The 21th session of the French-Hungarian Inter-governmental Joint Committee on Science & Technology (S&T) was held on April 4th 2014 in Budapest.
The visiting French delegation was led by Dr. Sylvette TOURMENTE representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), Mr. Philippe CHASSAIGNE from the Ministry of Higher Education and Research (MESR) together with Ms. Ildikó PUSZTAI, assistant for cooperation at the Embassy of the Republic of France.
The Hungarian delegation was composed of Dr. Ildikó KOVÁCS, head of the Department for International Affairs and Mr. Zoltán FODOR counsellor for International Affairs of the Hungarian National Innovation Office (NIO), Ms. Szilvia SZÁNTÓ, attaché for Science and Technology at the Hungarian Embassy in Paris, Mr. Mihály András BEKE representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ms. Cecilia NAGY representing the Ministry of Human Resources.
External presentations were held by Mr. Bálint FODOR, researcher of the Institute for Technical Physics and Material Science of the Research Centre for Natural Sciences of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences concerning their best practice experience within the framework of the PHC Balaton program and Mr. Péter KRUZSLICZ from the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of the University of Szeged concerning the French-Hungarian cooperation opportunities rising form the recently opened Francophone University Centre of Szeged.
During the meeting, the Parties scrutinised Hungarian and French project proposals submitted in the latest call for proposals, published in the framework of the bilaterally-coordinated Balaton Integrated Action Programme. They jointly identified project proposals that have the best outlooks in terms of feasibility and thus were designated for potential financial support.
Out of the 38 valid project proposals, separately ranked by Hungarian and French authorities, 10 gained consensual support from the two sides. The Parties agreed that young researchers participating in the winning projects may also receive additional financial support from the Hungarian side. Concerning the 10 project proposals that gained consensual support in 2013, it has been agreed that the financing of all projects shall continue through 2014.
The Parties mutually delineated the work plan for 2014-15. They mutually specified and accepted the deadlines for 2014, and included them in the protocol of the meeting. These deadlines lay down the fact that winners will be notified until the end of April so the contracting of projects owners and the launching of the projects can start in the spring. The next round of call for proposals may be published in July with a deadline for submission in September. The next session of the joint committee is planned to convene in Paris at the end of the year or the beginning of the next year.