Hanban provides a $150,000 USD grant for the establishment of the Confucius Institute at University of Miskolc

Project narrative

On April 25, 2013, the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban) and the University of Miskolc signed an agreement to establish the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc. As part of the agreement, Hanban provided USD 150,000 in start-up funding, 3,000 volumes of teaching materials, and numbers Chinese language teachers. Hanban also provides annual funding based on the needs of the institute. The funds are dispersed through a local Bank of China account or other approved bank account created by the institute. The agreement has a 5-year validity and automatically renews at the end of every 5-year term. On August 23, 2013, the University of Miskolc and the Beijing University of Chemical Technology -- the cooperating partner -- signed a supplementary implementation agreement. Beijing University of Chemical Technology agreed to provide two to four visiting scholars annually, provide some financial support, donate teaching materials, and receive student study groups. The Chinese state-owned company, Wanhua-BorsodChem Zrt. Group, also financially supplemented the founding of the Institute. The day after on August 24, 2013, the Confucius Institute at the University of Miskolc was officially opened as marked by an opening ceremony. This was the third Confucius Institute to open in Hungary. The Institute aims to promote Chinese-Hungarian relations and to familiarize university students with the Chinese language and culture. Students at the University of Miskolc can study the Chinese language for free, learn the writing system, and participate in a number of cultural programs. On October 11, 2018, a ceremony was held to document the five year anniversary of the founding of the Institute, which had not only become an integral part of the life of the university in the past five years, but it also actively participates in the education of primary and secondary school pupils who are interested in Chinese, as well as in the training of the region's employees.