The sustainable growth of Hungary’s economy and the long-term strengthening of its competitiveness can be ensured by innovative ideas resulting in marketable products and technologies with high added value. The government’s strategic goal is for Hungary to emerge as one of the major innovators in Europe and the world by the end of the decade. The key to this is a modern, efficient way of knowledge production and value creation based on research results, innovative ideas and cross-sectoral cooperation, the guidelines and tools of which are outlined in the John von Neumann Programme adopted in 2023.
The value of Hungarian R&D expenditure has been growing dynamically since 2016. In 2023 it exceeded HUF 1,000 billion, approximately EUR 2.6 billion, of which 31% came from state resources and 69% from the business sector. Beyond the increased spending, an advanced institutional framework, modernized research infrastructures, targeted support of research careers, and fostering of industry- academia collaborations all add up to stimulate the performance of the Hungarian innovation ecosystem.
To that end, the National Laboratories Programme announced in 2021 is one of our forward-looking initiatives, a significant step towards ensuring that Hungarian knowledge and expertise serve to address global challenges, so that scientific achievements bring tangible societal, economic and environmental impact. In the era of digital transformation, the role of networks at the crossroads of knowledge transfer and knowledge exchange is becoming more important, increasing the significance of National Laboratories, but also their responsibility. Within the framework of the programme, National Laboratories have been established in four thematic areas: Safety and Security; Healthy Living; Digital Transition of Economy and Society; Green Transition. These new professional hubs bring together the most outstanding stakeholders in fields particularly promising for the national economy and combine their resources to enhance competitiveness on the international stage.
Our goal is for the new knowledge centres to achieve scientific breakthroughs, to play a proactive role in the European research area, to secure more EU funding for Hungarian RDI projects than before, and to contribute significantly to our strategic goal of increasing the prosperity and well-being of the Hungarians.
Halfway through the programme, we not only share our vision on these pages, but also provide an overview of the results achieved so far, showcasing the unique capacities and competencies of 23 National Laboratories, through which we can become useful partners in the world’s leading collaborations in the given fields.
Dr. Balázs Hankó
Minister of Culture and Innovation
Published by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office
Download booklet: National Laboratories Programme PDF (19 793 KB)
Budapest, December 2024