The Hungarian Regional Science Association (MRTT) held its 23rd Annual Conference between October 30–31, 2025, in Veszprém, co-organized by the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Pannonia. Within the framework of the conference, the professional leads of the PHOENIX H2020 and the Interreg CE NiCE international projects held a joint professional and scientific forum. The session thus became an integral part of the most important annual assembly of Hungarian regional science, creating a bridge between international research trends and domestic settlement development practices.
The theoretical foundation of the forum was based on the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Goal 12 (SDG12 – Responsible Consumption and Production). The starting point for the professional dialogue was the statistical fact that over 57% of the world's population already lives in urban areas; therefore, interventions at the settlement level are crucial for the global green transition. In the spirit of the New Leipzig Charter, which was referenced several times during the presentations, participants emphasized that the shift toward green cities requires not only technological investments but also fundamental changes in production and consumption patterns to enable a resource-efficient, waste-free economy.
The professional program covered a highly diverse range of research areas, representing the most important workshops of the academic sphere. Gyula Nagy (University of Szeged) analysed the incentives and barriers to community-based green area and settlement development in Hungary, while Mariann Szabó (Budapest University of Technology and Economics) presented innovative development opportunities for urban services through the "University Living Lab" concept. The renewal of the physical environment and built heritage also played a prominent role: Fruzsina Bozsoki (Budapest University of Technology and Economics) explored the sustainability aspects of brownfield revitalization, and Linda Katona (Eötvös Loránd University /Institute of Advanced Studies Kőszeg) shared lessons regarding building renewals and "found spaces" implemented during the Veszprém-Balaton 2023 European Capital of Culture year.
Among the regional and methodological approaches, Nándor Zoltán Tráser (University of Szeged) presented the aspects of the green transition in the Balaton region and the local application of the "farm-to-table" concept. A unique theoretical framework was introduced by the joint research of Kiss Gabriella Katalin (Corvinus University of Budapest) and GreenFormation, which described the experiences and participatory processes of the "Doughnut Economics" model in Budapest. Noémi Csigéné Nagypál and Zsófia Torma (Budapest University of Technology and Economics) illustrated the daily feasibility of a sustainable and circular lifestyle through a selected district example.
The forum's conclusion reinforced the core message of the MRTT Annual Conference: the success of the urban circular economy lies in the harmonization of education, awareness-raising, and conscious action planning, where knowledge sharing between the academic sphere and local stakeholders serves as the engine of development.