The Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE) was established on 1 February 2021 under Acts CXLII and CXLIX of 2020 and is maintained by a foundation set up for the university. It carries on the traditions of its legal predecessor, Szent István University. Its central campus is the Szent István Campus in Gödöllő, with further campuses in Budapest (Buda), Gyöngyös, Kaposvár and Keszthely. Dr. Csaba Gyuricza is Rector.
MATE has 20 institutes. It says its research covers agricultural, engineering and food sciences, viticulture and oenology, horticulture, genetics, plant breeding and protection, animal husbandry and wildlife management, aquaculture, rural development and water management. Institutes include the Institute of Agronomy, the Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology, the Institute of Plant Protection and the Institute of Animal Sciences.
When the university was formed, 11 research institutes of the National Agricultural Research and Innovation Centre and the Karcag Research Institute of the University of Debrecen joined it. The Research Institute of Karcag reports directly to the Rector.