Since the 1940s, high-quality scientific research on outer space has been carried out in Hungary. In the last two decades, however, social science research has not been in focus. The University of Public Service of Hungary wanted to close this gap by creating an independent research institute with the aim of researching and teaching space law and policy.

As far as research, our insitute aims to reinforce regional and international cooperation. Our focus is on legal and security issues related to outer space. We’re national point of contact of the ESA’s European Center for Space Law (ECSL) since 2020. We organize regularly scientific events, conferences in Hungarian and English languages. In October 2022, we organised a major international conference on European Space Policy in cooperation with Université Paris Saclay. In 2023 we organized an international conference on the topic ’space and defence’. Our university hosted the European Space Law and Policy Summer School 2023 organized by ECSL.

As far as education, our researchers offer courses on space law and space economy for MA students. We’ve published in 2022 the first book on space law in Hungarian language, with educational purpose, since 1964. Moreover, our university is the coordinator of the UNISPACE program, allying 17 Hungarian universities, offering four specialized three semesters trainings on space policy, space sciences, space engineering and space medicine. We also put an emphasis on talent management.

ECSL has selected our university as the host of the European Space Law and Policy Summer School 2023.