Support Measures in Hungary
The Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation Programme aims at reducing economic and social disparities in Hungary. As part of the second Swiss Contribution, the Programme will provide funding until 2029 up to an amount of CHF 87.6 million, in the form of thematic programmes and projects called Support Measures, in the following fields:
Geothermal Energy Resources for District Heating
The Support Measure aims to reduce carbon emissions in energy production and decreasing the dependency on fossil energy sources by using domestically produced renewable heat in district heating networks, in line with the Hungarian National Energy Strategy.
Given the excellent geothermal conditions of Hungary, geothermal energy is the most feasible way for replacing natural gas in district heating. Therefore, the Support Measure will promote the greening of existing district heating and town-heating networks, primarily in the target regions, by utilizing renewable, geothermal energy.
Improved water quality in Hungary
Protecting the quality of surface- and groundwater from contaminants caused by human activities is a high priority for Hungary, in order to ensure people’s health and environmental sustainability.
The ‘Drinking Water Management’ objective of the Programme aims to contribute to the improvement of drinking water quality by removing specific hazardous substances - iron, manganese -, by replacing network system parts, or by drilling new wells, and by promoting a more efficient and sustainable use of the water base.
The ‘Waste Water Management’ objective aims to enhance the country's wastewater treatment effectiveness and the removal of micropollutants by strategic planning based on the analytical measurements and technologies introduced at selected wastewater treatment plants.
Financing for Micro-, Small and Medium Enterprises
The main objective of the Support Measure is to accelerate the scaling-up of the selected SMEs in a high value-added segment of the economy, the creative industries, in order to boost their growth / export potential and also to help them attract a higher number of young people in the creation of economic value, thereby also improving their employment prospects.
To this end, a venture capital fund will be established and managed by a private fund manager to be selected by an open call. The fund manager will involve private co-investors and focus investments on the most viable enterprises.
Andrássy University Budapest - Changing Orders Research Programme
The aim is to sustainably strengthen the position of Andrássy University as an international research centre that plays an important role in Swiss-Hungarian relations in social sciences, strategic and European studies (enlargement research) and democratic innovations. The project has inter-linked components:
- Research in three thematic areas that are of great importance for both countries
- Publication and conferences to make research results accessible
- Incorporating new knowledge in curriculum development and teaching
- Fostering Equal Opportunities by a scholarship and mentoring programme
Research Programme Hungary
The Research Programme will contribute to economic growth and competitiveness in Hungary by strengthening the research excellence and innovation capacities of Hungarian research organizations, universities and enterprises and by facilitating the research and innovation cooperation with international partners.
All programme components will enhance the relations of the Hungarian research and innovation communities with leading RDI actors and networks in the European Research Area and improve the alignment with ERA policy objectives and strengthen bilateral cooperation with the Swiss RDI community in particular.
VET programme in Hungary
The strategic objective of the VET Programme is to increase the number of young professionals with the right skills graduating from the vocational education and training system. The programme will support the development of career guidance and the wide-range dissemination of the methodology of project-based education, training and examination, involving vocational training centres in the most disadvantaged regions. Career guidance interventions support a more informed career choice and, where necessary, career correction, by providing better information on learning paths and labour market expectations and by improving the image and attractiveness of the VET institutions.
Fight Against Human Trafficking
The aim of the programme is to decrease the number of human trafficking victims and to reintegrate them socially and professionally, to reduce the number of re-victimization cases in Hungary. Each programme component contributes to the goal by raising awareness by online campaigns, knowledge sharing, capacity building, or developing a new service.
Based on the experience of the victim support programme components, policy proposal documents will be developed in order to initiate the authorization processes for sustaining the services.
Hospice Palliative Care Programme
The aim of the programme is to improve the national system of hospice and palliative care in order to improve the quality of life of the patients and their families. The programme components complement each other in order to form a coherent system and to help reducing avoidable hospitalizations as well as the length of stays. It is expected to improve the cooperation and integration of the relevant actors and organizations (palliative medical specialists, nurses, in-home service providers, volunteers, patient helpers, general practitioners), and to manage the existing resources more effectively.
Improving life-saving skills
The project aims to create a first aid training network along a broad partnership and develop an online platform with new training materials in order to improve the chance of survival as a result of lay first aid. Each activity contributes to this goal by enhancing the courage to act, widening the knowledge and skills for rendering first aid, establishing and sustaining a countrywide first aid network, supporting access to tools required for first aid and promoting integration of first aid competencies and skills into the National Curriculum.
Availability of digital spaces and improved digital competencies of disadvantaged groups
In line with the ‘Hungarian National Social Inclusion Strategy 2030’ the aim of the programme is to contribute to the social inclusion of disadvantaged people and communities, especially Roma, in disadvantaged areas. This will be supported by improving their access to online services and digital infrastructure, by increasing their digital literacy and opportunities in the digital world. As a result, Roma people will be able to take advantage of online services, leading to enhanced social inclusion and empowerment as well as to strengthened relationship with public authorities, enabling them to become more active citizens.
For more information, please, contact the official website of the Swiss-Hungarian Cooperation Programme.
