This year and next year, HUF 181 billion will be available in the Economic Development and Innovation Operational Programme (GINOP) Plus to support innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises, announced Balázs Hankó, Minister of Culture and Innovation.
Balázs Hankó stressed that the biggest innovation programme for SMEs in recent years consists of two parts: a HUF 106.88 billion focus area tender, which aims to help SMEs create an exportable product and enter the international market with it, and a HUF 75 billion programme to support micro and small enterprises in strengthening their innovation processes.
The focus area competition is open to companies with a turnover of HUF 300 million and between 12 and 249 employees. Companies can apply for 300-800 million HUF, the new product must generate revenue within three years and must also obtain patent protection.
The competition to produce an exportable product, which opens in mid-November, is needed because Europe is in a "competitiveness rut". He cited the example of only 4 of the world's top 50 technology companies in the EU.
The competition, which will be launched in October to boost the innovation capacity of micro and small enterprises, is open to companies with between 3 and 49 employees, and can claim between €20 million and €50 million.
Currently one in three Hungarian small businesses innovate, with the target of one in two by 2030, as innovative SMEs have 31% more employees.
The minister said that the newly announced tender would increase the number of innovating businesses by 2,000 to 8,000 by 2030.
The Hungarian Innovation Agency and the Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MKIK) will present the call for proposals on a national tour, Balázs Hankó said, adding that details of the call for proposals will be available on the website of the National Research, Development and Innovation Office and on palyazat.gov.hu.
(Source: MTI)
