The programme aims to harness Hungary’s life sciences research and development potential by supporting internationally competitive translational projects focused on solving unmet medical needs and aiming for market exploitation. It also supports the preclinical development of high value-added healthcare innovations emerging within the RDI ecosystem. Within this framework, the scheme provides targeted support for the preclinical testing phase of drug development, enabling actors in the domestic health industry to reduce the risks associated with entering clinical trials and accelerate progress towards the market validation of their developments.

To achieve the above objective, this call provides support for advanced projects that have already achieved Proof of Concept level results, specifically during the preclinical phases up to the start of clinical trials.

PoC to Clinic supports advanced life sciences and medical technology R&D projects that have already reached in vivo Proof of Concept level results. The aim of the programme is to ensure that developments reach the clinical trials stage as quickly as possible and demonstrate their competitive market potential through targeted funding.

Submission of proposals

To submit your proposal, log in through the Single Sign-on (SSO) interface at www.palyazat.gov.hu and complete the online form. The finalised proposal must be submitted together with a duly signed (authenticated) declaration verifying the electronic submission of the proposal, in line with the Guidelines.

Project proposals can be submitted (electronically) from the activation of the online application form until 12:00 CET, 14 November 2025.

Eligible applicants

The call is open to both individual applicants and consortia.

The call is open to legal entities with proven scientific or technological results in drug development, having their registered seat in Hungary or in the European Economic Area with a branch office in Hungary, as follows:

Individually or as consortium leader:

• Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (with GFO code as specified in the call) that have at least one closed, full business year and maintain double-entry bookkeeping. Enterprises that qualify as start-ups (established no later than 1 June 2025) are exempt from the financial statement requirement set out in this section.

Consortium member:

• Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (with GFO code as specified in the call) that have at least one closed, full business year and maintain double-entry bookkeeping. Enterprises that qualify as start-ups (established no later than 1 June 2025) are exempt from the financial statement requirement set out in this section.
• Research and knowledge-dissemination organisations as defined in Article 2(83) of Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014:
  • budgetary organs and budgetary entities classified under the financial management (GFO) codes specified in the call,
  • non-profit and other non-profit-oriented organisations classified under the financial management (GFO) codes specified in the call,
  • non-profit business entities classified under the financial management (GFO) codes specified in the call. 

Participation options for research and knowledge-dissemination organisations during project implementation:

• Research and knowledge-dissemination organisations may participate as consortium members, in effective collaboration as defined in points 28–29 of Commission Communication 2022/C 414/01 on the Framework for State aid for research, development and innovation, with the applicant referred to in section 3.1 (a), or
• research and knowledge-dissemination organisations may participate as consortium members without effective collaboration with the applicant referred to in section 3.1 (a), or
• research and knowledge-dissemination organisations may participate not as consortium members but as R&D service providers contributing to the implementation of the project.

Further considerations:

• The consortium may consist of a maximum of 3 members.
• In the case of a 2-member consortium, the consortium leader must apply for at least 60% of the total funding both during the planning and implementation phases.
• In the case of a 3-member consortium, the consortium leader must apply for at least 51% of the total funding both during the planning and implementation phases.

Eligible project objectives

• Independently eligible activities: applied (industrial) research, experimental development 
• Not eligible independently: within activities supporting an R&D project, the purchase of hardware and software, the use of software subscription services, project management (coordination), mandatory publicity (information activities), general costs (overheads), public procurement activities, intellectual property protection activities, conference or exhibition costs (dissemination costs), travel costs, publication costs, revision costs, printing costs, preparation and authorisation of preliminary studies or plans.

Additional important terms

• In addition to the compulsory information activities, applicants must also make the following commitments:
  • Increase in TRL level (the project must start from at least a completed sector-specific TRL 3 level and reach at least a completed sector-specific TRL 5 level by the end of the implementation period).
  • Increase in research staff (in the case of individual implementation, the applicant, or in the case of a consortium, at least one consortium member, must commit to increasing the number of researchers holding a PhD degree by at least one person).
  • Commitment to file a patent application by the end of the implementation period.
• Maximum project duration is 48 months.
• The maintenance obligation lasts until the end of the 2nd year following the physical completion of the project, as set out in section 7 of the call. 

Total budget and maximum amount of funding

Total budget: HUF 5 billion.

Total expected number of funded projects: 3 to 7.