Payments from the Innovation Fund Now Initiated for the Research Network of the Academy2011. április 18.
‘Payments of HUF 1 billion have already been initiated’, Ágnes Molnár State Secretary of the Ministry of National Development announced at a meeting with József Pálinkás, President of Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
The meeting about outstanding contracts was held on 13 April 2011 in Budapest. The unsettled contracts in a total of approximately HUF 2.6 billion were taken over by the National Development Agency (NFÜ), as the successor of the manager of the national innovation fund, from the National Research and Technology Office (NKTH). The funding system of innovation needed a careful and detailed screening; the screening proved that available sources were often used in an ineffective, intransparent and unaccountable manner. Payment requests were given a priority, and requests were ranked.
Ágnes Molnár informed the President of MTA that payments of HUF 553 million were initiated for joint NKTH-OTKA tenders having a valid contract that was managed by the Hungarian Scientific Research Fund (OTKA). This amount is 85% of the commitments that the National Development Agency marked as payable during the screening of the contracts. The remainder 15% of payments are processed currently.
The President of MTA indicated that the OTKA Office would not charge an intermediary fee for performing fund management duties for tenders financed by the innovation fund.
The State Secretary said that NFÜ performed all administrative actions that were required to the legitimate payment of the sum of the more than 300 valid contracts entered into by NKTH and the research institutes of the Academy last year, and payment of a total of HUF 470 were initiated. In case of some tenders the contract needs to be modified to be able to initiate a payment that meets all requirements; in these cases National Development Agency employees will contact the tenderers immediately.
More than100 researchers or institutions submitted tender proposals for the funds of HUF 3 billion of the innovation fund available through NKTH calls for tenders, but these proposals were not assessed. These researchers or institutions can access additional funds for their R&D activities and innovative ideas through the tenders of the New Széchenyi Plan.