AKF
Full name: Applied Research and Development Programme (AKF)
Description:
The Applied Research and Development Programme (AKF) offers funding for research, development and innovation projects that fall into one of the following categories:
1. Material science research, manufacturing technology and equipments
2. Biotechnology
3. Electronics, measurement technology, control technologies
4. Energetics
5. Information and communication technologies
6. Environmental technologies
7. Traffic and transport projects
This is the EU co-funded umbrella research programme where all (soundly managed) organisations can apply, and it has not very specific thematic requirements. This programme definitely welcomes small and medium sized companies with small and medium sized projects, whereas its counterpart, the Ányos Jedlik programme is for the veterans of research.
Although the programme was first announced in 2004, it has traditions reaching far back, with its predecessor IKTA (Ministry of Education) being the most popular high-tech research programme for long. Two years ago for the last time, the Ministry of Informatics and Communication announced ITEM, the small-scale IT development project, which complemented IKTA (now more or less AKF) - the medium-scale - and NKFP (now Ányos Jedlik) - the large-scale programme. The ITEM series of calls later stopped, and now there is no small-scale programme. Apparently, AKF got also responsible for financing minor developments.
Public and private bodies can apply individually or in consortium. Foreign members can participate in the project but they do not get funding.
The call is not open.
Project duration: up to 3 years
Budget: for 2004, ca. EUR 28 million (HUF 7 billion) - for all subprogrammes
Contact: info@kutatas.hu
URL: www.kutatas.hu
