Objectives and expected outcome

• Promote an active, mutually beneficial, business-focused relationship between universities and the business sector.
  
• Formulate the intellectual and infrastructural competencies of institutions as transparent services.
  
• Create a Single Point of Contact for businesses to reach a hub of connected higher education institutions.
  
• Facilitate results-oriented technology transfer and innovation management at the institutions.
  
• Develop an entrepreneurial approach in teachers, researchers and students.
  
• Commercialise institutional RDI results through synergies with the business sector.
  

Eligible applicants

Of higher education institutions accredited by the Hungarian state, qualifying as research and knowledge-dissemination organisations under Article 2 (83) of Council Regulation 651/2014/EU:

• public universities;
  
• public universities of applied sciences;
  
• universities with financial management (GFO) code 599 operated by a legal entity founded by the Hungarian state.
  

Consortia are not eligible to apply.
 

Submission deadline

Applications are accepted (electronically) from the announcement of the online application form until 28 June 2019 no later than 12:00 (CET). Applications are accepted as long as available funds last.
 

Compulsory activities

1. Establishment and/or operation of a central organisational unit responsible for technology and knowledge transfer; harmonisation of innovation activities at institutional level; development of organisational and operational regulations that fit with the new arrangement.
   
2. Mapping and review of RDI capacities; creation and operation of competency management for their utilisation; data supply towards the funder.
   
3. Creation and maintenance of local database for knowledge management and data supply towards the funder.
   
4. Updating of the institutional intellectual property management regulations.
   
5. In line with the reporting obligation under Article 34(3) of the RDI Act, public disclosure of annual reports on the intellectual property management and technology transfer activities of the higher education institution.
   
6. In relation to points b) and c): fulfilment of tasks relating to the updating, utilisation competency management and centralised databases.
   
7. Development of business and operational models for the selected activities.
   
8. Creation of an institutional budget for intellectual property protection during project implementation.
   
9. Organisation of innovation and research management training for university citizens.
   

Optional activities

At least five of the following activities shall be undertaken and implemented.

• Creation of database for the building of new (in terms of business relations, partner or topic) or expansion of existing income-generating RDI and business collaborations.
  
• Regulation of intellectual property protection, operation of related processes, industrial property applications, and obtaining of related patent attorney advice, novelty research and other professional opinions.
  
• Commercialisation of RDI results (including in arts), sale/utilisation of intellectual property.
  
• Sale and coordination of RDI services provided to businesses on a commercial basis, with the involvement of university R&D units.
  
• Management of commercialisation of RDI results (including in arts).
  
• Organisation and further development of training courses on IP awareness, startup and business development skills, and launch of credit-point courses, including especially practice-oriented courses based on student-SME/startp cooperation.
  
• Support of student innovation: Organisation and awarding of hackatons, innovation and start-up competitions. Operation of student open labs and fab-labs.
  
• Creation and operation of a Proof of Concept (PoC) Fund (for up to 40% of all eligible costs). The amount of funding from the PoC Fund per project shall not exceed HUF 7 million.
  
• Creation of university utilisation businesses and development of business models.
  
• Creation of a H2020 (or Horizon Europe) Information Point to improve participation rate in the EU’s research and innovation framework programmes. The employee charged with the task shall closely cooperate with the H2020 NCPs of the NRDI Office and shall receive continuous professional support from them for his or her work.
  
• Development of technology and knowledge transfer competencies (up to 15% of all eligible costs): organisation of innovation and research management training for researchers and students; implementation of technology scouting activities; building of competencies necessary for technology validation; participation in international conferences and workshops.
  

Project duration

The full duration of the programme is 36 months. This call funds projects in the first phase of the programme, to be implemented within 18 months.
 

Available budget

The total available budget of the call is HUF 3 billion made available in two phases. The budget of this call is HUF 1.5 billion. The amount of non-refundable funding in the first phase is HUF 30 million up to 150 million per proposal, with funding intensity 100%.

The remaining budget of HUF 1.5 billion shall be allocated by the NRDI Office in the second phase, after evaluating the progress of the funded projects.