Partial agreement between MTA and the Ministry for Innovation and Technology

On 12 September, the expert working group of the Academy responsible for the negotiations with the Ministry of Innovation and Technology met the experts from the Ministry and discussed about the legal and economic conditions that can guarantee the continued operation of the research network of the Academy.

Agreements reached during the meeting

As a result of the talks, both parties agreed that the preconditions for the financing are met by the 2019 state budgetary act and that they will prepare the legal and administrative terms for the implementation of the relevant sections of the budgetary act. Drawing up the budget of these sections – which includes the budget of the Academy research network and the grants of the Academy – , will follow the practice of previous years in line with the deadlines determined by relevant legislation. The 2019 financing of the research institutions will be finalised in a joint agreement.

The financing of ongoing excellence programmes (including the Lendület/Momentum Grant, the Premium Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Young Researchers’ Fellowship, the Excellence Co-operation Programme and the Academy grants for university research groups) will continue uninterrupted under the auspices of the Academy. Ongoing grants will be financed according to their original conditions and duration. The necessary budgetary support will be provided for the Academy by the Ministry. There will be no change in Academy regulations which allow Momentum Research Groups at the end of their grant duration to retain continued funding from the Academy that is incorporated in the budget of their host institution. The call for applications for university research groups’ grants published in June 2018 for the period from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2024 will be processed as previously planned and the call budget will also remain unchanged.

Update on plans to transform the innovation system

After the parties reached the above agreements, the experts from the Ministry informed the Academy’s representatives of the Ministry’s plans to transform the innovation system.

The Ministry holds that all institutions engaged in basic or applied research should go through a comprehensive screening and evaluation process before a new system can be introduced. In state-run institutions this would be carried out by the Ministry itself, while in case of the Academy’s institutions, the Ministry expects the Academy to perform the same task. No decisions regarding the institutional structure will be taken prior to such screening.

Negotiations between the Ministry and the Academy will continue on the timing and the details of the implementation of these agreements.