Dear Visitor,
Hungary is celebrating 20 years of membership of the European Union this year. The past two decades have brought major changes in our country’s life: we have gone from newcomers to experienced members of the EU community.
The fundamental goal of EU integration is to make each Member State an economically advanced, stable and strong member of the community, as this is also the basis of the EU’s competitiveness. For this purpose, the EU, together with the Member States, not only provides funds for countries’ traditional development priorities, such as agriculture and regional development, but also supports specific projects with European added value, in line with its policy objectives.
Use of the EU funds under direct management is centrally managed by the European Commission. The aim of EU direct funding is to pave the way for a common direction for European economic development by supporting initiatives that make the European Union more competitive, stronger and more resilient. They stimulate scientific breakthroughs and development, help to connect countries, regions and local communities not only in the fields of economy, transport, digitalisation, energy, but also in education, culture and arts.
The European Union is a community of communities. And the purpose of EU direct funding is specifically to keep these communities alive, to build new communities and to link them together. These funds target a very wide range of economic and social actors in Hungary, from local governments to small, medium and large enterprises, universities, research institutes and smaller units of the social community.
In order to make better use of the opportunities offered by direct EU funding, the Hungarian Government has set the target of increasing the Hungarian share of the EU’s budget in the 2021-2027 multiannual financial period. In order to promote this governmental objective, we have established the Hungarian Development Promotion Office, a unique initiative, which operates under the authority of the Minister of Public Administration and Regional Development as a support organisation of the Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Development. Its aim is to link EU funds with the Hungarian economic and social ecosystem, supporting domestic stakeholders in finding credible sources of information on their EU funding opportunities, expressing their interests in future EU policy objectives, gaining visibility on the European scene and benefiting from a higher share of direct EU funds.
Dr. Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Public Administration and Regional Development – Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Development
Activities of the MFOI
The Hungarian Development Promotion Office Nonprofit Ltd (MFOI) was established by the Hungarian government to contribute to increasing Hungarian participation in EU programmes under direct management and to assist Hungarian and Central and Eastern European operators in the application process.
The MFOI’s mission is to provide its clients with tailor-made support from the initial development concepts and project ideas through to the submission of tenders for directly managed funds. In many cases, the (international) partners and the proposal structure are the key success factors.
Therefore, the MFOI places particular emphasis on building and maintaining a valuable and active international network, which can increase the chances of success of Hungarian tenders by attracting the most appropriate partners. A further priority is to have a detailed knowledge of current and future calls for tenders and the detailed expectations of the European Commission based on policy objectives, thanks to its representation in Brussels.
To complement its own capacity to ensure successful application process, the MFOI has developed a database of Hungarian and international applicants to connect applicants with the most experienced tender writer in the field and to ensure a high quality of the application process.
Introduction of the Managing Director
Lawyer, EU expert. Previously, as a lawyer, she was engaged in the operation of companies, cross-border transactions and international treaties for many years. Then she worked in the European Parliament and the European Commission in Brussels for ten years, where she was active in the fields of law, international trade and policy. She regularly publishes on EU issues, is a lecturer at several higher education institutions, and is a researcher at the Eötvös József Research Centre of the National University of Public Service and the 21st Century Institute. Since spring 2023 she has been the Managing Director of the Hungarian Development Promotion Office (MFOI), and since 12 January 2024 she has been the Ministerial Commissioner for the Coordination of the Use of Direct EU Funds (Ministry of Public Administration and Regional Development).
Certified HR expert, mediator. Previously, she built her own business and worked as an HR manager in the private sector for 12 years. She then worked in public administration for 8 years in the fields of event management, data services and human resources. Since November 2022, she has been a member of the MFOI team, where she is responsible for secretarial and personnel assistant tasks.
She holds a degree in special education and health care management, and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Pécs. She is a regular participant of professional courses and training courses in her field of study, as well as in conferences. She gained experience in the fields of special education, public healthcare and the pharmaceutical industry, previously worked for a private company and currently performs organisational and educational tasks in higher education .In September 2023 she joined the team of the Hungarian Development Promotion Office to learn about and familiarise herself with the funding opportunities provided by the European Union, believing that the development of the functioning and infrastructure of the Hungarian care system is a common interest and she considers the direct funding from Brussels as a great opportunity to do so.
Expert Project Managers
Lawyer-economist. Previously, she worked as a legal advisor at the local government of Ferencváros of the Capital City of Budapest District 9, at the National Institute of Public Administration, and then at the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Public Administration of the National University of Public Service.
From 2021, as the professional coordinator of the Digital Welfare Nonprofit Ltd. and the Neumann János Public Nonprofit Ltd., she was responsible for the tasks related to the exercise of ownership rights and the operation of the Supervisory Board, her responsibilities included legal support for the work of the management, drafting and reviewing regulations, as well as the review of EU and nationally funded grant contracts and legal support for the professional implementation of the same.
Since May 2023, she has been a lawyer and project manager at the Hungarian Development Promotion Office (MFOI) and one of the official national contact persons of the Digital Europe Programme.
He graduated as an agricultural engineer and studied economics in the UK. He has worked in development policy for 25 years, 22 of which as a senior manager in public administration. Prior to Hungary’s accession to the EU in 2004, he was involved in pre-accession strategy formulation, programme and project development and implementation. During his career, he managed the Managing Authority for Regional Development Programmes, the European Social Fund Non-profit Ltd. and the Human Resources Support Agency. After leaving public administration for a while, he relied on his previous experience and started his own software development business in Hungary and the USA.
EU topics in which he is an expert: agriculture and food industry, sustainable development, circular economy, agri-informatics, agri-robotics, application of block chain systems, infrastructure investments, establishment of national institutions – making those EU compliant, change management, healthcare informatics
He graduated from the Faculty of Social Sciences of Eötvös Loránd University specialising in International Relations and European Development Policy. In addition to his university studies, he also attended courses in Central European Regional Relations and Corporate Management Theory at the Mathias Corvinus Collegium. After several years of experience as an advisor and international project manager, he joined the MFOI team in May 2023 as a tender advisor.
EU topics in which he is an expert: local governments, urban development, international networking
Terület- és településfejlesztési szakirányon szerzett környezetgazdálkodási agrármérnöki végzettséget, kiegészítve filozófiai tanulmányokkal. 2006. óta dolgozik pályázatíróként elsősorban az önkormányzati, civil és kkv szektorokban. Jelentős tapasztalattal rendelkezik a társadalmi vállalkozások fejlesztése, a hátrányos helyzetű csoportok esélyegyenlőségének támogatása és a környezetvédelem, fenntarthatóság területeken. Jelenlegi munkájában elsősorban az önkormányzatokat, térségeket és társadalmi vállalkozásokat támogató Duna Régió Programmal, az Erasmus+ és a European Urban Initiative közvetlen uniós programokkal foglalkozik.
EU témák, amelyek szakértője: önkormányzati és városfejlesztési-, valamint civileket érintő uniós programok
He worked at large Hungarian listed companies in the banking, telecom and
oil sectors for 22 years. After that he worked as an advisor for 2 years, mainly in project management roles in business development and digital transformation. He was one of the first to join the MFOI team in February 2022 and since then he has been involved in the development of several projects, writing tenders and has been
one of the official national contact persons for the Digital Europe Programme for the last few weeks.
EU topics in which he is an expert: digitalisation, scientific and technological breakthrough innovation projects, self-incentive programmes for small business development, security and defence funds
He graduated from Semmelweis University as a laboratory diagnostic analyst. He started his career in financial data analysis at PRK Global in 2013 and joined the Bioderma team in 2016. During this period, he built up a national network of contacts in university medical schools, hospitals and pharmacies. In 2018, he started his own business in Spain and returned to Hungary in 2022 to become Head of BTL Cardiology. He gained significant experience in R&D, institutional communication, healthcare IT systems, procurement and international networking. He has been working at the Hungarian Development Promotion Agency for a few months, where he has been fulfilling a niche role in a high priority area.
EU topics in which he is an expert: Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals, Medical devices, Healthcare informatics
He holds a law degree. Previously, at the Budapest Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BKIK), he promoted the export market access of Budapest businesses, the internationalisation of services of small and medium-sized enterprises, the development of competitiveness of companies and the creation of regional cooperation (clusters). He also worked in the Hungarian administration, where he contributed to the legal regulation of cross-border business partnerships and territorial associations. He speaks English, Croatian and Serbian.
EU topics in which he is an expert: cross-border cooperation, Interreg tenders, Western Balkans Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance – IPA, Instrument for Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation – Global Europe
He is a lawyer by profession, specialising in innovation management, in particular with regard to R&D support. For many years he has been dealing with the system of national and direct European Union subsidies. He spent a significant part of his career in the energy sector. He gained considerable experience in fossil, nuclear and renewable energies.
EU topics in which he is an expert: energy, healthcare, biotechnology, social innovations
After graduating in International Public Administration Studies at the National University of Public Service, she conducted academic research at the Doctoral School of Public Administration, examining digitisation as a challenge and opportunity for modern science policy.
She was involved in several EU projects as a member, coordinator and leader. She gained his practical experience in the Hungarian diplomatic missions abroad, in the academic, civil and private sectors, and in the public administration in the cabinet of the Minister for Regional Development and the Use of EU Funds. From this year, she is an expert for the Digital Welfare Programme and from 2023 for the Neumann Technology Platform. In addition to her research activities, she is a senior expert at the Hungarian Development Promotion Office on the development of the ecosystem for direct EU funding.
He is an international public service expert by profession. He started his career at the Ministry of Agriculture, where he was responsible for the background tasks of Hungarian lobbying in the EU Permanent Representation and the preparation of working papers for diplomats. He also participated in international bilateral diplomatic meetings and events. He worked in the European Parliament, where his duties covered EU and domestic issues affecting agriculture. He then worked at the Brussels Representation of the National Chamber of Agriculture. He maintained active contacts with EU delegations, diplomats and representatives of professional organisations abroad. He was an active participant in meetings and events of Copa-Cogeca (an EU-level agricultural lobby umbrella organisation), and attended meetings of EU institutions and other professional events related to agriculture. He speaks English, German, French and Russian.
EU topics in which he is an expert: agriculture and food industry, sustainable development, circular economy
Judit started in the same position at the Managing Authority of the Environment and Energy Efficiency Operational Programme in 2015. She was involved in calls for proposals, project evaluation, contracting and accounting processes. Later, she worked for the Hungarian Treasury in the implementation of GINOP projects. In spring 2021, she was a Schuman Fellow of the European Parliament. Since December 2021, she has been a staff member at the MFOI Brussels office. Over the last two years she has been involved in building several consortia and writing tenders. She is the leader of the MFOI LIFE Capacity Building project.
EU topics in which she is an expert: energy, environment and climate protection, research and development, innovations
After studying Political Science, he is currently a student of Communication and Media Studies. From 2014 to 2023, he worked as a regional student and youth advocate. Since 2019, he has been the Rector’s Advisor at Óbuda University, with a focus on national politics and the civil sector, as well as networking in the Carpathian Basin and the diaspora. He has been working as an advisor and tender writer since 2018 and gained extensive experience in national and EU NGO campaigns.
EU topics in which he is an expert: local governments, urban development, Erasmus+ and other NGO programmes
Communications team
She holds a degree in economics and business studies. She started her professional career in tourism and worked in the marketing and communications department of PwC Hungary (formerly PricewaterhouseCoopers) for 8 years. After a series of short and long career detours, she was involved in the organisation of Hungary’s presence at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the 2020 World Expo in Dubai. She is responsible for the company’s communications and marketing.
Zsófia Bódi-Rácz began her professional career at the United Nations (UN), where she represented Hungarian youth as a UN Youth Delegate from 2017-2018.
International advocacy was later replaced by serving the interests of Hungarian youth; between 2020 and 2022 she worked as Deputy State Secretary for Youth at the Ministry of Human Resources and then as Minister for Families at the Prime Minister’s Office.
From 2022-2023, she worked as a Ministerial Commissioner in the Ministry of Regional Development, led by Tibor Navracsics, where her role was to promote and support young people to stay and get along locally.
From 2023, she has been working at the Hungarian Development Promotion Office, where she is responsible for international communication and social media, in addition to building and managing partnerships.
Department of Economics
She is a qualified economist and certified public accountant. She has 15 years of experience as director of finance. She was the director of finance of the Hungarian Development Centre, the predecessor of the MFOI, and before that she held the same position in the National Association of Civil Guards. She started his career at OTP Bank and OTP Securities Ltd.
She started her career in 2015 at the Finance Department of the Budapest Waterworks, and from 2018 she worked at the National Infrastructure Development Company. In 2022, she joined the Hungarian Development Promotion Office after leaving the National Transport Centre Nonprofit Ltd.
After graduating as a singing and music teacher in Debrecen, she participated in several project management, EU tender writing adult and vocational training courses. In 2014 she started working as a strategic-financial project manager at the Ministry of Innovation and Technology. She was responsible for the preparation of grant contracts, financial accounting and audits for transport development projects under the PTEG and the CIP. Later, she gained experience in budget planning, financial accounting and management of the EU Controlling Department for EU funded transport projects (ICOP, CEF, RRF) at the National Transport Centre.
EU topics in which she is an expert: financial and accounting
issues of the Hungarian LIFE capacity building project