All actions: What is the current situation with the Hungarian public interest trusts established under Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain (as of January 2023)?

In relation to the Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/2506 of 15 December 2022 stating that “no legal commitments (including grants and contracts) can be signed with Hungarian public interest trusts established under Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain”, the participation of these institutions in the consortium is still granted during the evaluation phase and they have the right to participate in project proposals.

The European Commission has confirmed and cleared in the FAQ section of the F&T portal that:

§  the Hungarian public interest trusts established under Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain are still eligible to submit proposals and such proposals remain admissible and will be evaluated.

§  during the grant agreement preparation phase the Commission will follow the same approach as for the UK applicants until the temporary measures are lifted, i.e. the concerned Hungarian partner may contribute to the project as an associated partner or the consortium is given time to rearrange itself and replace the Hungarian partner by existing or new partner(s).

§  even if the Grant Agreement is signed during the temporary measures take effect, once they are lifted the concerned Hungarian entity may re-join the consortium as a beneficiary, including the case when its status had been associated partner originally.

It is also important to stress that the Council Decision concerns only a certain circle of organisations while other Hungarian partners’ status as beneficiary is not affected. The Council Decision refers to the public interest trusts established under Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or any entity they maintain. Out of the trusts listed in the act, 21 are owning and maintaining universities that are traditional research performing institutions and most of them are regular participants to the European Research and Innovation Framework Programmes.

List of these 21 universities (in bracket the Hungarian name if it was registered under its Hungarian name in the F&T portal):

§  Budapest Business School (Budapesti Gazdasági Egyetem)

§  University of Dunaújváros (Dunaújvárosi Egyetem)

§  University of Debrecen (Debreceni Egyetem)

§  Corvinus University of Budapest (Budapest Corvinus Egyetem)

§  Hungarian University of Agricultural and Life Sciences (Magyar Agrár- és Élettudományi Egyetem)

§  Hungarian University of Dance (Magyar Táncművészeti Egyetem)

§  University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest (Állatorvostudományi Egyetem)

§  Moholy-Nagy University of Arts (Moholy-Nagy Művészeti Egyetem)

§  Semmelweis University (Semmelweis Egyetem)

§  János Neumann University (Neumann János Egyetem)

§  University of Nyíregyháza (Nyíregyházi Egyetem)

§  University of Pannonia (Pannon Egyetem)

§  Óbuda University (Óbudai Egyetem)

§  University of Sopron (Soproni Egyetem)

§  István Széchenyi University (Széchenyi István Egyetem)

§  University of Szeged (Szegedi Tudományegyetem)

§  University of Theater and Film Arts (Színház- és Filmművészeti Egyetem)

§  Hungarian University of Physical Education (Magyar Testnevelési és Sporttudományi Egyetem)

§  Tokaj-Hegyalja University (Tokaj-Hegyalja Egyetem)

§  University of Miskolc (Miskolci Egyetem)

§  University of Pécs (Pécsi Tudományegyetem).

Negotiations between the Hungarian Government and the European Commission are ongoing at the highest level to lift the measures before the first grant agreements of the 2023 calls should be signed.