Balázs Németh

Dr. habil Balázs Németh is a researcher in European adult and lifelong learning policy development and comparative adult education. He is Associate Professor and Reader in Lifelong Learning at the Faculty of Adult Education and HRD of the University of Pécs, graduated in History and English at the University of Pécs in 1995, received an MA in History from the State University of New York and Central-European University in Budapest and a postgraduate degree in European Law at the University of Pécs. He is Vice-Head of the Department of Adult Education, Head of the Regional Lifelong Learning Research Center of the Faculty, and represents the Faculty and the University in national and European research projects on adult continuing education and lifelong learning (e.g. Socrates Erasmus, Grundtvig and Tempus projects).

He has been working in the Faculty for almost two decades, and has participated joint European networks (e.g. EUCEN) and related projects, researching the role of higher education in adult and continuing education and lifelong learning (e.g. TheNUCE, EULLearN, ALPINE, EUROEDULT, DILLMULI, LILARA), and on curriculum development for adult educators (e.g. Socrates Grundtvig TEACH project – www.teach.pl). He is the official representative of the University of Pécs in EUCEN and EAEA. He has provided surveys on adult learning and education in Central-East Europe for the European Commission on Quality in the Adult Learning Sector, Policy Developments in Adult Education.

He is a founding member of the Hungarian Universities Lifelong Learning Network (MELLearN). Further research includes work in: Politics and Adult Education; Comparative Adult Education; History of Modern European Adult Education and Learning City-Region Developments in association with the global network of learning cities programme (GNLC) of UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, and PASCAL.

Balázs Németh has been the president since 2019 and member of Steering Committee of EUCEN, since 2015, being responsible for policy affairs and talks. He is a vice-Director of PASCAL International Observatory for Central-East Europe, Executive President of MELLearN and the current president of the Adult Education Sub-Commission of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.