New Programs Launched to Attract Foreign Researchers and Promote Innovation

The National Research, Development, and Innovation Fund will launch calls for proposals worth HUF 147 billion (EUR 1 = HUF 385) in 2024, reports Világgazdaság. The program strategy consists of an innovation and a research fund, together covering seven programs. Most of the money – HUF 85 billion – will be shared between the winning applicants of the SME Focus Area Innovation Program.

This year, innovation and research proposals worth HUF 147 billion will be funded by the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund (NRDI). The fund’s program strategy proposes to launch and manage a total of HUF 176.263 billion. Last year’s budget was around HUF 80 billion.

Corporate innovation programs are now available to all types of companies, including start-ups, spinoffs, and SMEs, as well as large enterprises,

according to a statement from the National Research, Development, and Innovation Office. However, all business innovation programs are expected to work in partnership with universities and research institutes.

The program strategy’s portfolio of proposals is complemented by the government’s own resources fund, which also offers HUF 8 billion through the NRDI Fund to help Hungarian researchers become more internationally embedded.

The János Neumann Program has identified the focus areas where R&D (research and development) resources should be concentrated in order to ensure their economic impact. This year that means three main areas:

• Preventive, curative, and care systems to maintain healthy lives
• the green transition of the economy and the development of a circular economy
• the digital transition of the economy and society.

However, in addition to the above focus areas, the NRDI Office will continue to receive and evaluate R&D proposals of outstanding quality that fit in with the government’s economic policy, on the basis of excellence. Proposals will continue to be assessed in two rounds.

The program strategy consists of an innovation and a research component. Seven programs in the Innovation Fund will receive the bulk of the available funding, HUF 136,755 billion. Most of the money, HUF 85 billion, will go to the winning proposals under the SME Focus Area Innovation Program, followed by the Innovation Risk Capital Program with HUF 20 billion, and the HU-rizont International Program with HUF 9.155 billion. The latter helps Hungarian researchers and organizations to build international links.

Seven programs also make up the HUF 39,508 billion research fund. Of this, HUF 19 billion will be available for excellence-based research, HUF 10 billion for the University Research Fellowship Program, and HUF 6 billion for Research Grant Hungary, which will support researchers in the most dynamic research phase.

Research Grant Hungary will also provide money to attract foreign researchers working in the innovation focus area to Hungary.

The expectation is to have measurable world-class applied research within at least three years.

Via Világgazdaság; Featured image via Pixabay