The program, funded by the government’s National Research, Development, and Innovation Office (NKFIH), supports Hungarian microbusinesses and SMEs in implementing their R&D and innovation. The aim is to develop new products, services, and technological solutions and bring them to the market. SMEs can apply for vouchers covering the costs of innovation services.
The Bay Voucher Program, which opened for applications on April 15, is an integral part of Hungary’s comprehensive science policy vision, the János Neumann Program. This national strategic R&D&I package, launched in 2022, intends to build a competitive, knowledge-based, green, and digital economy. The total budget of the program is HUF 1.5 billion. The maximum available value of services is HUF 100 million per company, with a contribution from each firm of 25%.
Bay Voucher focuses in particular on those sectors in which the Bay Zoltán Research Center has high competence: materials science, agricultural biotechnology, the circular economy, energy and environmental certification.
Under the program, companies can apply for development purposes, such as prototype production, device or experimental development, or complex R&D&I services. The results of the developments remain with the companies without any patent obligation. This is particularly important for long-term market success, as the completed solutions serve the interests of the applicant companies in both technological and business terms.
The Bay Zoltán Research Center provides not only expert support but also research, laboratory, and equipment, infrastructure that SMEs typically do not have access to, or only at great expense.
The program is also helpful for businesses that are only planning to develop, market, or introduce new technological solutions. The voucher offers them tangible support, not only financially but also professionally. The mission of the Bay Zoltán Research Center is to bridge the gap between the idea and the market, especially where help is most needed, in the Hungarian SME sector.
“Too many valuable ideas and innovative business concepts remain undeveloped, not because of the lack of talent or market demand, but because of the lack of professional, technological, or financial resources,” Balázs Schmidt, CEO of the Bay Zoltán Research Center, said at the launch event of the Bay Voucher program.
“The mission of the Bay Zoltán Research Center is precisely to bring to the surface these hidden opportunities and provide a bridge from the concept to the market launch,” he added.
Ádám Vida, R&D director at the Bay Zoltán Research Center, added: “It is our conviction that strengthening the innovation ecosystem requires access to knowledge, modern instruments and advanced infrastructure. Hungarian SMEs typically have little or no access to these on the market. The program is even more valuable as it contributes to the networks emerging from professional cooperation, one of the main characteristics of the advanced innovation ecosystems.”
This article was first published in the Budapest Business Journal print issue of May 5, 2025.
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