Supporting young Hungarian researchers is a priority of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, since the primary goal of the John von Neumann Programme is to link research organisations, universities and the economy, a goal requiring more research and development staff in Hungary. It is the eighth year when undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, doctoral candidates, young academics and researchers could apply for grants under the New National Excellence Programme (NNEP). The new calls published in May were again very well received, with a total of 4387 applications received by the deadline. Following peer review by the universities, around half of the applications were favourably evaluated and awarded a grant. Depending on the grant scheme, the winning applicants will receive HUF 100-200 thousand per month in discretionary funding for up to 12 months. In addition, the host higher education institutions will receive an operating and research grant in proportion to the grant awarded to their own applicants.

“NNEP aims to ensure the training of the next generation of researchers, so that more young people choose a career in research, who will later contribute to Hungary’s success with their world-class scientific results and the development of new solutions and procedures”, emphasised Balázs Hankó, State Secretary for Innovation and Higher Education. “In the programme, launched for the first time in 2016, a total of around 15,000 students and young researchers, including those approved in the current decision, have already received support to achieve their goals from a total of nearly HUF 30 billion. The NNEP is an excellent opportunity to support young talents and encourage their research activities”, added the State Secretary.

Budapest, 5 September 2023

Source: Ministry of Culture and Innovation