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As young researchers, we believe that high-quality public and higher education, research, development and innovation are key to our country’s growth. However, our experience shows that the situation of the young researchers’ community and the next generation of scientists in Hungary is desperate. Low basic salaries and the precariousness of supplementary incomes [1] on the one hand, discourage talented youth from embarking on a career in research, and on the other, many young researchers who are currently active in the field leave the academic and research career paths for reasons of livelihood. The missing volume of researchers cannot be quickly and easily replaced later on because of the 5-10 year time span required to become a researcher, which is likely to put Hungary at a disadvantage for several decades in the very near future.

The flagship strategic action plan of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, the John von Neumann Programme announced in 2023, has as one of its objectives to increase the number of students pursuing doctoral studies and the number of research and development staff per million inhabitants from 6 273 to 9 000. We believe that these objectives are also of paramount importance, but to achieve them we need to ensure the following:

• that current professors and researchers do not leave Hungary or give up their academic career;
• that the most excellent students enter the doctoral programmes, receive their doctoral degrees and find employment in the R+D+I sector;
• that starting a doctoral programme is a valid alternative compared to finding a job in the labour market, in order to ensure an increase in the number of researchers.

Of the many problems [1] facing young researchers, the high inflationary environment of recent years has made the abysmally low basic salaries the most critical, which do not even allow for sustaining oneself. Ad hoc salary increases in the higher education sector have lagged far behind increases in overall wage levels and the rising cost of living. To illustrate the situation:

• the stipendium of doctoral students provided by the state (at the beginning, HUF 140 000 net,  rising to HUF 180 000 later on) is significantly lower than the minimum wage stipulated by law (HUF 266 800 gross, which is HUF 217 442 net, also taking into consideration the personal income tax benefit for those below the age of 25);
• the basic salary for beginner professors, researchers, assistant lecturers and assistant research fellows a kezdő oktató-kutató, tanársegéd vagy tudományos segédmunkatárs alapbére (HUF 293 278 gross) has to be supplemented so that it would reach the amount of the minimum guaranteed salaries for secondary-level qualifications (HUF 326 000 gross), whereas these positions require a university (master) level qualification, doctoral studies, hence at least 4-5 years of professional experience;
• the basic salaries of senior lecturers holding a PhD (HUF 366 600 gross) lag far behind Hungarian average salaries (HUF 554 049 gross based on the data of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office);
• the situation is similar in the case of researcher positions as well, in certain HUN-REN institutions, for instance, the basic salary for research fellows (the approximate equivalent of senior lecturers) is HUF 370 000 gross.

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