the SEA-EU-NET builds a network of different stakeholders in the SEA region while at the same time linking it to other existing and upcoming ERA-, INCO-NET, and thematic EU-FP projects, thereby also facilitating the development of a coherent European-level approach towards international S&T cooperation. The main activities in which Collegium Budapest is involved are enhancing bi-regional policy dialogue; coordination of other EU and multi-lateral policies; analyses, monitoring and review; and the organisation of the 3rd EU-ASEAN Bi-regional S&T Policy Dialogue Platform in Budapest (2010). For mor information on this project click here.

The Hungarian Partner is Béla Kardon (Collegium Budapest).

INCORE (Integrating Cooperation Research across Europe -- Coordination Action) financed by the European Commission and the Hungarian work coordinated by Eörs Szathmáry (March 2007 - February 2010)

The objectives of this coordination action are, first, to draw up a strategic picture of research into cooperation across Europe; second, to bring diverse disciplines together in this enterprise; third, to bring the following entities into the field of research on cooperation: young scientists, groups from Eastern Europe, and women scientists in particular. This partnership comprises 27 members, from all parts of Europe, including representatives from many recent members of the Union including Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, as well as Associated Candidate countries (Romania) and Associated States (Switzerland). Participants will analyse and integrate recent developments in cooperation research from a broad theoretical perspective, with a view to drawing up a roadmap for future European research in this critical area of human activity. The study of cooperation encompasses a very wide range of expertise, from economic theory, mathematical modeling, molecular genetics, and evolutionary biology to the behavioural sciences, incorporating both animal and human studies. A deep understanding of human cooperation requires analysts to take a comprehensive view of the components of cooperation, and to foster a dialogue between groups who rarely communicate with each other about their different perspectives on this quintessentially human characteristic. In this Coordination Action participants aim to build a Europe-wide network of groups who are studying the phenomenon of cooperation from many different perspectives, and with diverse areas of expertise. They are building this network on the backbone of a number of STREPS currently supported within the FP6 NEST funding stream, under the rubric 'What it means to be Human'. Participants aim to reach out to researchers who are not yet part of a EU-funded consortium, in order to foster their scientific development and to raise standards within Eastern Europe in particular. It is a major objective of this project to encourage young researchers to learn about the opportunities available within the scientific community studying cooperation. They aim to identify women scientists whose careers may be directed and assisted by joining INCORE. They will hold collaborative meetings, facilitate exchanges of scientific staff, and fund studentships aimed at fostering collaborative pursuits in diverse countries and disciplines. Fore more on this project please click here.

Hungarian Partner: Dr. Szathmáry, Eörs (Permanent Fellow of Collegium Budapest).

For former research projects please click here.