The monies are part of CHF 1 billion in funding Switzerland is making available to the ten countries which joined the EU in 2004.
Much of the support will go toward scholarships for 130 Hungarian university students. Some HUF 600 million will be made available for scholarships for professional, doctoral or post-graduate studies at universities in Switzerland. Invitations to apply for the scholarships will be called by the Ministry of Education and Culture together with the Swiss embassy in Budapest.
More than HUF 300 million of the funding will be used for the operation of the Collegium Budapest, a research organisation set up in 1991 with the involvement of several foreign government institutions and foundations.
The Collegium Budapest supports research in a wide range of areas as well as organising international conferences and holding public lectures, thereby giving international exposure to Hungary's scientific life. The Collegium awards more than 100 foreign scholarships each year in the social and natural sciences.
Budapest's German language Andrássy University will be the recipient of more than HUF 155 million of the funding.
Almost HUF 250 million of the funding will be used to expand Hungary's cultural opportunities and broaden its cultural diplomacy. Details in this area will be decided on in the spring.
