The Faculty of Economics and Finance at the University of Economics in Bratislava is constantly trying to push the boundaries of international cooperation and offer its students access to the latest knowledge and experience from different corners of the world. One of the latest steps that will significantly enrich the study options is the conclusion of a double degree agreement with the SolBridge International School of Business at Woosong University in South Korea for the Finance, Banking and Insurance study programme. This double degree offers the opportunity to gain education and practical experience from a dynamic Asian environment, which can significantly influence students' future career options.

Professor Daron Acemoglu of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics for his research on the impact of institutions on prosperity.

In 2022, a team of researchers from the Department of Economic Policy at the Faculty of Economics and Finance of the University of Economics in Bratislava was one of the first research teams in the Slovak Republic to receive funding for a bilateral project entitled: "Implications of automation for the labour market in the United States and the European Union", within the MIT - Slovakia Seed Fund (MISTI Global funds for Slovakia) grant programme, which was established in 2019 by the Ministry of Investment, Regional Development and Informatisation of the Slovak Republic together with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The project between NHF EUBA and MIT ran from 1st. May 2022 to 31st. January 2024. On the EUBA side it was led by doc. Martin Lábaj from the Faculty of Economics, and on the MIT side, the team of researchers and students was led by prof. Daron Acemoglu, today's Nobel Laureate in Economics.

"According to the RePec database, Daron Acemoglu is one of the top 3 most renowned economists in the world. The opportunity to work directly with him and his team on the project was an incredible success for us, a great challenge and at the same time an obligation to raise the level of research in our department to a new level," said Martin Lábaj, the project leader on the Slovak side.

In addition to Professor Acemoglu, Simon Johnson and James A. Robinson were also awarded the Nobel Prize. According to the Swedish Academy, this year's laureates in economics have demonstrated the importance of social institutions for a country's prosperity. Societies with a poor rule of law and institutions that exploit the population do not generate growth or change for the better. The research of the laureates helps us to understand why.

The Nobel Prize in Economics is not one of the original prizes established in 1895 in the will of Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite. It has been awarded since 1968 and most of its winners have been Americans.

The Faculty of Economics and Fincaance of University of Economics in Bratislava joins in congratulating Prof. Acemoglu on his prestigious award.

Clara and Eduard spent a full academic year at NHF EUBA as part of a double degree programme with the University of Pavia in Italy. In this interview, they share their unique experiences and insights into academic and cultural differences. They reveal the opportunities that studying in Bratislava offered them and how they enjoyed their time in Bratislava. We have been working with the University of Pavia on double diploma programmes for a number of years and we are delighted that our group of international students has been enriched by students from Italy. Read more in the interview.

The faculty round of the Student Scientific and Professional Activity (sk abbr. ŠVOČ) took place on 12th April in a hybrid format. Nine students participated in this year's event, including D. Péli, B. Horosz, M. Hajdučková, V. Hnilicová, D. Miženko, B. Gerát, M. Majerčák, J. Šimčisko and M. Kutiš.

The presentations were evaluated by an expert committee consisting of Assoc. Prof. Ing. Silvia Šipikalová, PhD (chair) and members Ing. Peter Leško, PhD., Ing. Andrej Cupák, PhD., MA. Peter Tóth, PhD. and Patrik Klimáček (Student Parliament of the NHF EU in Bratislava). The committee evaluated the presentations based on the relevance of the topic, the scientific contribution, the originality, the quality of the presentation and the students' responses to questions from the committee and the audience. Based on a comprehensive evaluation of the defence of the students' work and taking into account expert opinions, the committee members decided on the ranking of the students' work.

Boris Gerát (EaP) with his work "Neural Networks Reshaping Business Cycle Studies: Identifying Turning Points and Recapitalising Research" emerged as the winner of the ŠVOČ at the undergraduate level. At the graduate level, Juraj Šimčisko's paper on "Correction of non-randomly selected sample in entry models" was judged the best ŠVOČ paper.

Other ŠVOČ papers dealt with interesting topics such as "Effects on macroeconomic indicators of changing the focus from direct to indirect taxes"; "How do we educate the youngest economists - principles of economic science hidden in Slovak folk tales"; "Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine on financial well-being in the context of economic factors in Slovakia"; "Voter turnout as a localisation factor for non-governmental organisations in Slovakia"; "Effects of monetary policy on the stock market"; "Unleashing academic potential: Analysing the Efficiency of R&D Expenditure in Economics Faculties and the Pivotal Role of Specialised Research Institutions"; "Redistribution, Inequality and Economic Growth". The winners of the faculty round advanced with their papers to the university-wide ŠVOČ EU in Bratislava.

The ŠVOČ faculty round was enriched by the presentations of students nominated by the Faculty of Economics of Prague University of Economics and Business. Student Ing. Lubor Šimůnek presented the topic "Impact of cryptocurrency inflation on the economic performance of cryptocurrencies", while student Bc. Kateřina Miškovská presented the topic "Analysis of the coordination of monetary and fiscal policy in the USA from 1945 to 1975 in the context of the economic cycle". Similarly, the winners of the faculty round presented their work at the event "Competition for the Dean's Prize of the Faculty of Economy at the University of Economics in Prague for the year 2024" as part of the long-standing cooperation between NHF EU in Bratislava and NF of Prague University of Economics and Business.

Ranking of the prize-winning ŠVOČ papers at the undergraduate level:

  1. Boris Gerát (Economy and Law program) - Neural Networks Reshaping Business Cycle Research: Identifying turning points and recapitalising research
  2. Dávid Miženko (Applied Economics program) - The impact of monetary policy on the stock market
  3. Dominik Péli (Economy and Law program) - Impact on macroeconomic indicators of a shift in focus from direct to indirect taxes

Ranking of the prize-winning ŠVOČ papers at the graduate level:

  1. Juraj Šimčisko (Applied Economics program) - Correction of non-random sample in entry models
  2. Marco Majerčák (Applied Economics program) - Unlocking academic potential: Analysis of R&D spending efficiency in economics faculties and the key role of specialised research institutions
  3. Michal Kutiš (Applied Economics program) - Redistribution, Inequality and Economic Growth

We would like to thank all the students who participated in ŠVOČ, congratulate the winners of each category and highly appreciate the quality of all the results, which represent various research areas that we focus on at the Faculty of National Economy, University of Economics in Bratislava.

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