HU-RIZONT — International Research Excellence Cooperation
Supports Hungarian higher education institutions leading international collaborative research addressing global challenges.
⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
The 2026-4.1.2-HU-RIZONT call is the second cycle of NKFIH's flagship international research excellence cooperation programme, HU-RIZONT, carrying a HUF 8 billion total budget — matching the scale of the inaugural cycle. The call was announced on 24 March 2026, opened for applications on 16 April 2026 at 09:00, and had an electronic submission deadline of 29 May 2026 at 12:00 CET, meaning this cycle is now closed. The programme is administered by Hungary's National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH), which oversees approximately HUF 120 billion in annual NRDI Fund disbursements aligned with the John von Neumann Programme's objective of positioning Hungary among the global top 25 most innovative countries by 2030.
HU-RIZONT is exclusively open to Hungarian higher education institutions (HEIs) as lead applicants; research organizations, for-profit entities, and individuals are not eligible to lead. Projects must involve international collaboration and must seek innovative solutions to challenges relevant to both Hungarian and international communities, in line with John von Neumann Programme focus areas. NKFIH held a preparatory webinar for prospective applicants on 13 April 2026 prior to the deadline. Individual per-project award amounts are not published separately from the HUF 8 billion envelope.
The prior cycle, 2025-1.2.1-HU-RIZONT, published its list of supported projects, providing a reference for the scale and scope of funded work. Institutions planning for the next HU-RIZONT cycle should monitor nkfih.gov.hu for the 2027 announcement, assemble international consortia early, and engage with any forthcoming webinars as they were a formal part of the application process in the 2026 cycle. Applications are submitted via palyazat.gov.hu, Hungary's unified government grant platform, following registration through the site's unified login interface.
International collaborative research led by Hungarian HEIs, addressing challenges relevant to Hungarian and international communities, in line with the John von Neumann Programme focus areas.
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