"30 percent more, a total of 70 billion euros in funding will be available for innovation during the 2014-2020 European Union financing period under the auspices of the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme for Research and Development", the Ministry of National Economy's Parliamentary State Secretary announced at a press conference in Budapest on Tuesday.

Zoltán Cséfalvay announced the news at the conference entitled New Opportunities on the Horizon, organised by the Ministry of National Economy and the National Innovation Office (NIH) to mark the national launch of the Horizon 2020 programme.

The State Secretary pointed out that the European Parliament had adopted the EU's seven-year budget on 21 November, which also determined the budget for the Horizon 2020 programme. The increase in funding indicates that Europe views innovation as the take-off point through which the economies of EU member states may begin to grow following the crisis.

According to Mr. Cséfalvay, the Horizon 2020 programme attempts to provide a solution to the European paradox according to which Europe is good at research and at the practical realisation and industrial application of research and development when compared to its Southeast Asian rivals, yet continues to lag behind. For this reason, the programme concentrates more than previously on the practical realisation of research results, he added.

Of the important changes that are significant from a Hungarian perspective, the State Secretary mentioned that the Horizon 2020 programme has also set as its goal the assistance of countries and regions that have been less successful at winning tenders in the past. It was the Hungarian presidency of the European Union that first pointed out at a meeting of the European Council in 2011 that Central and Eastern European countries who are new members of the European Union only successfully acquire about 5 percent of EU-level innovation funding. It is thanks to this that facilitation of wider participation has now been achieved with a separate budget of 816 million euros.

According to the State Secretary, the Budapest-based European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) will receive 2.7 billion euros from the programme's budget for operative costs. In Mr. Cséfalvay's opinion, the significant institutional reforms currently underway in Hungary will enable EU and domestic funding for the period 2014-2020 to be put towards serving the economy. According to the Government's calculations, 10 percent of the 7300 billion forints in European Union funding that Hungary will receive from cohesion and structural funds during the upcoming seven-year cycle that begins in January will be put directly towards research and development.

State Secretary Cséfalvay also stated that in accordance with Parliament's decision on Monday, the Research and Technological Innovation Fund would be managed by the Ministry for National Economy from 1 January 2014, in the interests of harmonising the application of domestic and European Union R&D resources. The technological and organisational requirements for Hungary to successfully take part in the research and development competition for resources at EU-level exist, he said in closing. The V4 ministers responsible for innovation will be meeting in Budapest on 9 December, and one of the main topics of discussion is expected to be the Horizon 2020 programme.

Deputy Director-General of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Wolfgang Burtscher stressed that the budget for the Horizon 2020 programme has been increased, while the total EU budget has been decreased by 4 percent. The fact that the realisation of the framework programme will be much simpler than preciously is also of key importance, he said, adding that the Hungarian presidency had played an important role in this during the programme's development phase in the first half of 2011. During the course of the previous seven-year financial framework in 2007-2013, Hungary was awarded a total of 270 million euros in funding for research and development through 1500 successful tender applications, which was a good result, the Deputy Director-General said.

Acting President of the National Innovation Office László Korányi spoke about the fact that the NIH supports the success of Hungarian tender applicants with concrete programmes and operates the so-called National Contact Points (NCP) network. The launch conference also serves this goal, in addition to which several information days will be held throughout the country to raise awareness of the Horizon 2020 programme, he added. Mr. Korányi also pointed out that there was no limit to the number of Hungarian researchers allowed to participate in the programme; they will be awarded as much funding as they win through successful tenders.

(Ministry for National Economy)