Hungary expands university startup program to doctoral students

The National Innovation Agency (NIÜ) is expanding its Hungarian Startup University (HSUP) program to include doctoral students. The initiative aims to transform research results into scalable startups and successful enterprises.

Péter Horváth, State Secretary for Science and Innovation, announced that the government intends to strengthen innovation training across all educational levels. While currently focused on higher education and doctoral programs, the initiative will expand to secondary schools starting in the 2026-2027 academic year, involving approximately ten thousand students.

To support this strategy, the government plans to double the resources of the National Research, Development and Innovation (NKFI) Fund over the next three years, reaching 225 billion forints. Additionally, the GINOP Plus program will utilize EU funds to support Hungarian innovation and infrastructure for research networks and universities. To strengthen participation within the European Union, a scientific and technological office will be opened in Brussels.