Deadline Date: November 14, 2025
The National Research, Development and Innovation (NRDI) Fund in Hungary is inviting enterprises, research institutions, and non-profit organisations to apply for the Life Sciences Catalyst Programme – PoC to Clinic to support advanced drug development projects from preclinical stages to clinical trials and promote Hungary’s life sciences R&D ecosystem.
The programme aims to promote the implementation of jointly executed drug development projects that foster cooperation among Hungary’s research, development, and innovation actors, support internationally competitive translational projects focused on solving unmet medical needs and market exploitation, assist preclinical development of high value-added healthcare innovations, provide targeted support for the preclinical testing phase of drug development, reduce risks associated with entering clinical trials, accelerate progress towards market validation of developments, and support advanced life sciences and medical technology R&D projects that have reached in vivo Proof of Concept (PoC) level results.
The Life Sciences Catalyst Programme – PoC to Clinic is designed to leverage Hungary’s potential in life sciences by funding projects that have already demonstrated proof of concept results in preclinical research. The programme specifically targets initiatives aiming to progress their developments toward clinical trials, enhancing their competitive market potential. Eligible applicants include individual organisations and consortia consisting of up to three members. Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises with at least one full business year, start-ups established before 1 June 2025, research and knowledge-dissemination organisations, and non-profit institutions may participate either as consortium leaders, members, or R&D service providers.
The total budget allocated for this call is HUF 5 billion, with individual project funding ranging between HUF 750 million and 1.5 billion. Project duration may extend up to 48 months, with commitments required for TRL level increase, research staff growth, and patent application filing by the end of the project. The programme focuses on applied industrial research and experimental development, while costs like hardware, software, general overheads, intellectual property protection, travel, and publication costs are not independently eligible.
Through this initiative, Hungary aims to foster collaboration among domestic and European life sciences actors, accelerate the translation of research into clinical applications, and enhance the overall competitiveness of the national healthcare innovation ecosystem. The call expects to fund three to seven projects that meet these objectives.
For more information, visit NRDI Office.
