Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law

What Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law does

The Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law (MFI) is a Hungarian government research institution established in 2019 under the Ministry of Justice of Hungary, headquartered in Budapest at 1054 Budapest, Báthory utca 10. The institute is named after Ferenc Mádl, an emblematic figure of Hungarian comparative law, internationally renowned legal scholar, and the second President of Hungary (2000-2005). Its core mission is to provide scientifically rigorous background support for modern domestic legislation and judicial application of law in Hungary, while facilitating comparative legal research across Central and Eastern Europe. The institute does not operate on a commercial revenue model and does not sell products or services; all publications and research outputs are made available for academic purposes.

The institute's product portfolio consists of five specialized research groups (sustainable nature and animal protection, European courts analysis, private law, family law, and labor market law phenomena), four publication series (Modern Comparative Legal Trends, Studies of the Ferenc Mádl Institute/FONTES IURIS, Legal Heritage, and Other Publications), and academic conference/event organization services. Core technology consists of academic comparative law research methodology. The institute distributes outputs through DOI-enabled open access downloads, physical printing through OOK-Press Nyomdaipari Kft. in Veszprém, and academic conferences held in Budapest and across Central Europe.

The institute serves four primary customer segments: the Hungarian government and judiciary (providing legislative drafting support and judicial analysis), the academic and research community (legal scholars and researchers), EU institutions and international organizations (requiring comparative legal analysis), and legal practitioners (seeking continuing legal education). Its institutional partnerships span the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, Polish Institute of Justice, Greek Institute for International and Foreign Law, Max Planck Institute, University of Santiago de Compostela, University of Debrecen, University of Miskolc, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and national comparative law associations across Central Europe, with the Central European Academy serving as the primary co-organizational partner coordinating the Central European Professors' Network.

Name

Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law

Legal name

MÁDL FERENC ÖSSZEHASONLÍTÓ JOGI INTÉZET

Website

https://mfi.gov.hu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law is a Hungarian government research institution under the Ministry of Justice, established in 2019 in Budapest. It conducts comparative law scholarship across five research groups and four publication series, serving the Hungarian judiciary, legal academia, EU institutions, and practitioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Legal Research Services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (54111), Legal Services (5411), International Affairs (92812)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAHAIAJ

Law School Research Centers & Institutes (e.g., Law & Economics, Human Rights)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Law Schools

SECONDARYEDAGAFAG

Law & Legal Studies Scholarly Publishing

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Academic & Scholarly Publishing (Journals, Monographs)

SECONDARYEDAGAFAL

Conference Proceedings & Research Reports Publishing

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Academic & Scholarly Publishing (Journals, Monographs)

Keywords

• Comparative law research
• Legal scholarship publications
• Academic research institute
• Legislative policy support
• Central european legal studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Budapest

HQ country

Hungary

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law is a Hungarian government research institution that conducts comparative legal research, publishes scholarly works, and organizes academic conferences to provide scientific background support for modern domestic legislation and judicial application of law in Hungary. Its core deliverables include four academic publication series, five specialized research groups covering private law, family law, labor market law, European courts analysis, and sustainable nature/animal protection, plus recurring academic events such as the annual Wandering Comparative Law Conference. The institute focuses particularly on Central and Eastern European legal traditions and serves Hungarian government bodies, the judiciary, the academic community, and EU institutions.

Product overview

The Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law (MFI) is a Hungarian research institute established in 2019 that operates as an academic publisher and research organization. Its portfolio consists of four publication series (Modern Comparative Legal Trends, Studies of the Ferenc Mádl Institute, Legal Heritage, and Other Publications), five specialized research groups, and conference/event organization services. The institute focuses on comparative law research particularly related to Central and Eastern Europe, with publications available in both English and Hungarian.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Modern Comparative Legal Trends
• Studies of the Ferenc Mádl Institute Book series publishing the most significant research results of colleagues of the Ferenc Mádl Institute of Comparative Law in English, focusing on Central and Eastern European legal issues.
• Legal Heritage Book series publishing significant results of research related to historical sources of law in Central and Eastern Europe, primarily concerning legal history.
• Other Publications Academic publications providing a platform for scholars in Hungary and Central and Eastern Europe to publish their research.
• Research Groups Five specialized research groups covering sustainable nature and animal protection, European courts analysis, private law, family law, and labor market law phenomena, conducting comparative legal research to support the institute's mission.
• Conferences and Events Organization of international conferences, workshops, and scientific events on comparative law topics including family law, digital transformation, migration, and EU governance.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Santiago de CompostelacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2026Collaborative research on third-country workers in the EU; staff participation in research workshops; joint academic exchange with Spanish labor law researchers. Workshop focused on current labor law regulation challenges and comparative law analysis of labor law enforcement.
• University of Debrecen Faculty of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Co-organizer of the VIIth Wandering Comparative Law Conference on sustainability, legal enforcement, legal innovations, and public interest; hosted conference sessions at the institution.
• Hungarian Lawyers Association (Magyar Jogász Egylet) - Family Law SectioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Co-organized conference on artificial intelligence and civil litigation; joint professional conference on AI in the courtroom.
• Swiss Institute of Comparative Law (Institut Suisse de Droit Comparé)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Model institution for the establishment of MFI; operates under the Federal Ministry of Justice; provided framework for comparative law research methodology.
• Polish Institute of Justice (Instytut Wymiaru Sprawiedliwości)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Model institution for MFI establishment; operates under the Polish Ministry of Justice; contributed to comparative law research framework development.
• Greek Institute for International and Foreign LawcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Model institution referenced during MFI establishment; specializes in international and foreign law comparative studies.
• Max Planck InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Referenced as a model for certain aspects of MFI operations; major German research institute for comparative and foreign law.
• European Public Law Organization (EPLO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as institutional partner; international organization focused on public law scholarship.
• Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as institutional partner; international dispute resolution organization.
• Central European AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary co-organizational partner for multiple conferences and research initiatives; coordinates the Central European Professors' Network; joint conferences on EU law, family law, migration, economic governance, and constitutional topics.
• University of Miskolc Faculty of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular co-organizer of academic conferences and research events; partner in the Central European Professors' Network; hosts joint conferences on various comparative law topics.
• Central-European Association for Comparative LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for comparative law conferences and research activities across Central Europe.
• Hungarian Academy of Sciences - Miskolc Regional CommitteeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in academic conferences and research initiatives; supports scholarly activities in legal sciences.
• Hungarian Association for Comparative LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization for comparative law conferences and events.
• Slovak Association for Comparative LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner organization for comparative law research in Slovakia.
• Scientific Association for Comparative Law PolandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner organization for comparative law research in Poland.
• Association for the Advancement of Comparative Law Researches in SerbiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner organization for comparative law research in Serbia.
• Romanian Association for Comparative LawminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partner organization for comparative law research in Romania.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• University of Miskolc Faculty of Law: Regular co-organizer of MFI conferences and partner in the Central European Professors' Network; several MFI research group leaders are university professors there, creating tight academic overlap.
• University of Debrecen Faculty of Law: Co-organizer of MFI's VIIth Wandering Comparative Law Conference on sustainability and legal innovation; an emerging academic partner with growing comparative law programming.

Direct peers

• Hellenic Institute of International and Foreign Law: Greek institute specializing in international and foreign law research; referenced as a model institution for MFI and shares a national-anchored comparative law research mandate.
• Polish Institute of Justice (Instytut Wymiaru Sprawiedliwości): Polish Ministry of Justice research institute focused on justice systems and comparative law; another core model institution for MFI, with comparable mandate and ministry affiliation.
• Central European Academy: Primary co-organizational partner of MFI; coordinates the Central European Professors' Network and joint conferences on EU law, family law, migration, and constitutional topics — a directly comparable CEE-oriented academic network.
• Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law: Germany's leading comparative and international private law research institute; explicitly referenced as a model for MFI's establishment and a benchmark in the European comparative law field.
• Swiss Institute of Comparative Law (Institut Suisse de Droit Comparé): Federally-supported Swiss comparative law institute operating under the Federal Ministry of Justice; primary model institution for MFI and one of the most established comparative law centres in Europe.
• Central-European Association for Comparative Law: Partner organization for comparative law conferences and research across Central Europe; directly comparable in geographic scope and thematic focus to MFI.

Broad incumbents

• Hungarian Academy of Sciences — Centre for Social Sciences / Institute for Legal Studies: Larger Hungarian academic research network that houses legal studies research; a domestic incumbent with broader disciplinary scope but overlapping research domains.
• European Public Law Organization (EPLO): International organization focused on public law scholarship; a listed institutional partner of MFI with a broader supranational mandate but overlapping research topics in EU and public law.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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