BME’s mission is to contribute to energy challenges with effective solutions through its research programmes. Problems like the global increase of energy demand, the limited reserves of traditional oil and natural gas, the increase in emissions of ‘greenhouse gases’ as the cause of climate change, the destructive propensity of fluctuation in oil prices and the geopolitical instability of source regions justify the urge for finding and formulating solutions.

The most crucial is to secure the sustainability of energy supply – its competitiveness, its security of supply, environmental and climate protection – in balance with the financial pressure imposed on society.

Strategic Objectives of the Research Activity

• Promotion of Information Exchange;
• Configuration of Technology Programs;
• More Efficient Preparation for Decision-making;
• Networking;
• Creation and Operation of Research - Inspired Networks.

While achieving strategic goals, BME is aspired to maintain its leader role as well as to strengthen cooperation with industry partners on RDI projects and to join the new Széchenyi Development Plan.

Competitiveness

The aim of the energy policy and energy research is to contribute to Hungary’s growth of economic competitiveness in comparison with other EU member states and with the rest of the world.

Environment and Climate Protection

In relation to the environment and climate protection, energy policy and energy decision-making should focus on cutting CO2 emission and keeping pollution level down. Researches should be directed toward the consistent evaluation system of various energy technologies and should favour technology implementations, which fall into the carbon – neutral category, while imposing low level of pollutant emission on their local environment.

Supply Security

Supply security is a vital aspect of energy research strategy and of national energy policies. Research supports a structural formation of energy sources, in which the domestic sources remain (or increase if possible) and the content of import becomes more balanced, diverse in origin and comes form a secure source and location.

Research Organisation and Methodology

BME staff with expertise in energy research located across a range of departments form interdisciplinary groups, which is also supported by an innovative management structure.

Implications and Suggestions

Based on the goals of the research strategy, suggestions for education and research can be divided into 4 groups:

Research

Current BME energy researches lay out the fundaments for the successful completion of the strategic objectives. The research fields and aims are the following:

Competitiveness. Contribution to a cost effective energy supply that reinforces sustainable development; increasing energy efficiency; developing a knowledge- base for energy policy 

Environment and climate protection. Decreasing global and local pollutant emissions; carbon-free and carbon neutral electricity production and its system level support; cogeneration; increasing and complex utilization of renewable energy sources

Supply security. Safe nuclear energy; limitation of natural gas use; increased use of domestic fuels

Education

Research findings and experiences are constantly built in the education. Msc. and PhD students progressively participate in university researches. Jointly with our industrial partners, we set-up and run a motivation programme in order to support the career growth of talented youth.

Knowledge transfer

Information exchange plays a vital role in the co-operation between the university and its industrial partners (multinational companies or SMEs). In relation to research, it is worthwhile to exploit the opportunities offered by the knowledge transfer infrastructure of the university and also to actively participate in further improving this system. Besides, the continuous development of cooperation among research facilities within the university is our priority.

Cooperation

We enlarge the cooperation with new partners and improve it among BME, other domestic and foreign research facilities (universities, research institutes) as well as national and international energy and energy policy organisations.