On 22 September the Institute for Advanced Family Studies (IESF) signed a cooperation agreement with the Maria Kopp Institute (KINGS) for Family Studies, located in Budapest. KINGS is an Institute that is directly linked to the Hungarian Ministry for the Family, and is dedicated to research and knowledge transfer in the field of demographics and family policies. By signing this agreement, UIC Barcelona has become the first international academic partner of the Hungarian Institute.
The agreement provides for cooperation between the two Institutes in the field of research and teaching, an area in which KINGS wishes to expand in the coming years, by introducing higher-level family studies to the country.
The Maria Kopp Institute specialises in demographic and family policy studies. Hungary is one of the most successful European countries in terms of implementing family policies aimed at reversing the continent’s widespread demographic decline. It is therefore an international benchmark in this area. On the other hand, the IESF at UIC Barcelona is the only Institute for Family Studies that is involved in studying family policies.
Gergely Ekler, Secretary of State for the Ministry of Family was at the press conference on the occasion of the signing of the agreement and highlighted the country’s achievements over the last ten years in terms of the implementation of effective family policies, and he encouraged continued work on family policies based on science.
Additionally, the President of the Hungarian Institute, Ms Tünde Fürész, underlined the importance of academic cooperation at an international level, with the possibility of adding new educational programmes on family policies. The Director of the IESF, Dr Montserrat Gas, underlined the importance of following models such as the one in Hungary as far as the implementation of effective family policies is concerned. In addition, she expressed her thanks for the opportunity to strengthen ties with an Institute of recognised prestige that works with the public authorities by offering scientific knowledge that can be transferred to society.
