As the 2021–2027 EU funding cycle approaches its end, it is becoming increasingly clear how much funding has already been allocated through calls for proposals under the individual programmes, and where there may still be room for new calls. For planning purposes, three levels are particularly important to monitor: the overall financial allocation set out in the operational programme (OP), the current plans for calls recorded in the annual development frameworks (ÉFK), and, finally, the calls for proposals that have actually been published.
The OP shows the total financial allocation for the programme approved by the European Commission. By contrast, the ÉFK specifies which calls the government plans to launch during implementation in Hungary and with what budgets. In theory, as the years progress, the total amount in the ÉFK gradually converges towards the OP allocation.
The difference between the two figures does not automatically mean that the same amount is freely available to be spent as new funding for calls. It is, however, an important indication of where an amount remains between the EU programme plan and the domestic funding plans whose exact use has not yet been specified.
Comparison of the OP allocation and the budget identified in the ÉFK
| Programme | Current OP allocation* | OP allocation in HUF | Budget identified in the ÉFK | OP–ÉFK difference |
| GINOP Plusz | 5 529 504 543 EUR | 2 067,48 bn HUF | 1 901,97 bn HUF | 165,51 bn HUF |
| DIMOP Plusz | 1 919 460 567 EUR | 717,69 bn HUF | 909,91 bn HUF | -192,22 bn HUF |
* The OP allocation is shown excluding private co-financing so that it is comparable with the support allocation in the ÉFK.
For GINOP Plusz, the difference between the OP and the ÉFK currently stands at HUF 165.51 billion. This suggests that new funding schemes may still appear in the ÉFK that are not known today, or at least have not yet been separately identified.
For DIMOP Plusz, the situation is exactly the opposite: the amount included in the ÉFK is around HUF 192 billion higher than the OP allocation converted into forints. This essentially indicates that all currently known areas of support have already been incorporated into the domestic development framework, so a new, previously unknown package of calls should not be expected here.
At first, it may seem unusual that the total amount of the funding plans can exceed the upper limit approved in the OP. This is explained by so-called overcommitment: Hungary may plan more support than the amount of EU funding available, with the difference covered from the Hungarian budget if necessary.
GINOP Plusz: Priority 6 is already STEP, but this is not yet reflected in the ÉFK
The 2025 Commission programme amendment to GINOP Plusz was more than an administrative change. The financial structure of the programme was also transformed, with a new priority related to STEP being introduced.
The Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) aims to encourage the development and manufacturing of technologies of strategic importance to Europe. The total OP-level allocation for GINOP Plusz currently stands at EUR 5.529 billion, equivalent to approximately HUF 2,067.5 billion at the exchange rate used. By contrast, calls with a total budget of HUF 1,902 billion can be identified in the ÉFK, leaving an overall difference of HUF 165.51 billion.
Breakdown of the GINOP Plusz OP allocation and the ÉFK
| GINOP priority | OP allocation | OP allocation in HUF | Budget identified in the ÉFK | OP – ÉFK difference |
| 1. Business development | 2 181 252 446 EUR | 815,57 bn HUF | 813,88 bn HUF | 1,69 bn HUF |
| 2. Research, development and innovation | 1 397 664 477 EUR | 522,59 bn HUF | 420,24 bn HUF | 102,35 bn HUF |
| 3. Sustainable labour market | 739 590 838 EUR | 276,53 bn HUF | 287,48 bn HUF | -10,95 bn HUF |
|
4. Youth Guarantee |
526 714 338 EUR | 196,94 bn HUF | 208,00 bn HUF | -11,06 bn HUF |
| 5. Higher education and vocational training | 439 527 706 EUR | 164,34 bn HUF | 172,37 bn HUF | -8,03 bn HUF |
| 6. STEP / strategic technologies | 244 754 738 EUR | 91,51 bn HUF | 0,00 bn HUF | 91,51 bn HUF |
| Total | 5 529 504 543 EUR | 2 067,48 bn HUF | 1 901,97 bn HUF | 165,51 bn HUF |
Based on the detailed figures, the budgets for calls included in the ÉFK under Priority 1 and Priorities 3–5 essentially already cover, and in some cases even exceed, the amounts available under the OP. In these areas, therefore, there currently appears to be no meaningful room for entirely new calls.
The largest open item is Priority 2, research, development and innovation. Here, the OP support allocation is HUF 102.35 billion higher than the amount identified so far in the ÉFK. This suggests that new funding schemes may still be introduced under this priority. However, only later amendments to the ÉFK will reveal what share of these funds, if any, will be available directly to businesses.
A completely new element is Priority 6, STEP, which has a support allocation of HUF 91.51 billion in the OP, while no separate call has yet been identified for it in the ÉFK. No information is yet available on the exact schemes; however, based on the STEP programmes already introduced under DIMOP Plusz, it cannot be ruled out that businesses may also benefit from this allocation.
From a funding perspective, two genuinely important open items therefore remain in GINOP Plusz: the HUF 102.35 billion R&D&I allocation and the HUF 91.51 billion STEP priority. Together, these represent nearly HUF 194 billion in OP-level funding, whose exact use through calls is not yet visible in the ÉFK.
DIMOP Plusz: the ÉFK exceeds the OP allocation approved by the Commission
The total OP-level allocation for DIMOP Plusz, converted into forints, is approximately HUF 717.69 billion. By contrast, the ÉFK already contains call budgets totalling HUF 909.91 billion.
In terms of future calls, this means that, based on the current data, there does not appear to be any OP-level funding that has not yet been included in the ÉFK. In the coming months, therefore, the focus is not expected to be on the emergence of new, as-yet-unknown areas of support, but on the actual publication of schemes that are already included in the annual development framework.
The higher amount in the ÉFK can again be explained by the logic of overcommitment: implementation in Hungary has planned more support than the forint-equivalent amount of the OP approved by the European Commission. As a result, the key question for DIMOP Plusz in the coming period is not what entirely new calls may still appear, but which of the schemes already listed in the ÉFK have not yet been published.
Based on the above, three questions are worth examining in detail when putting together the funding outlook for the coming year:
- Which GINOP Plusz calls are already included in the ÉFK but have not yet been published?
- Through what types of schemes could the nearly HUF 194 billion not yet identified in the GINOP Plusz ÉFK be made available, particularly under the R&D&I and STEP priorities?
- Which calls listed in the DIMOP Plusz ÉFK are still awaiting publication?
Examining these questions together will make it possible to gain a more accurate picture of the funding opportunities businesses can expect during the remainder of the 2021–2027 cycle.
Sources
- C(2025)6614 Decision
- C(2025)6614 Annex II
- C(2025)6613 Decision
- C(2025)6613 Annex II
- GINOP Plusz ÉFK – NJT Government Decision 1300/2021. (V. 21.)
- DIMOP Plusz ÉFK – NJT Government Decision 1158/2023. (IV. 27.)
- Széchenyi Plan Plus programme page – note on the HUF/EUR exchange rate of 373.9
For more information or consulting, please fill in our contact form.