The European Union - having recognised that the globalisation of the economy calls for greater mobility of researchers and that there is a lack of researchers in key areas in Europe - created the Council Directive 2005/71/EC on a specific procedure for admitting third-country nationals for the purposes of scientific research. This directive had to be included in national legislations.

By developing human resources conditions amidst growing competition in R&D, the new regulation (effective as of July 2007) helps channelling researchers to certain fields, extends the opportunities for training and mobility in research, opens the borders of Europe and Hungary to a greater extent to third-country nationals who might be admitted for the purposes of research. Complying with EU objectives, the new regulation contributes to making the EU and Hungary more attractive to researchers from around the world.

The primary objective of the new regulation is to ease the admission of highly qualified, third-country researchers for stays of more than three months for the purposes of carrying out research projects.

Research organizations - be them public or non-profit organizations or innovative enterprises - which are approved under the new approval procedure shall be entitled to employ third-country nationals in a quicker and simpler way than before.

Mostly upon request, the new approval procedure shall be officially carried out by the National Innovation Office, pursuant to Government Decree 181/2007 (VII.6).

Applications, addressed to the President, Dr. György Mészáros shall be submitted to the following postal address: National Innovation Office, 1117 Budapest, Neumann J. u.1/c.