Did you know that the Horizon Europe National Contact Point (NCP) team of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDI Office) is actively involved in 10 international projects which, in cooperation with NCP networks from other countries, contribute to providing comprehensive information and support to Hungarian applicants, as well as to facilitating international partner search?

The main task of the Horizon Europe National Contact Points (NCPs) is to provide high-quality support to applicants in relation to the Framework Programme, including the provision of information on funding opportunities, advisory services, trainings and partner search. The NCP network of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office is not only active at national level, but also participates in international NCP projects aimed at improving the quality and coordination of NCP services, as well as enhancing the support provided to applicants.

Under the Horizon Europe Programme, NCP projects funded by the European Commission enable National Contact Points from different countries to jointly develop tools and services, deliver training activities, and share experience and best practices, with the aim of supporting researchers and stakeholders of the innovation ecosystem in participating more successfully in Horizon Europe calls.

The diverse world of NCP projects in practice – What do we do, and what knowledge do we bring home for Hungarian applicants?

Within the framework of NCP projects, our national NCP expert team takes part in targeted training and learning activities focusing on current and relevant topics. Activities with genuine professional value for our colleagues included for example:

• the participation of Dóra Pivarcsiné Fekete (Cluster 2) in a meeting of the Net4Society NCP project held in Sofia, focusing on the integration of social sciences and humanities (SSH) in Horizon Europe projects;
• a training session organised in Brussels under the Idealist2027 and NCP4Industry Plus projects on the use of artificial intelligence in proposal writing and evaluation, attended by Flóra Csesznok and Máté Schultheisz (Cluster 4);
• a mentoring programme organised in Budapest within the framework of the Access2EIC NCP project, with the participation of Noémi Genzler (EIC);
• Máté Schultheisz (Cluster 4) taking part in a short-term exchange visit in Helsinki under the NCP4Industry Plus project, where he followed the work of Finnish NCP colleagues;
• the participation of Kitti Teveli (Cluster 5) in a training course on the use of artificial intelligence organised in Malta within the framework of the Greenet NCP project;
• a visit by Flóra Csesznok (Cluster 4) to a meeting with Horizon Europe evaluators organised by the Idealist 2027 project in Lisbon;
• a training course on the future of dual-use technologies organised in Paris within the framework of the Access2EIC NCP project, with the participation of Noémi Genzler (EIC).

During our personal Horizon Europe consultations, we share these experiences with the national innovation ecosystem, introduce good practices, and organise further training sessions and workshops to transfer the knowledge we have acquired.

In addition to trainings, general exchange of experience and the discussion of more complex issues also form an integral part of this joint work. Within the framework of the projects, short, clear and user-friendly guidance materials supporting the application process are often developed, such as:

1. the Ideal-ist Topic Tree, which brings together Horizon Europe calls related to digital topics in a single, transparent structure;
2. the RADIANCE project, which supports applicants through detailed handbooks on the individual MSCA funding schemes, practical guides facilitating proposal submission, and concise briefings presenting the MSCA relevance of key EU policy priorities;
3. Net4Society, which collects and publishes, from each Horizon Europe Work Programme, calls relevant to the Social Sciences and Humanities that are not included in the SSH cluster;
4. the application guides developed under the Access2EIC NCP project, which facilitate the EIC application process.

The active involvement of the NRDI Office NCP team in these international projects brings tangible benefits to Hungarian applicants at several levels:

• NCP projects develop high-quality, up-to-date knowledge materials and tools, while also disseminating good practices successfully applied in other countries.
• Through international NCP networks, the NRDI Office provides direct access to partner search platforms, brokerage events and targeted international partner searches, supporting successful consortium building.
• A key objective of NCP projects is to involve new and less active stakeholders, which also increases the chances of success for Hungarian participants.
• Several NCP projects develop tools and services that guide applicants throughout the entire project lifecycle, from idea development through proposal submission to project implementation.
• Active involvement in international NCP networks offers significant opportunities for training, capacity building and knowledge exchange for the Hungarian NCP team, directly enhancing the quality of services provided to national applicants.