The formation of a knowledge-based society and economy demands a high level of knowledge, which appears in new, marketable products and services. Science and innovation are essential factors in competitiveness and sustainable growth. At the same time, knowledge has become an important factor in quality of life.

An essential condition for fact-based political decision-making is a properly operating information system which provides the knowledge required to understand processes. Hungary’s RDI statistical information system has a noteworthy tradition, and has undergone significant modernisation since the beginning of the country’s transition to a market economy However, Hungary’s RDI statistical portfolio is only partially capable of meeting the needs of the system-based theoretical innovation policymaking The need for change was articulated in the Government measure on the STI plan for 2007-2010, stating in its section B.I.2 that: