In the opening ceremony János Pakucs, Honorary President of the Hungarian Association for Innovation said: the contest announced this year for the 27th time is open to secondary school students, including Hungarian students living abroad, who can submit their project proposals individually or in teams of two in technical and natural science topics. The first round of the call invites feasible ideas which will have to be developed in detail in the second round. The top three finishers will automatically enter the contest of the European Union.

László Palkovics, Secretary of State for Higher Education at the Ministry of Human Capacities, the patron of the event, emphasised the importance of gifted education and stated that Hungary wished to increase its RDI spending from the current 1.2–1.3% to 1.8% of the GDP by 2020. This goal can only be achieved with the help of professionals and extensive cooperation between universities.

József Pálinkás, President of the NRDI Office, co-patron of the contest, drew attention to the change of the concept of innovation. He pointed out that people’s expectations have changed radically by the 21st century: science and scientific innovation have given so much to us that we tend to think of science as omnipotent. Speaking about the motivation, risks and challenges of innovation, he emphasised that a truly creative researcher has to be persistent and purposeful, with an eye for new opportunities and an ability to change direction, to achieve significant results. József Pálinkás encouraged the youth to look for an inspiring environment and get down to work. To this end, the National Research, Development and Innovation Office continues to give priority to supporting young talents, researchers and startup businesses.

According to the call, the Scientific and Innovation Talent Recruitment Contest for Youth is open until 28 November 2017 15:00 CET, and the proposals have to be submitted to the Hungarian Association for Innovation. The prizes will be awarded in May 2018 at the awards ceremony where the top projects will be exhibited, and in September 2018 in the framework of the Researchers’ Night. The call is open to any innovative invention or the results of RDI activity in the fields of technology, natural science, environmental protection, IT and mathematics. The best three projects will enter the EU final to be organised in September 2018 in Dublin.