HUN-REN was established to manage and operate a centrally funded, independent research network that is a cornerstone of Hungarian scientific life. The researchers of its eleven research centers and seven research institutes, as well as its 116 supported research groups operating at universities and other public institutions, are in the fields of mathematics and natural sciences, life sciences, and they carry out basic and applied research in the most diverse areas of the humanities and social sciences. The Scientific Council supports the work of the Governing Board, comments on proposals of strategic importance prepared for the Governing Board, prepares strategic proposals and carries out an annual evaluation and decides on the powers delegated to it by the Governing Board.