News

One of the primary missions of the Hungarian Young Academy (HYA) is to monitor the research calls available to young researchers in Hungary and to share feedback with the funding bodies. HYA considers it a priority to conduct a regular dialogue with the key actors of the Hungarian research ecosystem. The last time HYA had an occasion to consult with the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NRDIO) was on 20 October 2023. Since then, HYA sent NRDIO its written comments on developments related to the OTKA/NKKP calls on several occasions, most recently in September 2024.

Following the publication of the results of the National Research Excellence Programme (NKKP) in 2024, HYA collected opinions on the application and evaluation process through its membership. The feedback gathered pointed out issues regarding the predictability of NKKP calls, the information and evaluation process, the representation of scientific disciplines and the structure of the calls. On 29 January 2025, a delegation of the Hungarian Young Academy was invited to present and discuss their experience and suggestions during a personal meeting with representatives of the Hungarian Research Council (HRC) and NRDIO.

The parties reviewed HYA’s feedback and suggestions, and talked about how the planned changes to the NKKP would help address the issues raised. The representatives of HRC and NRDIO thanked the Hungarian Young Academy for its work and indicated that they would continue to rely on HYA’s support in representing the perspectives of young researchers.