The Council found 2 out of the 6 proposals submitted eligible, based on a set of evaluation criteria focusing on excellence, in line with the ERC’s logic of the most excellent European scientific funding scheme. The RCH sees a particularly good chance for successful ERC applications in these two cases, with the total funding of HUF 125 million intended to significantly increase the chances of a successful European proposal in both cases.

The EXCELLENCE category under the NREP helps Hungarian researchers, who have demonstrated their standing in the international elite of the scientific community with significant international achievements in competing for funding in the past, to prepare for calls launched by the European Research Council (ERC) Applications for funding under the EXCELLENCE sub-programme are continuously being assessed.

Of the six proposals initially submitted, the panel found two to be eligible, stressing that the ERC assessments received by the applicants showed that both had the potential to be successful in a re-competition and that their domestic funding was therefore in line with the objectives of the EXCELLENCE sub-programme.

One of the winners is Márton Kolossváry, a cardiologist who graduated from Semmelweis University with a degree and PhD in medicine and then pursued postdoctoral studies at Johns Hopkins University in the United States. His research focuses on artificial intelligence-based analysis of radiological images, which can help to improve the accuracy of diagnosis based on radiological images by combining clinical findings with imaging data, thus contributing to faster and more effective treatment and recovery of patients.

The other funded project is that of political scientist Miklós Sebők, who holds a degree in economics from Corvinus University of Budapest, a PhD in political science from the University of Virginia in the United States, and a PhD in law from the Faculty of Law and Political Sciences of Eötvös Loránd University. In his research, he is pioneering the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to rapidly detect and analyse global political communication processes.

For the other proposals, the main reason for not being selected for funding is that, in line with the ERC assessors’ opinion, the RCH’s joint view is that they are incremental in nature and therefore less likely to have the potential for a new scientific breakthrough or have other ongoing significant funding opportunities that could help the researcher to submit a successful ERC proposal.

The RCH’s strategic objective is to use the significantly increased NREP budget of HUF 19 billion to support projects whose results, when put into practice, will significantly improve the general well-being of Hungarian society, the competitiveness of the Hungarian economy, and will represent a significant scientific innovation, thus contributing to the international recognition of Hungarian researchers and Hungarian research. The more than 40% increase in the budget compared to the previous year, combined with the excellence-focused evaluation criteria based on international best practice, will help the Hungarian scientific community to develop.