HU | EN

Final Strategic Report summary regarding the EEA and Norway Grants 2009-2014 in Hungary

The preparation and implementation of the EEA and Norway Grants 2009-2014 in Hungary started after the signature of Memoranda of Understandings in October, 2011. Through the Grants Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein have supported nearly 600 projects in Hungary. The two overall objectives – reducing economic and social disparities and strengthening bilateral co-operations – could provide proper basis for development in Hungary. Although the economic and social position of Hungary has been improved during the implementation, it can be emphasized that the Grants also contributed to the development. The economy has been stable, sustainable and broadly based. With regard to the social status one of the main objectives is to increase the number of births and decrease the number of deaths. Other important goals are to reduce the poverty and social differences, which is also in accordance with the overall objective of the Grants.

The objectives of programmes matched to the national strategy and the development trends of European Union.

Under the responsibility of Hungary 7 programmes and under the responsibility of Donor States 3 programmes have been completed successfully until December, 2017.

Just to mention a few examples of the achievements, in the framework of the Grants 6 public schools’ (e.g.: József Galamb Agricultural Secondary School; Vak Bottyán János Primary School in Siófok) energy efficiency investments were successfully implemented and more than 3600 students’ environmental conditions have been improved.

In order to contribute to economic growth and job creation with conservation and revitalisation of the values of cultural heritage, several significant cultural heritage sites (e.g.: Reconstruction and development of "Kincsem stable and mansion"Restoration of the horse tram terminus building in Zugliget) have been renewed.

The EEA Grants have been one of the main sources of support for scholarships between the Donor States and Hungary in the past years, which facilitated 815 mobilities in student or tutor exchanges for learning and for gaining experience. On the website of Tempus Public Foundation you can read about further results and news of the Scholarship programme.

On the website of Green Industry Innovation programme you can get to know more about increased green job creation and entrepreneurship (e.g.: Alföldi Tej Ltd.; Univer-Product Ltd.) as well as about the achievements regarding reduced production of waste and emissions to air, water and ground.

Thanks to the strengthened institutional capacity and human resource development in public institutions, local and regional authorities, local citizens can enjoy the results of the developments in Budapest and in the countryside as well (e.g: quality aging in Alsómocsolád, promotion of local employment related to airport economy by introducing novel and innovative services).

Inclusion of marginalized groups has a lasting positive effect on the society. Among others with the support of Donor States in disadvantaged areas, especially in Roma communities the working conditions of 5300 health visitor nurses have been improved.

In order to strengthen bilateral relations, under the responsibility of Hungary, 314 partnerships were signed, 174 523 persons were targeted by the actions of the projects, 46 events were visited with participation of both Hungarian and Donor States stakeholders.  

Regarding the information and publicity, social media has become the main communication channel, and while the number of subscribers was barely 200 in 2016, this number has increased to almost 11 000 for now. On our YouTube channel you can watch the short films introducing the bilateral relations between Hungary and Donor States and listen to the participants’ own experience gained during the cooperation.

During the period Hungary has faced several challenges, e.g. establishment a new, programme-level institutional system, the changes in Hungarian development policy system and in the regulatory framework and a short project implementation period. Nevertheless the results show remarkable successes which represent that the Hungarian decision-making and institutional system are flexible and able to adapt to changing circumstances. The results and lessons can be used professionally to the preparation of the next period and all the stakeholders can use the good practices and results collected during the implementation.

For further information, please visit our Facebook page and also would like to invite you to view the websites of the three other programmes which have been implemented successfully under the responsibility of Donor States. Just one click on the name and be familiarized with the great impacts of the following programmes:

Adaptation to climate change

Global fund for decent work and tripartite dialogue

NGO-Fund

New bilateral call for proposal published in Green Industry Innovation Programme

„Bilateral relations for projects – networking, exchange, sharing and transfer of knowledge, technology, experience and best practices” call for proposal is available within Green Industry Innovation Programme Area. All Project Promoters of granted projects already implemented or under implementation of the HU09 programme area are eligible to apply for these funds for additional bilateral activities.

The EEA and Norway Grants are financial mechanisms established by Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The overall objectives of the Grants are reduction of economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area and strengthening bilateral relations between the Donor States and the beneficiary states, including Hungary. Bilateral relations are emphasized during the year 2017 as the results of the supported projects and their further development possibilities are already visible.

Szent István University as Programme Operator of Green Industry Innovation Programme is publishing a call for proposal to support the forming of new bilateral relations and to strengthen existing connections with Norwegian organizations.

Activities eligible for support may include professional meetings with Norwegian organizations, participation in conferences, study visits, publicity activities, joint studies, surveys and the cooperative development of project ideas.

Eligible applicants should be already supported project promoters of the Programme Area and their project partners.

Total fund available at the publication of the call is  100.000 EUR / 31.200.000 HUF.

Minimum project support is determined in minimum 1.602 EUR /500 000 HUF, maximum support is 16.025 EUR / 5 000 000 HUF.

Exchange rate: 312 Ft/EUR.

Application documents are available in NORA system. Submission is continuous, the review of eligibility and administrative criteria, as well as the evaluation will be carried out in order of reception of applications. The evaluation will be closed when all available funds are granted to eligible but not later than 31st August 2017.

Implementation’s final deadline is 31st October 2017.

Green Industry Innovation Bilateral Experience Sharing event - Study tour and brokerage event in Oslo, 14-16. March 2017.

March 14th -16th around 60 Central and Eastern European companies within business areas such as modern production and manufacturing and smart societies will gather to learn from Norwegian knowledge and expertise in their business areas.

Organizations interested in market opportunities in Central Europe and the Baltics are welcome on the Brokerage Event and B2b matchmaking event taking place in Oslo, in order to meet potential business partners for future collaborations.

The main business areas will be: buildings – heating and energy saving; electronics, microelectronics; food industry; industrial manufacturing; packing industry; plastics and metal processing; production of automotive elements.

Innovation Norway and Enterprise Europe Network organizes the event aiming to support donor project partner matchmaking within EEA and Norway Grants funded projects. Innovation Norway is the Norwegian Government's most important instrument for innovation and development of Norwegian enterprises and industry, supporting companies in developing their competitive advantage and to enhance innovation.

For more information and registration click on the official event website.

Application costs are eligible within the budget of supported projects, currently under implementation in Green Industry Innovation Programme.

Please note, this particular program is not yet eligible in the forthcoming call for proposal for supporting bilateral relations. Later events with similar theme will be eligible within the call.  

New bilateral call for proposal expected in February in Green Industry Innovation Programme

Eligible applicants should be already supported project promoters of the Programme Area and their project partners.

The EEA and Norway Grants are financial mechanisms established by Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The overall objectives of the Grants are reduction of economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area and strengthening bilateral relations between the Donor States and the beneficiary states, including Hungary. Bilateral relations are emphasized during the year 2017 as the results of the supported projects and their further development possibilities are already visible.

Szent István University as Programme Operator of Green Industry Innovation Programme is publishing a call for proposal to support the forming of new bilateral relations and to strengthen existing connections with Norwegian organizations.

Activities eligible for support may include professional meetings with Norwegian organizations, participation in conferences, study visits, publicity activities, joint studies, surveys and the cooperative development of project ideas.

Eligible applicants should be already supported project promoters of the Programme Area and their project partners.

Expected time of publishing: February of 2017.

Please follow call for proposal and application information updates on www.norvegalap.hu Green Industry Innovation subpage.

Recyclable ferrous materials from hazardous waste – green industry innovation at EMK North-Hungarian Environmental Protection LLC

Recyclable ferrous materials from hazardous waste – green industry innovation at EMK North-Hungarian Environmental Protection LLC

Hungary is one of the eight beneficiary nations where Norway Grants is supporting green turn by financing sustainable technologies and green developments. Under the wing of Green Industry Innovation Programme 37 Hungarian project received a total 22,9 million Euro financial aid.

Green Industry Innovation Programme has two sub-areas “Reduced production of waste and reduced emission to air, water and ground” and “Enhanced use of environmentally friendly technologies”. Call for proposals were mainly targeted on SMEs with grant amounts varying from 50 to 450 million Forints (€ 160.000 – 1.400.000). Areas of investments are including e.g. bioremediation, food production development, waste management and recovery. More than the half of the 37 projects had professional support and knowledge-transfer from their Norwegian donor project partners.

In Hungary’s SVIP Sajóbábony Industrial Park at ÉMK Kft. (EMK North-Hungarian Environmental Protection Limited Liability Company) an investment supported by Norway Grants is being implemented, in which ferrous materials are recovered from bottom ash of the hazardous waste incineration, in order to decrease the amount of generated waste. More than 62 % of the project budget, approximately 159 million Forint is provided by the Kingdom of Norway within the Norwegian Financial Mechanisms of 2009-2014.

EMK’s core activities are waste management and waste water management services. The enterprise carries out collection, transportation, pre-treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes. During the disposal of hazardous wastes by incineration 2-30 % of bottom ash is generated depending of the type of the incinerated waste which amount shall be landfilled. However, in the bottom ash significant amount of recyclable ferrous metals can be found. The aim of the project launched in 2014 is to elaborate and accomplish recovery technology of the up-to-now non-utilized ferrous metal fraction of the bottom ash at EMK Ltd. With the help of the introduced technology less amount of bottom ash will be disposed to the landfill of EMK Ltd., therefore its lifespan is lengthened while the environmental impact is decreased.

In Green Industry Innovation Programme Operator, Szent István University’s video summary József Paulovics, EMK’s project manager introduces the development.

 

Photo source: http://www.emkkft.hu/en/index.html

ALUHAB – Hungarian innovation with Norwegian support

Innovation prize winner Aluinvent Plc has built its environmentally friendly aluminium foam panel producing line with nearly 370 million Forint (~1.172.000 EUR) support of Norway Grants. The development was implemented within Green Industry Innovation Programme of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism.

 

 

Outstanding Hungarian patent

As the result of a decade long development process, in 2012 the revolutionary invention of the research team lead by Dr. Norbert Babcsán, international patent protected ALUHAB has been adapted for pilot production. The globally unique aluminium foaming technology has been elaborated in cooperation with European Space Agency (ESA), under the wing of Bay Zoltán Nonprofit Ltd. for Applied Researches, it was adapted for pilot producing and technical usage within space-technology spin-off company, Aluinvent Plc. With the financial support of Norway Grants, 1000 tons per year advanced volume production of ÉMI-certificated (Hungarian construction quality control institution) construction panel, DESIGNIUM has started during the last year in the company’s factory, based in Felsőzsolca Industrial Park.

It is the unique characteristics of ALUHAB that makes the substance demanded on international markets. The ultra light-weighted, foamed metal’s specialty is the controlled, homogeneous cell-size which makes it energy absorbent and maintains high tensile strength, and the basic metal’s easy workability. This is the first, reproducible quality aliminium foam, which is usable as structural material and its features are designable according to user requirements.

Aluinvent Plc’s products are made from reused aluminium and are also easy to recycle to production. Its features are making the substance competitive with light metals and engineering plastics as well.

 

Production as innovation progress

Norway Grants has supported the project implementation with a 369 781 208 Forint nonrepayable grant. The two main results of the development were the implementation of ALUHAB production and the elaboration of intermediate construction and casing material, DESIGNIUM.

We already had a pilot plant to base on the production facility. This step, the production process itself is the innovation. One part of the project was the procurement of engines and another was the research process – said Dr. Norbert Babcsán, vice chief executive and technology director of the company.

Aluinvent Plc’s innovation reached the highest, 9th international Technology Readiness Level – meaning it has evolved from pilot plant level to series manufacture.

Our production line is operating since April, we took possession of the technology. We have spent the last year with preparation to serial production and marketing, seeking customers. With the Norwegian grant aid we executed aluminium foam thinning as well – said Dr. Norbert Babcsán. Besides production technology, the company elaborated a new heat treatment technology, which duplicates the strength of aluminium foams.

 

Recycled aluminum, an environmentally friendly substance

One direct result of the project is the development of an environmentally friendly, industrial level standardized manufacturing technology, producing a green substitute material. The company is using recycled aluminium to create ALUHAB. This technology is able to recycle the products without loss, and to utilize aluminium waste that is unusable with other methods, for example iron or rust contaminated aluminium. Industrial production of ALUHAB reduces the emission of polluting substances and increases the efficiency of waste procession.

The corrosion resistance and recyclability of the material resulted in a thoroughly green product. We are an aluminium-converting company, not an aluminium-smelter. We consume considerably less energy whilst no toxic sludge is produced – Dr. Babcsán estimates, a vast quantity of 100 thousand tons of aluminium waste is produced in Hungary per year. Aluinvent Plc’s current recycling capacity is approximately one percent of the national amount. A long-term objective of the firm is to reuse the majority of national aluminium waste, or even import recyclable material.

From space industry to design

ALUHAB is an entirely new material-family developed according to market requirements, constantly improved in cooperation with end-product manufacturers. Aluinvent created three aluminium foam based prototypes for European Space Agency: a micrometeorite absorbent panel, a mirror holding sandwich panel and a determined heat-transfer panel. Although metal foams are widely used in everyday industry segments also, such as in explosives transportation container’s energy absorbent walls, in interior design as furniture material or as outdoor construction cases.

Basically we are aiming three industry segments determining the main characteristics of the products. Beauty and aesthetics serves construction industry and design. Energy absorbance benefits in security technology, from car bumpers to explosion security panels. The third feature, specific rigidity is utilized in vehicle and engineering industry – said Dr. Babcsán.

ALUHAB is both usable as raw material and component. Aluinvent has developed high rigidity packaging materials, sound-insulation materials of household equipments and automotive components. DESIGNIUM is used as building covering and design elements in construction industry. In the mechanical and engineering industry, aluminium foam has a breakthrough potential as cell phone cases, in the form of casting and foam sheets, as car components and security technology accessories like explosion security sheathes. The advanced technology of small-bubble foams should open up utilization possibilities in vehicle industry.

Future material

Certain panels of Aluinvent received Hungarian construction quality certificate in the year 2015. In this year the company is going to further develop its intermediate products considering customer demands, by creating light transmitting and flat panels, and also widening the panels.

Aluinvent’s main objective for the year 2017 is to equalize sales volume and industrial capacity. Dr. Norbert Babcsán thinks customer demands may increase to 10 thousand tons in the next three years, which induces the building of a newer and bigger production line. International market access of the product is a top priority, the next period’s target countries are Israel, Germany, Singapore and the USA.

Aluinvent Plc is cooperating with the University of Miskolc, Kecskemét College and a number of national higher education and research institutions. The company’s vision is to form a scientific and technological center within Borsod region, which may become the innovation and competence center of Hungarian aluminum industry.

THE EVALUATION PROCESS HAS ARRIVED TO ITS FINAL PHASE

By 15th November 2013 altogether 90 project proposals were submitted to the Green Industry Innovation Programme (HU09)

  • „Reduced production of waste and emissions to air, water and ground (Sub-programme 1)"and
  • „More use of environmentally friendly technologies (Sub-programme 2)"

call implemented in the frame of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2009-2014.

After the formal and eligibility checks of the submitted applications, the independent experts have started the professional evaluation of the proposals.

The evaluation process has arrived to its final phase, the Selection Committee meeting is expected in the end of April and the final decision about the submitted proposals will be made afterwards. The applicants will be informed about the decision in official letter. The list of supported applications will be published on the website as well.

Technical modifications to the annex of the calls for proposals under Green Industry Innovation

We would like to inform dear applicants that as of today the following modifications were introduced to the calls for proposals: "Reduced production of waste and emissions to air, water and ground (Sub-programme 1)" and „More use of environment-friendly technologies (Sub-programme 2)"  under Green Industry Innovation. List of modifications

  1. The exchange rate set out in section VII.2 was modified.
  2. The channels of communication detailed in sectionIX.3 pontjában were clarified.

The application forms are now available through the online application tool,  NORA.