The call aims to provide funding to experienced, talented researchers with an independent research group eager to continue their successful discovery research topic, having outstanding publication performance, and internationally acclaimed for their expertise in their field of science. Researcher-initiated research projects are not bound by any thematic priority and are not restricted to any area of science; they can relate to any type of discovery research, if otherwise the project idea meets the conditions laid down in the call for proposals. The call is financed from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund.

In addition to the present call, there are further funding schemes dedicated to the promotion of discovery science: for young researchers (FK_18), for research projects based on international cooperation (NN_18, ANN_18, SNN_18), and for covering the wage-like costs of postdoctors (PD_18).

Total budget of the call

The combined budget of K_18 and FK_18 calls is HUF 9.4 billion.

The amount and intensity of funding

According to the call, the maximum amount of funding is HUF 48 million per project for a period of up to 48 months. For periods shorter than 48 months the amount of requested funding must be reduced on a pro rata basis. Applicants are requested to draft their estimated budget in view of the research costs generally applicable to the given field of science. The evaluation panel will also examine whether the estimated budget is realistic: both an underestimated and an overestimated budget can lead to negative assessment.

Duration of the project

The maximum duration of projects is 48 months. Projects shall commence between 1 September 2018 and 1 December 2018. The earliest date for reporting costs is the project start date specified in the funding agreement.

Submission of applications

Complying with its legal obligation, the NRDI Office enables applicants to submit their applications exclusively electronically. In this case, the documents required in Point “H” of the call to be submitted by regular mail / with electronic signature must be signed electronically as specified in Point “H” of the call and attached to the application on the Online Application Portal by the deadline for electronic submission, that is, by 12 February 2018 at 16:00 (CET).

Please note that all documents required to be submitted by regular mail/with electronic signature must be submitted in the same way, that is, all documents must be submitted to the NRDI Office either by regular mail or electronically provided with electronic signature.

In the case of regular mail, the submission is successful if the proposal was finalised electronically by the applicant and approved by the head of the host institution by 14 February 2018, and if the documents required in Point “H” of the call to be submitted by regular mail were sent to the Customer Service of the NRDI Office postmarked no later than 21 February 2018. In the case of electronic submission, the submission is successful if the proposal was finalised electronically by the applicant and approved by the head of the host institution by 14 February 2018, and if the electronically signed versions of the documents required in Point “H” of the call to be submitted by regular mail / with electronic signature were submitted through the Online Application Portal.

All applications must be submitted in English irrespective of the field of science. An exemption may, however, be made if the NRDI Office has given its prior consent – upon a separate request – to the submission of the application in Hungarian with reference to the fact that, according to the reasons provided by the applicant, the research project can only be properly assessed by Hungarian experts. Requests together with justification have to be submitted before writing the application but no later than 25 January 2018 to the customer service of the NRDI Office, addressed to the Vice President for Research and Development of the NRDI Office at nkfialap@nkfih.gov.hu.

Eligible applicants

Eligible applicants include the following types of organisations having a legal personality and a registered seat in Hungary:

• higher education institution, research centre, research institution, budgetary organ or a budgetary organ institution with legal personality if it qualifies as a research facility under the law;
  
• a business company which has at least two completed business years, maintains double-entry accounting and is not subject to the simplified entrepreneurial tax (EVA) or the small taxpayers’ itemized lump sum tax (KATA), provided that it should pursue RDI activities (it can only apply for funding for non-economic activities); or
  
• a non-profit organisation if it qualifies as a research centre under the law.
  

The host institution and a Hungarian or foreign national researcher (principal investigator) can apply jointly subject to the conditions specified in the call. During the project implementation period the Hungarian or foreign national researcher has to be a worker of the host institution under an employment contract, civil service contract, works contract or other contract aimed at performing work.

Projects can also be implemented by consortia.

Eligible objectives and actions

Those actions are eligible which aim to achieve the key objectives developed on the basis of the research and work plan specified in the proposal, in any field of science and set out in the research project plan submitted to the NRDI Office.