In 2015 The NRDI Office announced a call for proposals to provide bridge financing for these globally acknowledged front-rank research projects that were evaluated among the top proposals by ERC. Such financing will enable researchers to carry on with their scientific work, and allow them to prepare for the submission of another proposal to the ERC while working at a Hungarian host institution, under predictable circumstances.

Science projects, including researches in cell biology, genetics, mathematics and linguistics were selected for funding in the first evaluation phase of the NRDI Fund ERC_2015 call. The NRDI Office announced a call for proposals in mid-June 2015 for Hungarian researchers whose proposals submitted to various calls of the European Research Council (ERC) received a positive assessment from the international jury, but eventually failed to win funding. On December 1, 2015, the President of the NRDI Office, acting on the recommendation of the disciplinary councils, selected five proposals for funding.

Of the five winners, three submitted proposals for the ERC Starting/Consolidator Grant designed for researchers at the starting or career-building stage, and two for the Advanced Grant designed for senior researchers. All five ranked A in the second round of the evaluation process, but failed to win funding due to lack of funds. Each of them was awarded HUF 45 million (approx. EUR 145,000) by the NRDI Office, which will enable them to continue their research work throughout 2015 and 2016, over an 18-month period.