The Call is implemented in three sub-programmes:
Sub-programme | Name | Code number |
Sub-programme 1: | Participation in a conference abroad | MEC_R_24 |
Sub-programme 2: | Organisation of an international conference in Hungary | MEC_SZ_24 |
Sub-programme 3: | Promotion of scientific results | MEC_N_24 |
Eligible objectives and actions
The competition is open to all disciplines with the following funding opportunities:
- participation in already announced international scientific conferences abroad and presentation of research results;
- organisation of international scientific events and conferences in Hungary (including in particular events related to Hungary’s membership in international research infrastructures);
- promotion of scientific results in society and citizen science.
Eligible applicants
The Call is open to joint proposals from the host institution that provides the conditions for the research project (hereinafter: Host Institution) and the project leader (hereinafter: Project Leader), provided that they meet the following conditions.
A host institution is eligible if it has legal personality and a registered office and in Hungary, and it is
- a higher education institution, a research centre, a research institute, a budgetary organ or an institution with legal personality of a budgetary organ, if it qualifies as a research and knowledge-dissemination organisation under Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 (hereinafter: Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014);
- a company with double-entry bookkeeping and two closed financial years, if it carries out research and development activities and qualifies as a research and knowledge-dissemination organisation under Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 (the applicant Host Institution must declare compliance with these criteria to the NRDI Office, which will check the applicant company’s compliance with the research location criterion and its suitability to host the research project);
- a non-profit organisation if it qualifies as a research and knowledge-dissemination organisations under Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014.
Under sub-programme 1, a person who has passed the complex examination required for the award of the doctoral degree and is an active student in a doctoral programme accredited in Hungary, or who obtained the doctoral degree (PhD/DLA) after 1 January 2016 and is employed by the Host Institution, may apply as a Project Leader.
For sub-programme 2 and sub-programme 3, the Project Leader submitting the proposal must be a PhD/DLA holder appointed by the head of the Host Institution.
The applicant Project Leader must be a PhD/DLA holder or a Doctor of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences or a Doctor of Science at the time of application and be affiliated with the Host Institution.
Total budget and the maximum amount of funding
In line with the 2024 programme strategy of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund, the funding body will provide a total budget of HUF 1 billion from the NRDI Fund to achieve the objectives of the Call, of which HUF 1 billion is available for payments in 2024.
Total expected number of funded projects: 155-240. The number is indicative and may change depending on the requested and awarded amount of funding.
Funding intensity is 100%.
Eligible amounts by sub-programme:
Sub-programme | Name | Eligible amount/maximum project duration |
Sub-programme 1: | Participation in a conference abroad | HUF 0.25 to 1.5 million/12 months |
Sub-programme 2: | Organisation of an international conference in Hungary | HUF 3 to 15 million/12 months |
Sub-programme 3: | Promotion of scientific results | HUF 10 to 35 million/12 months |
Duration of the project
The maximum period for carrying out the action set out in the project proposal is 12 months for each of the three sub-programmes. The period of implementation set out in the award letter may be extended by a maximum of 12 months in total, if duly justified, except for sub-programme 1 (MEC_R_24), where no extension may be requested.
Submission of proposals
Proposals must be submitted in Hungarian. Proposals must be prepared and submitted via the NRDI Office’s Electronic Proposal Management System (EPR) (https://www.otka-palyazat.hu/). Proposals must be submitted electronically only, and no paper copies of any part need be sent to the NRDI Office. The maximum number of proposals per sub-programme is one.
Deadline for submission: 28 May 2024 16:00
Evaluation process
Proposals recommended for funding will be supported up to the amount indicated in the Call, provided that they meet the eligibility, admission and formal criteria and are recommended for funding on the basis of a peer review.
Project implementation
Projects can start between 1 October 2024 and 1 December 2024.
Customer service contacts:
email: nkfialap@nkfih.gov.hu
phone: +36 (1) 795 9500
Personal appointments (pree-booked only): H-1077 Budapest, Kéthly Anna sq. 1. (2nd floor)
Customer Service hours of operation: Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m to 4 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 12.00 a.m.
To ensure value-based professional evaluation of proposals arriving in large quantities from the fields of discovery and applied research and innovation, to assess professional reports of funded projects and to prepare policy opinions, the NRDI Office intends to expand its expert pool in all fields of expertise.
Professionals who have registered in the database of the NRDI Office can become responsible contributors, as independent peer-reviewers, to the evaluation process in which the professional quality, novelty content and commercialisation perspectives of the proposals as compared to the requested funding should be assessed as core considerations.
The registration process can be initiated through the registration form of the NRDI Office’s website. Registration is continuously open.
Requested data within the expert registration form include:
- personal data, contact details (necessary for contracting review assignments);
- classification of professional skills and competencies and research areas (to get review invitations fine-tuned to your field of expertise);
- topics of the previously reviewed proposals;
- present and past jobs, interest networks (in order to pre-screening of conflicts of interest in a given rview assignment), education, scientific titles, most important publications and intellectual works demonstrating your professional experience;
- language skills.
Professionals once registered in the database of experts may be invited by the NRDI Office to review submitted proposals, to assess professional reports of funded projects and to contribute to policy opinions.
Each proposal is reviewed by several independent experts at the same time. Experts selected from the database to review proposals, to assess professional reports and facilitate expert opinions will be contracted by the NRDI Office on a case-by-case basis. When concluding such a contract experts must declare that the review assignment is not obstructed by any conflict of interest whatsoever. Depending on the competition type, written expert reviews must be prepared in 15-28 work days and submitted electronically via the online review portal of the NRDI Office.
FURTHER INFORMATION
For further information contact at phone +36 1 795 9500 or email at szakerto_regisztracio@nkfih.gov.hu
The NRDI Fund’s Programme Strategy 2023 supports the implementation of Hungary’s new innovation strategy, the John von Neumann Programme, which focuses on connecting universities, research institutions and the economy. The priority objective of the Programme Strategy 2023 is to contribute to improving the Hungarian performance in the areas of human resources (number of researchers, number of PhD students, number of STEM students in higher education), number and share of innovator enterprises (number and share of SMEs implementing product and/or process innovation) and intellectual property (IP) (patents, trademarks, designs).
The table below shows the calls announced under the NRDI Fund for the period 2021–2027 and their amounts, broken down by year.
2021 | 2022 | 2023 | ||||
NRDI budget (Bn HUF) |
191,384 | 143,829 | 78,670 | |||
Name of the scheme/ Call for proposal (2021) |
Budget (Bn HUF) |
Name of the scheme/ Call for proposal (2022) |
Budget (Bn HUF) |
Name of the scheme/ Call for proposal (2023) |
Budget (Bn HUF) |
|
Innovation Sub-fund 2021-2023 |
Support for market-driven RDI projects Support for market-driven RDI projects 2020-1.1.2-PIACI KFI |
59,06 | Support for market-driven RDI projects Support for market-driven RDI projects 2021-1.1.3-PIACI KFI |
50,00 | Support for Innovation Projects in Focus Areas 2023-1.1.1-PIACI_FÓKUSZ |
35,00 |
Fast track programme Fast track 2020-1.1.5-GYORSÍTÓSÁV |
3,00 | Fast track programme Fast track 2021-1.1.4-GYORSÍTÓSÁV |
12,85 | Fast track programme (Call for proposal will be announced later) |
2,00 | |
Intellectual property Support of activities fostering the domestic and international protection of intellectual property with the aim of facilitating the utilisation of such intellectual property 2020-1.1.3-IPARJOG, 2021-1.1.1-IPARJOG |
0,40 | Intellectual property Support of activities fostering the domestic and international protection of intellectual property with the aim of facilitating the utilisation of such intellectual property 2020-1.1.3-IPARJOG, 2021-1.1.1-IPARJOG |
0,40 | Intellectual property Support of activities fostering the domestic and international protection of intellectual property with the aim of facilitating the utilisation of such intellectual property 2020-1.1.3-IPARJOG, 2021-1.1.1-IPARJOG |
0,50 | |
International programmes Support for participation in the ECSEL joint EU initiative 2019-2.1.3-NEMZ_ECSEL; Support for participation in joint EU initiatives 2019-2.1.2-NEMZ; Funding for Hungarian Summer Internship programmes for hungarian university students studying in the UK, Germany or Austria 2020-1.2.1-GYAK; Support for Hungarian participation in EIT KIC 2021-1.2.1-EIT-KIC; Support to bilateral science and technology (S&T) cooperations 2021-1.2.4-TÉT; Support for Hungarian participation in the applied research and development programme in Hungarian–Russian cooperation 2021-1.2.5-TÉT-IPARI-RU; Call for proposals: Support of Hungarian organisations successfully participating in joint international ERA-NET COFUND and EJP COFUND programmes 2019-2.1.7-ERA-NET; Support for Hungarian participation in the EUREKA programme 2020-1.2.3-EUREKA; Horizon Europe Accelerator booster call 2021-1.2.2-EU_KKV; Call for proposals to foster Hungarian participation in the Horizon Europe programme and other joint programmes of the European Union 2021-1.2.3-EU_KP; Support for the use of international and national research infrastructures 2021-4.1.2-NEMZ_KI; Support for Hungarian participation in the applied research and development programme in Hungarian–Moroccan cooperation 2021-1.2.6-TÉT-IPARI-MA |
3,50 | International programmes Call for proposals: Support of Hungarian organisations successfully participating in joint international ERA-NET COFUND and EJP COFUND programmes 2019-2.1.7-ERA-NET; Support for Hungarian participation in the EUREKA programme 2022-1.2.4-EUREKA; Horizon Europe Accelerator booster call 2021-1.2.2-EU_KKV; Call for proposals to foster Hungarian participation in the Horizon Europe programme and other joint programmes of the European Union 2021-1.2.3-EU_KP; Support for the use of international and national research infrastructures 2021-4.1.2-NEMZ_KI; Support for Hungarian participation in the applied research and development programme in Hungarian-Turkish cooperation 2022-1.2.6-TÉT-IPARI-TR; Support for summer internships for Hungarian students studying abroad 2022-1.2.3-GYAK; Support for Hungarian participation in the applied research and development programme in Hungarian–Uzbek cooperation 2022-1.2.2-TÉT-IPARI-UZ; Support for Hungarian participation in the applied research and development programme in Hungarian–Korean cooperation 2022-1.2.5-TÉT-IPARI-KR |
6,00 | International programmes Call for proposals to foster Hungarian participation in the Horizon Europe programme and other joint programmes of the European Union 2021-1.2.3-EU_KP; Support for the use of international and national research infrastructures 2021-4.1.2-NEMZ_KI; Support to bilateral science and technology (S&T) cooperations; Support for Hungarian participation in the EUREKA programme 2022-1.2.4-EUREKA; Support for participation in the Horizon Europe Key Digital Technologies (KDT) partnership 2022-1.2.8-KDT |
6,10 | |
Investment in the future Fund Investment in the future 2020-1.1.6-JÖVŐ |
7,00 | Centres of excellence Establishing and developing centres of excellence 2022-1.1.1-KK |
20,70 | Incubator Support Scheme (Call for proposal will be announced later) |
5,00 | |
Development of an applied research network Participation in the National Network of Applied Research Institutes 2021-1.1.2-AKH |
1,63 | Startup Programme Startup Programme 2022-1.1.2-STARTUP |
4,06 | Research Excellence ‘Proof of Concept’ Programme (Call for proposal will be announced later) |
3,00 | |
University Innovation Ecosystema University Innovation Ecosystema 2019-1.2.1-EGYETEMI ÖKO |
4,00 | |||||
KKV Start programme KKV Start Innovation 2020-1.1.1-KKV START |
12,00 | |||||
Research Sub-fund 2021-2023 |
Thematic Excellence Programme (National-Health-Defence) Thematic Excellence Programme 2021 TKP2021 |
75,00 | ||||
New National Excellence Programme | 0,600 | New National Excellence Programme | 0,828 | New National Excellence Programme | 0,710 | |
Call for Research Scholarship Applications for Undergraduate Students ÚNKP-21-1 |
Call for Research Scholarship Applications for Undergraduate Students ÚNKP-22-1 |
Call for Research Scholarship Applications for Undergraduate Students ÚNKP-23-1 |
||||
Call for Research Scholarship Applications for Graduate Students ÚNKP-21-2 |
Call for Research Scholarship Applications for Graduate Students ÚNKP-22-2 |
Call for Research Scholarship Applications for Graduate Students ÚNKP-23-2 |
||||
Call for Research Scholarship Applications for PhD Students ÚNKP-21-3 |
1,00 | Call for Research Scholarship Applications for PhD Students ÚNKP-22-3 |
1,20 | Call for Research Scholarship Applications for PhD Students ÚNKP-23-3 |
1,029 | |
“Power Up Science!” Call for Research Scholarship Applications for Doctoral Candidate sand ÚNKP-21-4 |
0,832 | “Power Up Science!” Call for Research Scholarship Applications for Doctoral Candidate sand ÚNKP-22-4 |
1,052 | “Power Up Science!” Call for Research Scholarship Applications for Doctoral Candidate sand ÚNKP-23-4 |
0,902 | |
Call for Scholarship Applications for Bolyai+ Higher Education Teachers and Researchers ÚNKP-21-5 |
1,40 | Call for Scholarship Applications for Bolyai+ Higher Education Teachers and Researchers ÚNKP-22-5 |
0,70 | Call for Scholarship Applications for Bolyai+ Higher Education Teachers and Researchers ÚNKP-23-5 | 0,60 | |
“Power up your Talent!” Call for Research Scholarship Applications for New Higher Education Students ÚNKP-21-6 |
0,168 | “Power up your Talent!” Call for Research Scholarship Applications for New Higher Education Students ÚNKP-22-6 |
0,220 | “Power up your Talent!” Call for Research Scholarship Applications for New Higher Education Students ÚNKP-23-6 |
0,189 | |
Cooperative Doctoral Programme Cooperative Doctoral Programme KDP-2021 |
4,894 | Cooperative Doctoral Programme Cooperative Doctoral Programme KDP-2021 |
2,832 | Cooperative Doctoral Programme Cooperative Doctoral Programme KDP-2023 |
5,070 | |
Postdoctoral and Young researchers’ excellence programme and Call for thematic research projects Postdoctoral and Young researchers’ excellence programme and Call for thematic research projects (OTKA) PD_21, FK_21, K_21, ANN_21, SNN_21 |
12,90 | Postdoctoral and Young researchers’ excellence programme and Call for thematic research projects Postdoctoral and Young researchers’ excellence programme and Call for thematic research projects (OTKA) PD_22, FK_22, K_22, ANN_22, SNN_22 |
13,50 | Postdoctoral and Young researchers’ excellence programme and Call for thematic research projects Postdoctoral and Young researchers’ excellence programme and Call for thematic research projects (OTKA) PD_23, FK_23, K_23, SNN_23 |
13,50 | |
Forefront – Research Excellence Programme Forefront – Research Excellence Programme KKP_21 |
3,00 | Forefront – Research Excellence Programme Forefront – Research Excellence Programme KKP_22 |
3,00 | Forefront Plus – Research Excellence Programme (Call for proposal will be announced later) |
5,00 | |
Patronage Programme Science Patronage Programme MEC_21 |
1,00 | Building the Selye János Student Lab network Building the Selye János Student Lab network 2022-3.1.1-DIÁKLABOR |
2,00 | |||
National Laboratories Sub-fund 2022 |
National Laboratories Establishment and complex development of the National Laboratories 2022-2.1.1-NL |
26,60 |