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Research - Hungary

Updated 12/2010

Legal requirements

The European objective announced in the Lisbon Strategy is for spending on Research and Development (R&D) to reach 3% of GDP by 2010. With this in mind, Hungary is encouraging businesses to invest in research and innovation as part of promoting growth and employment.

Research is regulated by the Act on Research and Development and Technological Innovation. The Act sets out government duties and the basic principles of government support. It also relaxes financing rules for research centres, enables easier mobility of experts between research centres and businesses, and helps improve the public perception of scientific research and technical development.

  • Research and Development and Technological Innovation Act magyar

The protection of research activity is enshrined in the Act on Invention Patents and the Act on Utility Models.

R&D bodies

There are two major research and development bodies:

  • National Office for Research and Technology magyar
  • Hungarian Academy of Sciences magyar

Alongside R&D, innovation is essential for businesses to develop and stay competitive.

Intellectual property must be protected to encourage research.

Administrative procedures

Tendering

The list of current calls for tender announced by the National Office for Research and Technology can be found on the following website:

Resources

The Hungarian Current Research Information System is a database of Hungarian research projects, researchers and research centres. All R&D organisations must provide the system with data on any research carried out using public funding.

Programmes

The Research and Innovation Fund was created to support research and innovation in Hungary. Every company is required to pay in at least 0.25% of its turnover as a contribution to the fund, with the exception of small businesses. The budget allocates a contribution equivalent to this amount to the Fund. The amount may be reduced by the costs of the R&D activity carried out or ordered by the company.

The Fund is administered by the National Office for Research and Technology. Its main uses are:

  • support for tenders;
  • relevant co-financing by the National Development Plan;
  • regional innovation programmes;
  • researcher and teacher training.

Other sources of finance:

  • Source map for R&D and innovation support 2009-2010 pdf [692 KB] magyar

Check also the legislation on this topic in:

  • References

    Legal texts

    • Act CXXXIV of 2004 on Research and Development and on Technological Innovation - Hungarian Official Journal 2004/200 (25 December 2004) magyar
    • Act XC of 2003 on the Research and Technology Innovation Fund - Hungarian Official Journal 2003/131 (14 November 2003) magyar
    • Act XXXIII of 1995 on the Protection of Inventions by Patents - Hungarian Official Journal 1995/35 (5 May 1995) [443 KB]magyar
    • Act XXXVIII of 1991 on Utility Model Protection - Hungarian Official Journal 1991/106 (1 October 1991) [82 KB]magyar
    • Government Decree 146/2007 (26 June 2007) on the Rules Governing State Support from the Research and Technological Innovation Fund - Hungarian Official Journal 2007/80 (26 June 2007) magyar
    • Government Decree 146/2010 (29 April 2010) on Public Funding Support for Innovative Research and Development and Technology Projects magyar
    • Government Decree 255/2003 (24 December 2003) on the Research and Technological Innovation Council - Hungarian Official Journal 2003/154 (24 December 2003) pdf [64 KB] magyar
    • Government Decree 54/2002 (26 March 2002) on the Exemption of Certain Types of Research and Development Agreement from the Prohibition on Restricting Competition - Hungarian Official Journal 2002/39 (26 March 2002) magyar
    • Government Decree 160/2001 (12 September 2001) on the National Research Information System - Hungarian Official Journal 2001/99 (12 September 2001) magyar

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