All Hungarian universities are back in Horizon Europe!
The Council of the European Union, on 13 October 2026, adopted the Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/2324, repealing Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506 lifting the measures that had prohibited the Commission from entering into new legal commitments involving Union funding with certain Hungarian entities, namely public interest trusts established on the basis of Hungarian Act IX of 2021 and entities maintained by such trusts.
New legal commitments involving Union funding may again be concluded with the entities concerned as from the date of entry into effect of the repealing decision, i.e. from 14 October 2026.
Entities concerned include 21 Hungarian universities that are now free to apply to any Horizon Europe call and act in any Horizon Europe proposal and project as beneficiaries, subject to the applicable eligibility conditions.
Impact on ongoing signed grants
For grant agreements that have been already signed and are ongoing, the entities concerned may in principle now receive EU funding in any eligible role. This would require a consortium-requested amendment to the grant agreement. Such amendments cannot take effect retroactively before the date on which the lifting Decision entered into effect. In addition, the maximum EU grant amount of an already signed grant agreement cannot be increased for the purpose of covering the eligible costs of the formerly concerned Hungarian entities; any support for such entities would therefore need to come from a redistribution within the existing maximum EU contribution of the grant concerned.
Impact on proposals in Grant Agreement Preparation (GAP)
For proposals currently under grant agreement preparation, concerned entities that had been included as associated partners without funding due to the restriction set out in Implementing Decision 2022/2056 may now participate as beneficiaries and receive funding. Coordinators of proposals under grant agreement preparation including concerned Hungarian entities as associated partners should contact their project officer in the responsible EU implementing body (Executive Agency, Joint Undertaking, European Commission).
Proposals under preparation
The concerned Hungarian entities are now eligible to participate as beneficiaries and receive funding.
Further guidance
A set of FAQs will be available shortly on the Funding & Tenders Portal.
Hungarian Government Guarantee Fund
The Hungarian Government Guarantee Fund set up earlier provides funding for the concerned universities participating in successful Horizon Europe proposals as associated partners due to the restriction set out in the Council Implementing Decision 2022/2056.
Hungarian applicants included in an application submitted before 14 October 2026 – that is, whilst the restricting Decision was still in force – who, due to the rules in force at that time, are participating in the work of the consortia as associated partners, may continue to apply for funding from the Hungarian Government Guarantee Fund. The submission deadline for the 2026 call for the Government Guarantee Fund (2026-1.2.1-KÖA) is 30 October 2026.