As part of the 2021 Thematic Program of Excellence (TKP 2021), the Agricultural Institute of the ELKH Centre for Agricultural Research has received nearly HUF 1.5 billion in support for the development of eco-stable plant varieties and integrated, sustainable cultivation technologies that are competitive in international markets. Given the complexity of the topic, close co-operation has been established between experts in different fields in order to achieve this strategic goal.
Due to the rapidly changing environmental conditions, social and economic expectations, there is a constant need to develop new, innovative biotechnological methods and to explore the possibilities of the direct utilization of scientific findings.
In the basic research program, ATK researchers are studying the reproductive, physiological, biochemical and molecular biological background of the tolerance of maize and cereal cereals grown under the environmental conditions provided. Building on this and the existing biological resources, the applied research part of the program aims at the breeding of maize hybrids and cereals that can provide adequate cultivation results even in the diverse agro-ecological conditions of the Carpathian Basin.
A further aim of the program is to develop a system of expert advice in which professionals can directly assist farmers in their work with cultivation technology recommendations.
TKP 2021 will provide resources for the research and development and innovation activities of knowledge transfer organizations –primarily university knowledge centers and research sites – until the end of 2025. In the program, 80 thematic research studies by 39 knowledge transfer organizations received support of approximately HUF 75 billion from the Hungarin National Research, Development and Innovation Fund. Of this, nearly HUF 9.4 billion in funding was awarded to the research sites of the Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH).