On 13-14 November, the National Research, Development and Innovation Office organised one of Europe’s most important RDI conferences this year, the Week of Innovative Regions in Europe (WIRE), at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design.

Universities and research institutions have a key role to play in strengthening Hungary’s economic competitiveness, said László Bódis, Deputy Secretary of State for Innovation of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation at a press conference on Thursday in Budapest.

30 projects will be implemented from HUF 12 billion under the Hu-rizon Programme, told the minster responsible for culture and innovation to journalists on Saturday in Debrecen.

Hungarian universities and research institutes accumulate a wealth of knowledge, experience, and original ideas, yet only a small portion is transformed into marketable, high value-added products or services that benefit their inventors, the universities, the Hungarian economy, and ultimately the Hungarian people. With the Fast Track programme, the Hungarian government aims to give a boost to scientists and researchers to further develop their innovative results and bring them to market.

The free-to-use telemedicine system developed by 77 Elektronika Kft. in Hungary is revolutionizing online remote medical services. The project, funded by the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund, aimed to personalise the treatment of patients with or at the early stages of diabetes. That’s why the Dcont® eNAPLÓ platform was created, where people with a Dcont® blood glucose meter can upload their measured data quickly and easily. These are supported by a number of graphs and statistics to help the patient’s orientation and the work of the medical specialist examining the data.

The Hungarian Innovation Agency (HIA), the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDIO) and the Torch High Technology Industry Development Center (Torch Center) of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology signed a memorandum of understanding for innovation cooperation on 5 November in Budapest. The three parties aim to promote the exchange of knowledge and experience between science parks and innovative enterprises and to support commercialisation and market development.

Out of 182 applications submitted for the focus areas of the John von Neumann Programme, 89 projects won support worth HUF 50 billion in total, the Minister of Culture and Innovation announced to the press in Budapest on Thursday.

Within the framework of the Science Patronage programme, 366 researchers have received funding this year. Through the call for proposals announced by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI Office), HUF 2.5 billion will be distributed, instead of the originally planned HUF 1 billion.

Budapest, 17 October 2024, Thursday (MTI) - Research physicist Gergely Endrődi, professor at the University of Bielefeld, will continue his research work in Hungary under the Research Grant Hungary programme, the Minister of Culture and Innovation announced on Thursday.

Levente and AI masters courses are coming
Next year, the country’s first masters courses in Artificial Intelligence will be launched in the country’s universities specialising in computer science, with a harmonised curriculum and requirements system, announced Charaf Hassan, the rector of BME, at a conference on 24 September. The central theme of the event, organised by the Hungarian Project Management Association and the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, was the relationship between public administration and AI. The event also discussed the expected capabilities of the Levente supercomputer.

“Our grandchildren won’t even see it,” gloomily predicted the famous city-preservation TV program in the turn of the century. “We ourselves won’t even see it,” and this could well be the slogan of a modern small business in Sopron. But this is exceptionally good news: the biodegradable plastic bags they produce, made from biodegradable film, “disappear” in less than two months if composted properly. The development, supported by the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund, will do much to change the generation of plastic bags used in commerce and reduce the environmental pollution caused by packaging materials.

Accepting the invitation of Balázs Hankó, minister of culture and innovation, Ferenc Krausz, Nobel Prize-winning physicist and professor of physics, will strengthen the cause of Hungarian science and research as chief science policy advisor from 1 October 2024. Professor Krausz’s work will be supported by the Nobel Prize Laureates’ Office.

The 89th meeting of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI Forum), co-organised by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI Office), took place in Szeged, hosted by the University of Szeged, on 16-17 September 2024.

Shanghai hosted the 17th Pujiang Innovation Forum, one of the world’s largest and most prestigious innovation events, from September 7 to 10. One of China’s most important innovation events was attended by most major players both internationally and in the Chinese ecosystem. Hungary participated in the event as the guest of honour on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Sino-Hungarian diplomatic relations.

The Pujiang Innovation Forum, one of the world’s most prestigious innovation events, will be held in Shanghai, 7-10 September. This year, to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Hungary and China, Hungary will be the guest of honour with a delegation of around 30, including policy makers, scientists, business and academic leaders. Thanks to the guest of honour status, the Chinese professional and investment community will pay special attention to the demonstration of Hungarian scientific and innovation achievements.

The most advanced research infrastructures around the world - various large equipment, complex facilities, data banks - are definitely indispensable for solving global problems and for scientific breakthroughs. However, their construction and maintenance in most cases are beyond the financial means of a single country, that is why they are realized with international cooperation (like e.g. the CERN laboratory in Switzerland celebrating its 70th anniversary this year).

The list of RDI events taking place under the auspices of the Hungarian Presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2024 is available on our website.

Under the Cooperative Doctoral Programme (full title from summer 2024: University Research Scholarship Programme - Cooperative Doctoral Programme) launched by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI Office), Scientia et Securitas, a journal jointly founded by the Scientific Council for Internal Affairs and the Association of Hungarian PhD and DLA Students, has published and continues to publish thematic issues of the most outstanding students’ writings on security issues.

The new generation scaffolding system developed by Caadex Kft. is currently unrivalled on the market. Not only is it more stable and safer than other solutions, but its intelligent sensors can alert the user if the scaffold is not assembled correctly or if the structure needs maintenance or inspection. The “smart scaffolding” creates a much safer working environment in the construction industry than traditional solutions, and its costs are not significantly higher.

Budapest, 31 July 2024 – Evaluation of the professional content of project proposals to the 2023 Fast Track Call closed The National Research, Development and Innovation Office is offering non- refundable funding of up to HUF 300 million per project for the development of products, technologies or services with significant scientific or technical novelty. Projects shortlisted for funding include promising innovations that offer promising solutions to many of today’s major challenges, such as understanding the ageing process, treating infections or improving public safety.