National Research Excellence Programme (NKKP)

NKKP ANN_26 — Hungarian-Austrian Bilateral Research Projects

Supports bilateral Hungarian-Austrian research projects through national excellence co-funding initiatives.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

ANN_26 is the Hungarian-Austrian bilateral sub-programme of the National Research Excellence Programme (NKKP), jointly administered by Hungary's National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH) and FWF, the Austrian Science Fund. The call's stated purpose is to stimulate cooperation between domestic and international research partners, thereby strengthening the international embeddedness of Hungarian science — a strategic objective under the John von Neumann Programme, which aims to position Hungary among the world's top 25 most innovative countries by 2030. ANN_26 is one of six NKKP sub-programmes sharing a combined HUF 40 billion budget for 2026–2030.

The Hungarian partner in an ANN_26 project can receive up to HUF 68 million from NKFIH over a maximum 48-month project duration, with a project start date of 1 January 2027. Simultaneously, the Austrian partner applies independently to FWF, which funds the Austrian side under its own rules. The experimental-research 25% material cost supplement available in other NKKP tracks applies here as well. Eligible Hungarian applicants must be researchers at Hungarian universities or recognized research organizations; for-profit entities are excluded. The 2026 submission deadline was 24 February 2026 at 16:00 — this cycle is closed, with the next cycle expected in 2027.

ANN_26 project teams require genuine bilateral collaboration, meaning both the Hungarian and Austrian partners must submit coordinated applications to their respective national agencies. The research plan, budget, and timeline must be aligned across both submissions, and both agencies must approve. Researchers targeting the next cycle should identify a substantive Austrian research partner early, agree on budget split and lead-partner designation, and monitor both NKFIH and FWF announcement channels simultaneously. Applications on the Hungarian side are submitted via palyazat.gov.hu.