MTA LENDÜLET (“MOMENTUM”) PROGRAMME (2019–2024)

Objectives

Under the funding scheme of the Lendület (“Momentum”) Programme, the President of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Magyar Tudományos Akadémia, hereinafter referred to as MTA) launches a call for applications to establish research teams which will start working in 2019. The Lendület (“Momentum”) Programme (hereinafter referred to as Lendület Programme) aims at a dynamic renewal of the research work going on either at research institutions of MTA’s research network or at universities, via attracting internationally acclaimed scientists and highly-talented young researchers either by hiring them from abroad or keeping them in Hungary. The mission of the Lendület Programme is to support both excellence and mobility. Accordingly, its purpose is to provide funding for research teams to be set up at host institutions with a view to conducting research on new research themes. The budget earmarked for the Lendület Programme under the appropriation which, in Annex 1 of the Act L of 2018 on the Central Budget of Hungary for the Year 2019, has been reallocated from Chapter XVII “Ministry of Innovation and Technology” Title 20 “Chapter-managed appropriations”, Subtitle 66 “Research and Development Tasks”, Article 4 “Support for Excellence Grant Programmes of the Academy” to Chapter XXXIII “Hungarian Academy of Sciences”, Title 6 “Chapter-managed appropriations”, Subtitle 6 “Lendület Programme”, is expected to be of HUF 540 million, to be used for the funding of maximum 15 new Lendület research teams with starting dates between 1^st July 2019 and 1^st December 2019. The entire grant period, in accordance with the provisions of this call and with the grant award document, may extend to a maximum of 5 years. It is a precondition for the actual transfer of the grant amounts due to be paid in 2020 and the years afterwards that the budget earmarked for the implementation of the Lendület Programme in the central budget of the year concerned, necessary for the further funding of the Lendület research teams, should be placed at the disposal of MTA. Where the grantee is a principal investigator (PI) of a research team belonging to MTA’s research network, the part of the grant amount covering the salary costs of the PI may, pursuant to the provisions of the Decision 33/2016 (XII. 1.) of the President of MTA and subject to the decision of the President of MTA, furthermore depending on the available financial resources provided through actual central budgetary support for any incorporation, be incorporated in the annual budget of the host institution after the project has been closed.

Who can apply? Conditions of participation

1. Researchers with a scientific degree PhD/DLA are invited to submit applications – in line with their respective age-groups and scientific achievements – to head new Lendület research teams in the categories specified below:

Lendület I – Researchers at the outset of their independent research careers: promising young researchers, typically aged under 38, with an outstanding and steadily increasing scientific output. Grantees in this category must undertake to apply to any of the funding schemes of the European Research Council (ERC) either in the course of their Lendület project or after its completion.

Lendület II – Researchers consolidating their independent research career: internationally acclaimed leading researchers with continued excellent and steadily increasing scientific output, typically aged between 35 and 45. Grantees in this category must undertake to apply to the Consolidator Grant Call or the Advanced Grant Call of the European Research Council (ERC) either in the course of their Lendület project or after its completion; alternatively, they must undertake to obtain funding in the framework of any other international research grant scheme, whose funding should be at a rate commensurate with the funding offered in the Lendület scheme, so that this might be sufficient to maintain the operation of the research team after the completion of the Lendület grant period.

“Targeted Lendület Research” – Researchers conducting applied (targeted) research of outstanding efficiency: researchers typically under 45 years of age, committing themselves to carrying out research which is expected to have direct impact in terms of economic competitiveness. In the category “Targeted Lendület Research” at least half of the grant amount shall be provided (via HUF transfer) by a company having been registered in Hungary for at least two years with registered seat in Hungary which is operating in the Hungarian private sector. In this category the grantees are expected to be aiming at both results which may be freely published and on the basis of these, results which may be directly utilized by the funding company. The planned grant period in this category is 3, 4 or 5 years under the conditions listed in the Section 1 of the current call, and – subject to a joint decision of the grantors – the three‑year period may be extended by a maximum of 2 years, while the four‑year period may be extended by a maximum of 1 year.

In any of the above categories, a researcher raising a child shall be granted an age limit extension of 2 years per child as an extension of the standard age limit where prior to the submission of the application the researcher has received childcare benefit based on the Act LXXXIV of 1998 on Family Support or has received pecuniary health insurance benefits for childcare purposes pursuant to the Act LXXXIII of 1997 on the Benefits of Compulsory Health Insurance. Applicants must provide evidence of their eligibility for the age limit extension in the documentation of their application.

A researcher who has been awarded a grant in any of the above categories may not submit a new application in the same category.

2. In the Lendület programme applications may be submitted only for research activities in institutions belonging to MTA’s research network and Hungarian universities as host institutions. Applications are to be submitted jointly by the head of the host institution – that is either the head of an MTA research institution or the rector of a university – and the applicant researcher who is the prospective PI of the research team to be established. Applicants shall decide which Lendület category to apply for upon consultation with the head of the host institution.

Only new research themes, or research themes that have been on the agenda of the host institution for no longer than five years, exhibiting considerable success, may be proposed in the application. The specific research themes must be in strategic alignment with a promising line of research attracting considerable international interest, i.e. a line of research whose performance indicator is considered by international assessment as excellent and as having been continuously on the rise over the last five years. A detailed description of the international recognition of the proposed topic must be given in the application. In case of natural sciences, engineering and life sciences, priority will be given in the evaluation to applications envisaging an experimental approach.

3. The grant is non-repayable and its minimum amount is HUF 25 million per year throughout the grant scheme, while the maximum amount of the grant in Lendület I is HUF 50 million per year and in Lendület II HUF 60 million per year; in the category “Targeted Lendület Research” the minimum grant amount is HUF 25 million per year each from MTA and from the funding company, while the maximum grant amount may differ from the above limits, depending on the amount of external funding. There is no need to involve own resources.

4. In the humanities and social sciences, the project activities may, when properly justified, include a study visit or work under fixed-term employment abroad the duration of which may not exceed 1 year.

5. Prospective PIs in Lendület I and Lendület II are expected to be actively involved in research and to act as research team leaders in the next 10-15 years, and they are expected, either in the course of their Lendület project or afterwards, to obtain an ERC grant (or other international grant based on excellence) alternatively, they are expected to be able to prove that they have been involved in a research project as a major partner. The planned research should be suitable to increase the host institution’s competitiveness, both in terms of scientific reputation and in terms of fundraising capability.

6. Conditions that are compulsory in the category Lendület II and are preferred in the categories Lendület I and “Targeted Lendület Research”, are as follows:

1. The scientific degree of the applicant was obtained at a scientific institution internationally recognized in the applicant’s scientific field; post-doctoral research experience gained at such institution; employment as a researcher or lecturer by such institution.
2. Regular publication by the applicant of their independent scientific findings in leading science journals of their respective fields; attendance by the applicant as an invited lecturer on several occasions at scientific conferences; success in obtaining at least one research grant on their own.

7. In the categories Lendület I and Lendület II applications submitted by applicants employed by the host institution at the time of the submission shall be accepted only in duly justified cases and only for the introduction of a new research theme.

Submission of applications, requirements regarding form and content

Applications must be submitted in English (in the case of applications in social sciences and humanities in English or in Hungarian) via the electronic submission portal of Lendület (https://palyazat.mta.hu/lendulet_2019). The deadline for electronic submission is

• for applicants for Lendület I and Lendület II:

12:00 CET, 8^th March 2019

• for applicants for “Targeted Lendület Research”

12:00 CET, 22^nd March 2019

The declaration to be downloaded from the electronic submission portal and to be signed by the Head of the Host Institution and its Chief Financial Officer shall also be submitted by post in one copy to the Department of Grant Management of the Secretariat of MTA (name and address: MTA Titkárság, Kutatási Pályázatok Főosztálya, Nádor utca 7., H-1051 Budapest), with postage stamp dated the above indicated electronic submission date at the latest. Applicants are required to put on the envelope “Lendület-pályázat 2019” (“Application for Lendület 2019”). Submission of the application is free of charge.

For further information regarding the full application procedure applicants are requested to contact the staff of the Department of Grant Management of the Secretariat of MTA at the e-mail address lendulet [at] titkarsag [dot] mta [dot] hu, or at the phone numbers below:

+36 1 411 6336 (social sciences and humanities)

+36 1 411 6100/550 (life sciences)

+36 1 411 6287 (mathematics and natural sciences).

The electronic submission portal of Lendület can be entered by using the username and password valid for MTA Akadémiai Adattár (the Academy’s Database, hereinafter referred to as AAT). The submission portal automatically retrieves the data stored in the AAT, so these data should and can only be modified in the AAT. To ensure that the data used are up-to-date, applicants are requested to update their data in the AAT, where relevant.

In case the applicant has not registered in the AAT yet, registration can be done by using Guide 1. In case the applicant has already got an AAT username and password (or after registration has been successfully completed), the applicant should follow the instructions in the Guide from point 4 onwards, so as to fill in the obligatory data in the AAT.

Guide 2 should be consulted for completing and submitting the application via the electronic submission portal of Lendület.

The application package must include:

The following documents to be uploaded to the electronic submission portal:

1. Application data;
2. Applicant’s data;
3. A brief summary of the proposed project (using the template which can be downloaded from the portal);
4. A short description of the five-year research programme (using the template which can be downloaded from the portal); in the category of “Targeted Lendület Research”, a short description of the research programme for the grant period as determined in the application, in such depth as agreed by the funding company; furthermore, in the case of applications in social sciences and humanities eventual suggestions by the applicant as to which of the evaluation procedures should be used for the annual progress reports, as provided for in Annex 2 of Decision 33/2016 (XII. 1.) of the President of MTA;
5. A detailed work plan for the first three-year phase of the programme, including a description of the tasks given in an annual breakdown (using the template which can be downloaded from the portal);
6. An aggregated budget plan for the entire grant period with annual breakdown, supplemented by a justification (using the template which can be downloaded from the portal); in case of the “Targeted Lendület Research” category, separate budget plans for the MTA-funded part and for the company-funded part of the grant, respectively.
7. Antecedents of the research plan in terms of personnel and institutional background:

1. the respective CV’s and lists of publications for the PI and for the main participants of the project, the publication-related and scientometric data for the prospective PI;
2. a declaration of the host institution (using the template which can be downloaded from the portal), describing the relationship of the planned research to the strategic plans of the research centre / independent research institute / university, and reasons for the support of the line of research represented by the planned project. In the case of applications submitted by researchers working at the host institution, an explanation as to why the applicant is submitting a proposal for a Lendület project to be implemented at his/her own current research unit, and in what way the application differs from other research projects (e.g. announced by the National Office of Research, Development and Innovation Office, NKFIH) addressing predetermined research themes;
3. a description of the host institution’s research facilities, scientific capacities, and of the host institution’s contribution, where relevant, to the successful implementation of the planned research work (in case of allocation of financial resources by the host institution to the project, the relevant financial data shall be given in detail);

8. Where relevant, the title, the year of submission and the evaluation of any proposal submitted by the applicant to an ERC call and/or the topic as well as the starting and the closing years of the applicant’s successful ERC project;

9. The names of at least five expert researchers – possibly non-Hungarian nationals or Hungarian nationals working abroad – who might be prepared to review the application in line with high professional standards and who appear not to be in any conflict of interest. The applicant may at the same time name persons whom he/she would not like to have as reviewers of his/her application.

In the form of original documents to be submitted on paper:

10. By post: the declaration to be found in Annex 3 (downloadable from the electronic submission portal), which shall be signed by the Head of the Host Institution and its Chief Financial Officer; in the category of “Targeted Lendület Research”, a letter of commitment by the funding company as well;
11. References from 3 recognised scientists who are not being employed in any form by the host institution (in the category of “Targeted Lendület Research” one of the references shall be replaced by the letter of commitment of the funding company, specifying the grant period envisaged as well as the scale and form of funding). The referees shall send the references drawn up in the language of the application directly to the postal or e-mail address of the Department of Grant Management of the Secretariat of MTA (name and address: MTA Titkárság Kutatási Pályázatok Főosztálya, Nádor utca 7., H-1051 Budapest, e-mail address: lendulet [at] titkarsag [dot] mta [dot] hu).

The applications submitted will be checked by the Department of Grant Management of the Secretariat of MTA. Where the application meets the formal requirements specified in the call, the Department of Grant Management will, not later than 7 days after the submission of the application, either send a confirmation of admission of the application for evaluation to the applicant or shall reject the application without evaluating it.

The application shall be rejected without evaluation if (1) the applicant is personally ineligible to apply, (2) the documents required in the call have been received after the time limit, (3) the applicant has provided information which is either false, forged or misleading, and which could substantially affect and alter the outcome of the decision upon evaluation. In the event that the application which has been admitted for evaluation turns out to be incorrect or incomplete, the Department of Grant Management shall call on the applicant to remedy the deficiencies identified. Such remedy of deficiencies may be allowed once, and the applicant must provide the correct or complete version within 5 working days after receipt of the notification to this effect. Should the applicant provide a rectification which contains an error or which is incomplete, or should the applicant fail to correct any irregularities within the specified time limit, the application may be rejected without further examination of its content. The grantor shall give reasons for the rejection.

Legal remedy

No legal remedy may be sought concerning the substance of the decision on the results of the call.

Information on how to lodge a complaint

Applicants may lodge a complaint addressed to the President of MTA, should they believe that a procedural element of the call procedure or of the decision-making concerning the award of the grant, or of the issue of the grant award document or of the transfer of the state-funded grant amount or of the recovery of undue payments has violated in any way a legislative provision or has been contrary to what has been provided for in this call for applications. No complaint can be lodged concerning the scientific evaluation of the applications. The complaint has to contain the name and address of the applicant lodging the complaint, the specification of the contested measure or of the instance of inaction, the description of the relevant facts, the identification of the specific legislative provision or provision of this call which has been allegedly violated by the contested measure or instance of inaction, and the signature of the applicant lodging the complaint.

The complaint may be submitted only once within 15 days following the receipt of the notification about the decision containing the contested measure or an instance of inaction via e‑mail to the e‑mail address lendulet [at] titkarsag [dot] mta [dot] hu and at the same time by post using the postal address of the Department of Grant Management of the Secretariat of MTA: MTA Titkárság Kutatási Pályázatok Főosztálya, Nádor u. 7., H-1051 Budapest. Processing of the complaint shall be completed within 30 days following its receipt, whereby examination and revision may only cover matters which are being specifically contested in the complaint. Incomplete complaints, or complaints lodged after the above-mentioned deadline or complaints concerning the scientific evaluation shall be rejected without further examination.

Evaluation of the applications submitted

In the evaluation and ranking of the applications preference will be given to researchers presently living abroad who already received international recognition for their research conducted abroad, and are planning to return to Hungary.

The evaluation of the applications proceeds in two stages. In stage one, formally valid applications are reviewed anonymously by at least three experts (Hungarian or foreign nationals) invited by the President of MTA. The reviews shall contain a descriptive assessment of the applications as well as a scoring along the guidelines previously determined. In their descriptive assessment, reviewers must make it clear whether or not they recommend the applications for funding, and also whether or not they consider the requested grant amounts realistic. If they are of the opinion that the grant amounts requested are not realistic, they may recommend reduced grant amounts. Reviewers (and members of the jury at a later stage) shall apply the provisions of the call for applications which set out the compulsory and preferred conditions.

Scoring in categories Lendület I and Lendület II

A) A comprehensive evaluation of the research programme in terms of the importance, novelty and international competitiveness of the topic, and in terms of the criteria of envisaged performance and feasibility (see Point 2 of the “Who can apply? Conditions of participation” section). Under this point the readiness of the research work for economic utilization and its potential for development / its societal relevance / its contribution to the preservation of the national cultural heritage may also be taken into account. Out of the three aspects, only the one which is relevant for the project should be considered. (Maximum score: 30 points)

B) An evaluation of the applicant’s scientific performance in the last five active years. This shall be scored taking into account the applicant’s most significant scientific achievement, the number of citations to his/her work, the structure of his/her publication output and the number of his/her of publications (in this order of importance). (Maximum score: 30 points)

C) An evaluation of the applicant’s scientific performance throughout his/her entire career, along the lines specified in B) (Maximum score: 20 points)

D) An evaluation of the applicant’s independent participation in research grant calls in the last five active years. (Maximum score: 10 points)

E) An evaluation of the host institution in terms of its research infrastructure and scientific capacities as well as in terms of the extent to which the host institution’s human and financial resources meant to be allocated for the purpose of the research project according to its letter of commitment are likely to enhance the successful implementation of the research as outlined in the application. (Maximum score: 10 points)

Maximum scores on each count must be specifically justified by the reviewers.
Total of maximum scores: 100 points

For the scoring of applications in the category of “Targeted Lendület Research”, the evaluation criteria given for Lendület I and Lendület II (altogether 100 points) shall be supplemented by the evaluation criteria of feasibility, which will be scored on a scale of 0 to 100. Thus, in the category “Targeted Lendület Research”, the highest possible total score shall be 200 points.

Descriptive assessment in the categories Lendület I, Lendület II and “Targeted Lendület Research”

F) A descriptive assessment of the elements listed in points A) – E) above (the description of each point shall be limited to 1500 characters on average, including spaces).

G) A yes/no statement by the reviewer as to whether the application should or should not be selected for funding.

H) A statement by the reviewer as to whether he/she considers the budget plan of the application realistic. If the reviewer thinks it is not realistic, but the application seems to be otherwise worthy of support, the reviewer shall suggest another grant amount which he/she finds more realistic and sufficient for the implementation of the research programme envisaged.

After summarizing the assessments, in stage two of the evaluation process a jury invited by the President of MTA shall review the applications, taking into account the anonymous reviewers’ descriptive assessments and scores as well as the differences between scores and the provisions setting out the advantages to be considered, and shall set up the ranking of the applications. Based on all the above, the jury shall propose to the President of MTA a list of the applications to be selected for funding as well as their ranking.

The jury shall rank 30 per cent more applications than the number of applications that can be funded from the budget earmarked for the Lendület grant scheme. The jury may also relegate applications submitted for Lendület II to the category Lendület I. The funding rate in the categories Lendület I and Lendület II falls between 60 and 100 per cent, whereas for “Targeted Lendület Research” it shall be between 30 and 50 per cent, which means that the grant to be awarded by MTA will cover the percentage as specified above of the entire research project costs. In the category “Targeted Lendület Research” the ranking of the applications submitted shall be set by the jury on the basis of the reviews and practical feasibility.

Based on the above, and following the interview of any candidates whose invitation for an interview has been recommended by the jury, the final selection decision shall be made by the President of MTA within 90 calendar days after the deadline of submitting the applications.

The call results shall be notified to the applicants via e-mail within 10 working days after the decision has been made, and applicants shall get access on the electronic submission portal to the anonymous reviews of their own applications within 10 working days after the public announcement of the call results has taken place in the framework of a press event. A list of the winners and the titles of their research projects will be made public on MTA’s website.

Conditions of funding of the grantees

In case the conditions of the grant award document have been met, the grant is non-repayable, and is to be allocated on a yearly basis. The annual grant amounts shall be set by MTA in view of the part of MTA’s budget which has been earmarked for the Lendület grant scheme for the given year.

A grant award document shall be issued, in which the detailed rules concerning the transfer and the use of the state-funded grant amounts as well as the eventual repayment of undue grant amounts shall be laid down. Where the research team is based at a research institution belonging to MTA’s research network, the Secretariat of MTA shall issue the grant award document to this host institution, whereas if the research team is based at a university, the Secretariat of MTA shall issue the grant award document to MTA’s Office for Research Groups Attached to Universities and Other Institutions (hereinafter referred to as MTA TKI). Besides, under the “Targeted Lendület Research” grant scheme, the MTA and the company (as grantors) on the one hand, and the research unit acting as host institution – alternatively, the MTA TKI in the case of a university-based research group – (as grantee(s)) on the other hand), shall conclude an agreement with each other, laying down the detailed rules concerning the use of the grant amounts, agreeing on the means of evaluating the outcome of the supported research activity as well as on the possibilities of transferring any intellectual property rights related to the results of the activities supported by the grant.

The grant award document shall be issued within five months of the announcement of the call results. Upon the entry into force of this document, the PIs of Lendület research teams are required to renounce any other scholarship and research grants (e.g. János Bolyai Research Scholarship, Premium Post Doctorate Research Program) funded by MTA.

Conditions of funding in the categories Lendület I and Lendület II

The grant may be used for personnel and operational expenditure as well. In the case of MTA research institutions and universities alike, the grant shall cover the remuneration for the PI, including social security expenses. At MTA research institutions, unless the PI of the new research team had been previously employed by the host research institution, he/she shall be appointed to full-time public employee status for a fixed term. At universities, unless the PI of the new research team is being employed by the host university during the period of the Lendület grant, he/she shall be appointed to full-time public employee status by MTA TKI for a fixed term. In case the PI of the university-based research team is being employed by the host university during the Lendület grant period, he/she shall be appointed to part-time public employee status by MTA TKI.

It is required that the PI of the research team maintains during the Lendület grant period full-time public employee status at the host institution or – in case of university-based research teams – at MTA TKI and that at least 50 per cent of their full working time (at least 0.5 FTE) be dedicated to the Lendület project. The FTE value incorporating the PI’s involvement in other grants and projects cannot exceed 1 in any period during the Lendület project.

The remuneration of the PI shall be 1.5 times the amount of the regular remuneration in payment grade 1 of the “scientific advisor” position (gross HUF 831,600/month) in Lendület I, and twice the amount of the regular remuneration in payment grade 1 of the “scientific advisor” position (gross HUF 1,108,800/month) in Lendület II. Where the grantee is a member of staff of the host institution already, the amount that the MTA institution or MTA TKI, as appropriate, may incorporate in its budget for covering the grantee’s remuneration under the project shall be the difference between the amount above and its social security expenses and the grantee’s actual regular remuneration. This difference shall be given as a fixed-term monthly wage supplement in order to acknowledge and encourage the supplementary work performed (in the case of universities this can be paid for a maximum period of 5 years).

In addition to this, at MTA institutions and universities alike, the grant may cover, in accordance with what has been set out in the application, the remuneration of one or more researchers, including social security expenses, current expenses such as material and supplies and overheads related to the project, and the purchase of new instruments needed for the research. Researchers whose employment is to be financed from the Lendület grant shall be appointed to public employee status either by the host institution – where the research team is based at an institution of MTA’s research network – or by MTA TKI where the research team is based at a university. PIs and members of the research team may not carry out under any other legal relation the same research activities as those carried out in the funded Lendület project.

The PI of the Lendület research team must prepare a progress report each year on the team’s work and submit it to the President of MTA, who will forward the report to experts and to the relevant special committees of MTA’s Council of Research Institutes (MTA AKT) for evaluation, in accordance with the procedures and conditions provided for by the competent body.

The rules and the requirements concerning the criteria of evaluation of the performance of the research teams in Lendület I and Lendület II are laid down in Decision 33/2016 (XII. 1.) of the President of MTA on the rules of procedure concerning the annual, 3^rd year and final evaluation of the performance of Lendület research teams, and on the award of a permanent position to principal investigators of research teams. Researchers applying in a field of the humanities or the social sciences may in their application propose a choice as to which of the procedures as described in Annex 2 of the Decision 33/2016 (XII. 1.) of the President of MTA should be used in applying the major evaluation criteria for the evaluation of the project, provided that the proposal is retained for funding.

Should it be established in the evaluation that the research team has not attained the intended results within 3 years, the special funding of the team must be discontinued at a point of time set by the President of MTA (usually from 1^st January of the year following the year of evaluation). Thus, for research teams operating at MTA research institutions, it shall mean cuts in the funding from the date of entry into force of the relevant decision of MTA’s President until the end of the 4th year of the project, according to the following terms:

• where the PI of the research team had been employed by the host institution prior to the project, the PI’s remuneration shall be reduced to his/her former remuneration as established by his/her original appointment;
• where the PI of the research team had not been employed by the host institution prior to the project, the PI’s remuneration shall be reduced to a level corresponding to his/her classification based on his/her public employee status;
• furthermore, the part of funding provided for current expenses, overheads, and purchasing expenses not covered by any commitment shall be cut by half.

In the case of Lendület research teams operating at universities, where it is established that the team’s scientific performance has not reached the appropriate level in the first 3 years, the grant amount meant to cover the period from the date of entry into force of the relevant decision of MTA’s President up to the end of the 4^th year of the project may be used by the team only to such an extent as to cover the costs of the phase-out, that is, the costs of the dissolution of the research team.

In the second half of the fifth year of the grant period, the President of MTA will ask experts to evaluate the scientific performance of the Lendület research team and that of its PI. If the evaluation finds that the team’s work has been successful (its scientific performance being qualified as “excellent” or “good”), the PI of the Lendület research team operating at an MTA research institution shall be appointed to public employee status for an indefinite term, subject to approval by MTA’s President, furthermore subject to the availability of the necessary financial resources provided through actual central budgetary support. In such a case the host institution – research centre or research institute – shall receive financial support for personnel costs related to the subsequent research work to be carried out by the PI as part of their yearly budget which shall cover

• the PI’s remuneration provided by MTA under the Lendület grant scheme, including social security expenses (this amount shall continue to be used for the remuneration of the PI for a period of at least five years after the completion of the grant period, but at most as long as the PI remains in public employee status at the host institution);
• the regular (guaranteed) remuneration due in the position of “scientific officer”, including social security expenses, to be used for support of the employment of one more researcher.

Where at the end of the five-year grant period it is established by MTA that the research team’s work has not been successful (its scientific performance being qualified as “sufficient” or “insufficient”), the President of MTA shall decide to discontinue all support of the research institution related to the research project.

As to Lendület research teams operating at universities, their funding by MTA shall be discontinued at the end of the five-year grant period irrespective of the expert evaluation of their performance.

During the grant period, Lendület research teams are expected to draw up their independent research programmes, to act as advisors of students preparing their MA and PhD dissertations or preparing for university-level scientific competitions, and to make every effort for successful participation in Hungarian and international scientific calls.

Where the PI of the Lendület research team wins an ERC grant during the Lendület grant period, the grant award document related to the Lendület project may be modified accordingly, subject to a prior decision to this effect by the President of MTA.

Conditions of funding in the category “Targeted Lendület Research”

In this category a minimum of 50 per cent and a maximum of 70 per cent of the grant amount for the project shall be provided by the funding company, whereas a minimum of 30 per cent and a maximum of 50 per cent shall be provided by MTA. Prior to launching the project, an agreement has to be concluded by MTA, the funding company and the grantee(s) on the transfer of the grant amount, on intellectual property rights related to the project, on publication requirements and possibilities as well as on the terms of yearly evaluations.

The funding provided by MTA may be used to cover personnel costs as well as current expenses and overheads. The funding provided by the company may also be used to cover personnel costs as well as current expenses and overheads, and it may cover employment wages and related labour costs, other types of personnel costs in the form of allowances, current expenses as well as purchase of goods or services. The funding is provided via bank transfer in HUF, to be executed by the closing date indicated in the grant award document. In case the host institution is a university, it may agree to become the recipient of the grant provided by the company.

The PI of the research team and the other researchers whose employment is financed by MTA within the Lendület grant scheme will be appointed to public employee status by the host institution if the research team is based at one of MTA’s institutions, and by MTA TKI if the research team is based at a university. Where the funding provided by the company does not cover the remuneration for the PI of the research team, including social security expenses, the PI’s remuneration shall be established under the terms of Lendület II: it shall be twice the amount of the regular remuneration in payment grade 1 of the “scientific advisor” position (gross HUF 1,108,800/month).

In this category the annual evaluation of the research team’s operation shall be conducted jointly by the funding company and MTA. Where the grant period is either three or four years, at the end of this grant period MTA and the funding company may make a joint decision about the extension of this period, subject to a limit of five years. Where no such extension is made, or where the extended period has ended, or where the grant period has been five years and it has reached its end, funding by MTA shall end irrespective of the evaluation. If before the end of the five-year period the funding company finds in a joint annual evaluation that the research project has not yielded sufficient results and decides to discontinue all further support, funding by MTA shall end as well.

MTA undertakes to transfer, in return for consideration, the copyrights, industrial property rights, trade secrets and protected data related to all intellectual property which is the outcome of the results of the research to the funding company, at the latest by the 30^th day following the end of the final year of the grant period, for the purposes of further utilization of the research results. The amount of the consideration is calculated based on the percentage share of the grant amount provided by MTA as part of the total grant amount and is subject to mutual agreement by the Parties. Its rate may not exceed 50 per cent of the grant amount provided by MTA.

Further information

MTA hereby informs the applicants of the following:

1. The Hungarian State Treasury operates a monitoring system regarding budgetary funding and is involved in the coordination of the use of budgetary support funds. A support decision not registered in the monitoring system may not serve as a basis for valid funding.
2. By providing data for the monitoring system, MTA ensures that in case of funding through a grant process, the data of the call for applications are published on the relevant website, and so are all data related to facts occurring or conditions determined by MTA in connection with the use of the grant amount, as well as facts and conditions concerning the legal relationship between grantor and grantee, the provision of the grant amount, and any reporting requirement. The data registered in the monitoring system may be deleted after 5 years from the last calendar day of the year in which the decision of support was made.
3. The legal provisions on the right to informational self-determination set out what shall be considered as data of public interest. The data which would not qualify as such in the first place but are being processed by an individual or a body

• who/which is in charge of the preparation of the call for applications,
• who/which is in charge of the announcement of the call for applications,
• who/which is in charge of the preparation of the decision on the award of the grant,
• who/which is in charge of the decision-making, and which are related to the call for applications or to the application process or to the decision on the award of the grant, shall be considered data which are public on grounds of public interest, provided that they are not to be considered sensitive or special personal data.

4. MTA shall check the use of the grant in line with the terms of the grant award document, pursuant to the provisions of the Government Decree 368/2011 (XII. 31.) on the implementation of the Act on Public Finances.

The aim of and legal basis for the processing of personal data during the call procedure

1. The personal data given by the applicant shall be processed for the purposes of the conduct of the call procedure by the Department of Grant Management at the Secretariat of MTA within the Consolidated Grant Management Framework of MTA.
   
   These personal data will be accessible to the competent organizational units of the Secretariat of MTA based on the MTA’s statutes and rules of procedures, as well as to reviewers participating in the evaluation process of the applications, in so much as it is needed for the performance of their duties defined by law. The personal data of the grantees will be processed by the host institution concerned (in the case of university-based research groups, MTA TKI) in order to conclude the contract of employment.
   
   
2. The legal basis for the processing of personal data is the duty to perform public service tasks as specified in the Academy Law.
   
   
3. Any changes in the personal data of the applicant should be communicated at the following e-mail address: lendulet [at] titkarsag [dot] mta [dot] hu
   
   
4. The guideline on MTA’s data processing policy is available at

https://mta.hu/data/dokumentumok/kozerdeku_adatok/2018/Adatkezelesi%20tajekoztato20180525.pdf

Budapest, 21^st January 2019

László Lovász
President of MTA