Available budget

In the period 2025–2029, a combined budget of HUF 40 billion is allocated from the NRDI Fund for the EXCELLENCE research grant program (EXCELLENCE_25), the ADVANCED research grant program (ADVANCED_25), the STARTING research grant program (STARTING_25), the HIGHLIGHT research grant program (HIGHLIGHT_25), and the research grant programs based on Hungarian-Austrian and Hungarian-Slovenian international cooperation (ANN_25, SNN_25).

Duration of the projects

Projects supported in subprogram 1 (EXCELLENCE_25) can start between July 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026 – the earliest, on the first day of the third month following the submission of the proposal. The maximum project duration is 24 months.

Amount of funding

According to the call, a maximum of HUF 160 million for a maximum of 24 months can be requested per project + 25% (optional material costs for experimental research). If the duration of the project is shorter than 24 months, requested funding should be decreased on a pro rata temporis basis. Apart from remuneration and related taxes payable by the employer, certain tangible costs are also eligible, as well as overhead costs at a flat rate of 20% of the direct project costs. The implementation of the projects may involve participating researchers, technical staff, and students. They do not have to join the proposal but it is recommended to list the participating researchers in a separate part at the end of the research plan. The earliest date for reporting costs is the project start date specified in the funding agreement.

Submission of applications

The proposal has to be prepared and submitted in the Electronic Proposal Review system (EPR) of the NRDI Office (https://www.otka-palyazat.hu/). The proposal has to be submitted only electronically, none of its parts has to be sent to the NRDI Office on paper. Only one proposal can be submitted per subprogram.

A proposal can be considered submitted if it is electronically finalized by the principal investigator and approved by the representative of the host institution by the submission deadline defined in the call for proposals. Furthermore, the electronically signed versions of the documents, required to be submitted with electronic signature in section K of the call, have to be submitted through the EPR as well.

Eligible applicants

Principal investigators can apply jointly with the host institution which has to be a Hungarian-based legal person:

• higher education institution, research centre, research institution, budgetary institution, an institution thereof having a legal personality that qualifies as a research and knowledge-dissemination organization under Commission Regulation 651/2014/EU Article 2 (83)²; or
• business company which has at least two completed business years, maintains double-entry accounting that qualifies as a research and knowledge-dissemination organisation under Commission Regulation 651/2014/EU Article 2 (83) – the applying host institution declares these criteria to the NRDI Office (the criteria of research and knowledge-dissemination organisations and the suitability to host the research project will be verified with regards to the applying business company); or
• non-profit organisation that qualifies as a research and knowledge-dissemination organisation under Commission Regulation 651/2014/EU Article 2 (83).

Non-budgetary research institutions can be monitored on the basis of an institutional questionnaire by the NRDI Office.

Throughout the entire implementation period after awarding the grant, the principal investigator shall be employed at least in 50% by the host institution under an employment contract or civil service contract.

During the implementation of the EXCELLENCE project, another NKKP proposal cannot be submitted.

A principal investigator of a KKP (Research Excellence Program) Frontline project cannot submit another NKKP proposal during the implementation of the KKP.

Eligibility terms for principal investigators

Eligible applicants submitted an ERC Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant, Advanced Grant or Synergy Grant proposal earlier and received notification on the outcome after July 1, 2024, proving that the proposal reached the second or third round in the evaluation.

Submitting the EXCELLENCE_25 proposal, the principal investigator declares that, in case of funding, he/she submits an ERC Starting Grant, Consolidator Grant, Advanced Grant or Synergy Grant proposal within the duration of the project with a host institution having legal personality and registered seat in Hungary.³

Eligible objectives and actions

Project proposals can cover discovery research in any fields of science, regardless of thematic priority, if otherwise the application meets the conditions laid down in the call. All activities are eligible in order to attain the primary goals set out in the discovery research plan, with reference to the research plan of the attached ERC proposal, submitted to the NRDI Office.

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¹ ERC proposal reached the second stage, detailed criteria in point C.1.3.
² Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty: ‘research and knowledge-dissemination organisation’ means an entity (such as universities or research institutes, technology transfer agencies, innovation intermediaries, research-oriented physical or virtual collaborative entities), irrespective of its legal status (organised under public or private law) or way of financing, whose primary goal is to independently conduct fundamental research, industrial research or experimental development or to widely disseminate the results of such activities by way of teaching, publication or knowledge transfer. Where such entity also pursues economic activities the financing, the costs and the revenues of those economic activities must be accounted for separately. Undertakings that can exert a decisive influence upon such an entity, in the quality of, for example, shareholders or members, may not enjoy preferential access to the results generated by it (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri="CELEX:32014R0651).

³ Researchers affiliated with model-changing universities can also submit an ERC proposal, their proposals will be evaluated. The rules of providing support are affected by the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506 in force at the time of publishing the present Call for proposals.