Presidents of research funding organizations of around sixty countries attend the meeting; Hungary is represented by József Pálinkás, president of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office in charge of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund. In addition to the reports of the Global Research Council regional meetings (Europe, America, Asia-Pacific), the two major themes of this year’s meeting are research funding for scientific breakthrough and building research and education capacity.

Regarding research funding for scientific breakthrough, participants review the possibilities of long-term funding for research projects that fundamentally change the process of human understanding or promise responses to global challenges – with special emphasis on interdisciplinary basic and applied research, as well as innovation. Principles requiring consultation at international level feature the balance between thematic and non-thematic calls for proposals, upgrading proposal review systems, protecting the freedom of researchers (including flexibility and willingness to address high-risk research problems on behalf of the funding organizations), the transparent and effective operation of research funding organizations functioning on taxpayer money, and the ongoing analysis of the scientific, social, and economic impact of research.

With regards to building research and education capacity, participants study the national education and research funding systems of countries of different economic standing, their points of contact, and the traditional and novel methods of publishing and applying research results in education. In order to link local systems at an international level, they explore avenues of cooperation – for instance, through joint conferences of research funding organizations or elaborating international staff exchange programs between colleagues.