The call for project proposals based on international cooperation promotes cooperation between domestic research groups and their foreign partners, thus strengthening the international embeddedness of Hungarian science.

The call is financed from the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund and is open to discovery research projects in any field of science without thematic priorities, in the framework of the following subprogrammes:

• Research projects based on international cooperation (NN_17)
  
• Research projects based on Hungarian–Austrian Lead Agency cooperation (ANN_17)
  
• Research projects based on Hungarian–Slovenian Lead Agency cooperation (SNN_17)
  

Submission of applications

Applications can be submitted electronically through the Online Application Portal of the NRDI Office by 21 March 2017. The submission is successful if the application was finalised electronically by the researcher and approved by the host institution, and if the hard copies of all required documents were received by the customer service of the NRDI Office via regular mail, postmarked no later than 28 March 2017. Applications may not be submitted in person. All applications must be submitted in English irrespective of the field of science.

Who can apply

Researchers (principal investigators) with Hungarian or foreign nationality have to apply jointly with the host institution which has to be

• a higher education institution, research centre, research institution, budgetary organ or an institution thereof having legal personality if it qualifies as a research organisation;
  
• a business company having at least one full financial year closed, applying double-entry bookkeeping, not belonging to the scope of simplified entrepreneurial tax (EVA) (only non-profit activities are eligible for funding);
  
• a non-profit organisation pursuing research and development as core activity.
  

Throughout the entire implementation period, the principal investigator shall be employed full-time by the host institution under an employment contract, civil service contract or other work-related legal relationship.

Projects can also be implemented by consortia.

Further requirements for principal investigators

At the time of application the principal investigator shall hold a doctoral (PhD/DLA) degree or a certificate issued by the university doctoral council, and has to be affiliated to a Hungarian host institution.
One applicant may only submit one international cooperation application as principal investigator and may only assume principal investigator position in maximum two projects funded by the NRDI Office under any other of the research funding schemes (PD, FK, K, NK, NF or NN types) and one project funded under the Funding for research teams with significant achievements of internationally outstanding impact (KK type) scheme at a time.

Conditions for foreign cooperation partners

• Subprogramme NN_17: Hungarian applicants have to submit their application to the NRDI Office, while the foreign cooperation partners have to submit their parallel application to the competent research funding organisation in their own country. The project is only eligible for funding if the domestic application is selected for funding by the NRDI Office and the foreign application by the foreign funding organisation. From the perspective of the foreign cooperation partner, funding organisation shall mean any public or private institution entitled to provide funding for the given research project.
  
• Subprogramme ANN_17: The applications submitted to the NRDI Office shall specify the division of labour between the Hungarian and the Austrian partners in the work plan, the description of the added value resulting from the cooperation also in the work plan, and the Austrian partner’s estimated budget with explanation as a separate attachment.
  The parallel call published on the foreign funding organisation’s website: Austrian Science Fund (FWF)
  
• Subprogramme SNN_17: The applications submitted to the NRDI Office shall specify the division of labour between the Hungarian and the Slovenian partners in the work plan, the description of the added value resulting from the cooperation also in the work plan, and the Slovenian partner’s estimated budget with explanation as a separate attachment.
  The parallel call published on the foreign funding organisation’s website: Slovenian Research Agency (ARRS)
  

Eligible objectives and activities

Any international cooperation based discovery research activities indicated in the research and work plan, and the actions required to implement the project plan submitted to the NRDI Office are eligible and not bound by any thematic priority or restricted to any field of science.

Available budget

In order to achieve the objectives of the call the NRDI Office has earmarked a total budget of HUF 1 billion from the NRDI Fund for the 2017-2020 period in line with the Act on the Central Budget and with regard to the programme strategy of the NRDI Fund. From this amount HUF 250 million can be disbursed in 2017 depending on the programme strategy for 2017.

Available funds

Up to HUF 36 million (SNN_17) or HUF 48 million (NN_17, ANN_17) in non-refundable funding per project. Maximum funding intensity is 100%.

Duration of the project

Funded projects shall be implemented within 36 months (SNN_17) or 48 months (NN_17, ANN_17) from project launch. Projects shall commence between 1 September 2017 and 1 December 2017.