The STREAM IT project, funded by Horizon Europe, aims to promote the participation of girls and women in STEAM education, research and innovation through inclusive educational opportunities, mentoring and science communication activities. As the coordinator of the STREAM IT project, HÉTFA is responsible for the overall professional and operational coordination of the project while actively contributing to the implementation of educational programmes, mentoring activities, science communication initiatives and international cooperation.

The international final was preceded by a project partners’ meeting, during which members of the STREAM IT consortium reviewed the project’s progress, exchanged experiences and discussed the professional and communication activities related to the project’s final phase. During the afternoon competition, each finalist had eight minutes to present their research in a way that remained scientifically accurate while being clear, engaging and accessible to a wider audience. A multidisciplinary jury evaluated the presentations based on scientific content, presentation style, creativity and communication skills. The jury consisted of Dr. Bálint Molnár, Director of Communications at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics and Assistant Professor at the Department of Management and Business Economics; Nikoletta Bozsik-Nagy, science and technology journalist at Telex; and Dr. Nóra Abrankó-Rideg, Director of Grants and Proposals at the Hungarian Dance University, chemist, educator and mentor at the Milestone Institute.

The competition featured research from a wide range of scientific disciplines, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, medicine, sustainable agriculture, materials science and aerospace engineering. Daryna Aihars (Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University, Ukraine) won first prize with her presentation Modern Approaches to Solving the Problem of the Sonic Boom in Supersonic Flight. Agnes Warmuth (Lund University, Sweden) received second prize for Every Dot Counts, while Solveiga Samulenaite (Vilnius University, Lithuania) was awarded third prize for The Role of the Gut Microbiota in the Development of Eating Disorders. Once again, the competition highlighted the vital role of science communication in making research understandable, engaging and relevant to society.

Recordings of all presentations are available on the STREAM IT YouTube channel.

The Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of youth mental health, presenting experiences from countries across the Danube Region while exploring opportunities to further strengthen mental health support systems.

The publication offers an in-depth analysis of the current situation and highlights the key challenges faced by adolescents and young adults, as well as the systems supporting them. Research shows that 50% of mental health conditions emerge before the age of 14, while 75% develop before the age of 24. The COVID-19 pandemic, digitalisation, economic uncertainty and broader social changes have further increased the pressures affecting younger generations, underlining the importance of strengthening prevention and early intervention.

The Handbook also examines the main challenges facing existing support systems, including shortages of mental health professionals, regional disparities in access to services, the stigma surrounding mental health, and the difficulties marginalised groups—such as early school leavers and young people from Roma communities—often face in accessing appropriate support. Alongside identifying these challenges, it presents practical recommendations, good practices and policy proposals aimed at improving mental health support systems for young people. 

Read the MEET Youth Mental Health Handbook.

SECURE 2 aims to pilot and implement recommendations for the European Framework for Research Careers (ERCF) to improve research career progression and mobility within research-performing organizations (RPOs) and research-funding organizations (RFOs).

This issue presents the project’s latest research findings on job security, career pathways, and employment conditions in the context of research careers, while also highlighting recent project activities, events, and publications. The Bulletin offers valuable insights into the policy and research initiatives that contribute to shaping the future research labour market and promoting sustainable research careers across Europe.

The project is implemented with the participation of HÉTFA Research Institute and is funded by the Horizon Europe programme.

Read the second issue here:
https://secureproject.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/SECURE2-Bulletin-draft-JUNE-2026.pdf

To learn more about the SECURE2 project’s activities, results, and latest news, visit the project’s official website: https://secureproject.eu/

One of the project’s key outcomes is the MindCraft game, which helps young people explore mental health-related topics in an interactive and engaging way. The game aims to bring the topic of mental well-being closer to young people, encourage self-reflection, and promote a more open and informed approach to mental health.

MindCraft was developed through the cooperation of project partners, taking into account the experiences and needs of young people across the Danube Region. The game is available in multiple languages, including the languages of all partner countries, English, and several Roma language versions, helping to ensure broad accessibility and inclusiveness.

The game is available here: https://www.meetmindcraft.eu/en

A key focus of the workshop was the presentation of work carried out in the six pilot territories in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine. Partners shared updates on stakeholder engagement, youth outreach activities, skills needs assessments, the establishment of Local Cooperation Incubators, and the preparation of training, mentoring and employment-support measures.

The meeting also created space for peer learning and joint reflection on the challenges encountered during the first phase of implementation. Good practice examples from Slovakia offered further inspiration, including initiatives related to entrepreneurship education, financial literacy, mentoring programmes and community-based youth support services. The programme was complemented by a study visit to the Community Centre and Clubroom in Plavecký Štvrtok, where partners gained first-hand insight into local approaches supporting vulnerable groups through educational, social and youth-focused services.

HÉTFA participates as a partner in the COOPOWER project, implemented with the support of the Interreg Danube Region Programme and co-funded by the European Union and the Széchenyi Programme Office. The project aims to strengthen employment opportunities for vulnerable young people across the Danube Region and to support cooperative approaches involving local actors, service providers, educational institutions, employers and communities. The Bratislava meeting confirmed the importance of building on local experience while developing solutions that can also inspire action in other territories.

For further news, professional content and events related to the COOPOWER project, subscribe to the project newsletter: https://interreg-danube.eu/projects/coopower.

The dashboard presents the concept of territorial resilience (Conceptualization), a comprehensive, interactive statistical interface that displays indicators of territorial resilience in Europe at the regional level (Statistics), the different stories of how resilience has been manifested and interpreted in various territorial contexts (Stories), the results of the case studies conducted within the project (Case Studies), the assessment tools developed (Assessment), and related terminology (Documentation – Glossary). The further results of the research (including the Final Report) are publicly available on the ESPON website.

In recent years, the concept of “resilience” has become embedded in the policy discourse of the European Union, but there’s still no common agreement on the actual meaning of the term and its application in territorial governance practice. The aim of the ESPON TERRES project was to fill this research gap and develop a conceptual framework for “territorial resilience,” outlining a measurement methodology that could potentially help guide EU cohesion and other sectoral policies, particularly at the subnational level.

As a result, the project team defined a comprehensive concept of territorial resilience, reviewed its current policy applications and possibilities, compiled a set of indicators suitable for measuring territorial resilience, and developed recommendations for future data collection. Analysed and mapped territorial inequalities in resilience; formulated recommendations for future research and methodology; and prepared an online dashboard to support the interpretation and measurement of territorial resilience.

Six case studies were also prepared within the framework of the project: HÉTFA staff addressed the challenges of the Budapest functional urban area, including intensive suburbanization and urban sprawl, overburdened infrastructure, public services and natural environment, and fragmented governance. To address these challenges, the project proposed a framework to strengthen cooperation and commitment among governance actors. The Budapest case identified valuable new initiatives, promising forms of cooperation, and the high added value of informal relationships, highlighting the role of proactive actors in resilience.

The keynote presentation was delivered by Martin Lichte, the senior policy officer at the European Social Network (ESN), who provided an overview of workforce trends and structural challenges affecting social services across Europe.

The presentation highlighted that social services workers represent approximately 5% of the total EU workforce, while the sector remains significantly undervalued, underfunded, and characterised by difficult working conditions. It was also emphasised that 80-90% of the workforce is women, the average age of workers is above 45 in many countries (somewhere 55+), and the demand for long-term care services continues to rise across Europe.

Several innovative European good practices were presented during the keynote session, including community-based preventive care models, respite care programmes supporting family carers, and examples of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in social services. The presentation stressed that technological developments in care services must remain accessible, ethical, inclusive, and human-centred, while reducing administrative burdens and supporting independent living.

The second part of the event featured a presentation by the lead partner of the CARES project, Claudia Petrescu (Center for Not-for-profit Law), who introduced the main findings of the project’s transnational benchmark research examining social and health care systems in the project’s partner countries – Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, and Romania. The research highlighted that population ageing, increasing care needs, and workforce shortages are placing growing pressure on care systems across all four countries.

One of the main findings of the research was that social care workers remain highly dedicated to their profession, while burnout, emotional exhaustion, and secondary traumatic stress are reaching alarming levels in several countries, including Hungary. Survey participants identified excessive workload, low salaries, staff shortages, administrative burdens, and insufficient organisational support as the main sources of stress.

The moderated breakout discussions also provided an opportunity for participants to share national experiences and formulate recommendations. In the Hungarian discussion group, participants highlighted the lack of social recognition for social work, the need for stronger cooperation between organisations within the sector, and concerns regarding the weakening of professional qualification requirements in social services. Hungarian participants also stressed the importance of strengthening university-level social work education and improving coordination between the social, health, and education sectors.

Among the recommendations formulated during the discussions were improving salaries and working conditions, strengthening institutional support for workers’ mental well-being, expanding mentoring and training opportunities, and increasing the social recognition of care professions.

The outcomes of the event will contribute to the CARES project’s further professional development and the preparation of future policy recommendations.

The project will continue in the coming months with additional professional events and a second Online Policy Lab to strengthen international exchange and share good practice through individual presentations by professionals working in the social care sector.

Regarding the upcoming events, more information will be shared with you soon.

You can find the CARES project’s Benchmark Report on Social Care Sectors at the National and EU Level here: CARES_Benchmark_report_on_social_care_sectors_Transnational.

The modules themselves form part of a broader digital learning ecosystem, offering flexible, self-paced training aligned with the European Competence Framework for Research Managers (RM COMP) launched last year by the European Commission. The EARMA Academy is structured across different proficiency levels – from foundational (RM1) to advanced (RM3) – and combine conceptual knowledge with applied learning elements such as case studies, practical exercises, and assessments. This design enables learners to build competencies progressively while maintaining a strong connection to the operational realities of managing research and innovation projects in diverse institutional settings. The result is a set of e-learning modules that not only support continuous professional development but also contribute to the broader professionalisation and recognition of the research management and administration field in Europe.

You can discover the online learning hub here: https://formation-rma.eu/earma-academy/ 

You can learn more about the EARMA Academy here: https://earma.org/earma-academy/ 

The workshop, entitled “Identifying Key User Groups & Developing an Exploitation Strategy for the Benchmark and Gap Analysis Report”, aimed to help project partners jointly identify the potential users of SECURE2’s first Key Exploitable Result, the Benchmark and Gap Analysis Report, and define practical steps to maximise its uptake and impact.

SECURE2 (Sustainable Careers for Researcher Empowerment 2) is a Horizon Europe project that aims to make research careers more sustainable and attractive across Europe. Through the project, partners are working on the implementation of a common Research Career Framework (RCF) that supports researchers’ professional development and institutional reforms.

During the Szczecin meeting, consortium members reviewed the achievements of the project’s first year, discussed recent European policy developments related to research careers, and exchanged experiences from the implementation of pilot actions. 

Those interested can follow the latest SECURE2 results and news through the project’s website and LinkedIn page.

The goal of the DECONSTRUCT project was to raise public awareness and promote critical thinking about Holocaust distortion. The project conducted comprehensive research on the manifestations of Holocaust distortion and its presence in education in Greece, Hungary, Italy, and Portugal. Based on the research findings, we developed innovative educational materials and online campaigns to raise social awareness and foster critical thinking, with particular attention to Holocaust distortion.

During the Budapest meeting, partners reviewed the achieved results, including key outputs of each work package, and evaluated project management, implemented activities, and their impact. Interactive World Café sessions, led by Zachor and HÉTFA, provided a space for participants to discuss project content, results, as well as key challenges and experiences.

HÉTFA Research Institute participates in the project as a partner and actively contributes to content development, project evaluation, and the preparation of the final report and sustainability plan. On the second day of the meeting, HÉTFA provided guidance to partners on preparing the final report and, together with Zachor Foundation, led the development of the sustainability plan and the final coordination discussions.

The project is funded by the European Union under the CERV programme. We would like to thank all partners for their dedicated work and cooperation, which made the successful implementation of the project possible.