Balázs Gulyás, President of the HUN-REN Hungarian Research Network (HUN-REN), also delivered a presentation at the professional conference held on 11 December 2023, jointly organised by the Ministry of Culture and Innovation and the National Research, Development and Innovation Office on the renewal of the domestic scholarship programme. State scholarship programmes that build upon one another support research excellence at every stage of an scientific career. However, they play a crucial role in engaging younger generations and ensuring the foundation of domestic scientific talent that underpins innovation performance. During the conference, leading representatives of the RDI ecosystem presented on policy efforts aimed at strengthening talent and research excellence, discussed past achievements, shared best practices, and outlined future plans.
The strategic goal, at the same time an expectation and responsibility, is for research-supporting grant programmes to assist the development of talent to the greatest extent possible and effectively incentivise the younger generations of researchers to unfold their potential in Hungary to support the unleashing of the country's innovation potential and international competitiveness. This topic was evaluated by the conference speakers and the actively engaged participants in the discussion.
In his presentation, President Balázs Gulyás defined strengthening scientific and innovation capabilities in international competition as a key task, as well as increasing the social, economic, and intellectual impact of research and innovation results through their integration into the value chain. He underscored that as a flagship participant HUN-REN is committed to support the John von Neumann Programme’s objective of positioning Hungary among the world's top 25 and Europe's top 10 innovators by 2030. Drawing from international and personal experiences, he emphasised that, primarily, prominent personalities, followed by challenging projects perceived as opportunities, and a supportive environment serve as attractions and necessary motivation for young talents to choose a research career. Naturally, there is always room and necessity for improvement in financial aspects as well. He stated that, as the President of HUN-REN, he will do everything in his power to ensure that all conditions are met within the network to attract and retain the best talents.