The number of Horizon Europe partnerships co-funded by the EU in which Hungarian organisations can participate is steadily increasing. The National Research, Development and Innovation Office will provide the domestic funding for participation through a system similar to the previous one but with much greater flexibility. In its already approved 2026 call portfolio, the Office has allocated approximately HUF 2.7 billion for this purpose.
Recently, there has been speculation that Government Decision 1410/2022 (VIII. 18.) on joining certain partnerships under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme for Research and Innovation and providing the necessary financial resources for such participation has been repealed. In fact, what was abolished was merely a technically outdated framework regulation that listed only the partnerships launched in 2021 and was therefore unable to keep pace with the subsequent expansion of opportunities. The current partnerships were launched in several waves – in 2021, 2023 and 2025 – whereas the government decision included only those that started in 2021.
Each Member State decides for itself on joining Horizon Europe partnerships and on the corresponding allocation of funding. Hungary participates in almost all partnerships and intends to continue doing so, in order to provide Hungarian applicants with opportunities to engage in international collaborations and participate in international research and innovation collaborations in an increasing number of areas. The Ministry of Culture and Innovation notifies the European Commission of Hungary’s participation in each partnership and the corresponding budget allocation – aligned with the priorities of the John von Neumann Programme – thereby formally committing to support the Hungarian entities involved.
The specific areas and international partnerships in which Hungarian applicants will be most active in any given year cannot be predicted in advance. For this reason, it is essential that the funding available for the partnerships can be allocated in line with actual needs – including, if necessary, through reallocation or budget increases – to support the participation of as many successful Hungarian institutions as possible. Such flexibility is ensured by the fact that participation in each partnership will no longer be a cumbersome, difficult-to-amend government decision, but coordinated by the responsible ministry together with the funding entity, the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI Office).
Hungarian participants in projects recommended for funding in international calls can continue to apply for national funding under the NRDI Fund’s “Horizon Europe Partnership” scheme. This funding scheme involves no longer an evaluation of the professional content; the Office conducts only formal and eligibility checks, after which national funding is disbursed in any case in accordance with the applicable laws. Since 2021, the National Research, Development and Innovation Office has supported the participation of 68 Hungarian institutions in calls in this way, with a total value of nearly HUF 6.8 billion. In the ‘Horizon Europe Partnership’ call, reopening next year, around HUF 2.7 billion will be available again for this purpose, alongside an additional nearly HUF 1 billion to support Hungarian participation in other co-funded European collaborations.
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European Partnerships are international funding programmes in which consortia of European universities, research institutions, companies, professional organisations, and other entities collaborate to develop joint research and innovation projects in specific fields. Calls are typically launched on an annual basis with the application and evaluation processes conducted at international level, i.e. coordinated at European level. However, for proposals recommended for funding, financing is provided by the national funding organisation of the respective country, which in Hungary is the NRDI Office. For Hungarian applicants, partnerships are fully supported through national funding. The term “co-funding” refers to the European Commission financing the operational framework of the partnership, and in certain cases, national research funding organisations may reclaim 25–30% of the funding granted, which can then be used to finance additional projects. Regarding participation in partnerships, each country independently decides which partnerships to support and the budget it allocates to its applicants. Hungary offers a particularly strong funding portfolio in the region (see below): as early as 2006, it financed the participation of Hungarian applicants in consortia across 17 schemes, with a total funding amounting to HUF 2.7 billion. This budget is anticipated to grow further in 2027 with the launch of new partnerships.
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