The political transition in Hungary in 1989 led to political, economic, and social changes; with the emergence of the basic idea in public opinion that the borders of the Hungarian nation do not coincide with the Hungarian state borders, and that the Hungarians living outside the national borders are also part of the Hungarian nation. The Hungarian Academy of Sciences took its share of this process. The 2009 amendments of Act XL of 1994 on the Hungarian Academy of Sciences included the issue of Hungarian science in the ethnic Hungarian regions abroad in the range of the Academy’s public duties in the following wording: the Academy “shall liaise with scholars living abroad who pursue research in Hungarian and on Hungarian topics, and shall support Hungarian science in the ethnic Hungarian regions”. Thus, liaising with an effort to support Hungarian science in the ethnic Hungarian regions abroad is a public duty that the Academy set forth in law. Twenty years ago the Academy’s “Hungarian Science Abroad Presidential Committee” was set up to represent these issues. This 20th anniversary is a good occasion to evaluate and confirm further priorities.

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