An open letter was written by the awardees of the Momentum (Lendület) Program to prime minister Viktor Orbán. We are hereby publishing the letter verbatim.
"Dear Prime Minister Orbán,
We are writing to you as the awardees of the Momentum (Lendület) Program, Hungary’s main funding scheme for excellence in scientific research for young scientists. This internationally renowned grant program has helped us to establish our own research groups in Hungary, many of us returning from a career abroad, and to use our knowledge for the benefit of our home country. Furthermore, the support of the program enabled us to provide an opportunity for many of our colleagues working in our research groups to pursue their research careers in Hungary.
We are surprised and deeply concerned by the actions of the Ministry for Innovation and Technology, aimed at a radical restructuring of the funding scheme of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and of scientific research in Hungary as a whole.
The Academy’s network of research institutes has achieved its current structure as a result of many decades of gradual evolution. The present system is the result of recent reorganizations managed by the Academy itself, based on strict scientific criteria. This process has been fruitful as proven, among others, by the success of the Momentum Program.
We, the leaders of the Momentum research groups urge you to call upon your Minister to proceed with the reorganization of the Hungarian academic scene in cooperation with the leadership of the Academy. The present process is carried out by the Ministry without real negotiations with the parties involved, and the ensuing uncertainty is demolishing the basis of the country’s innovation potential in the long run.
The planned deconstruction of the Academy’s network of research institutes and the elimination of its basic funding are in sharp disagreement not only with the successful international examples cited by the Ministry, but even with the conclusions of the Ministry’s own analysis of the situation, which clearly show that in order to enhance innovation, the allocation of further financial sources would be necessary. The planned budget cuts threaten the existence of well-established research centres of fundamental national importance, especially in the fields of humanity and social sciences.
We are convinced that the keys to the enhancement of the country’s innovation potential are the broadening of the funding for basic research, the guarantee of a secure financial background, and the strengthening of the Hungarian scientific community’s ability to keep scientists in the country. The higher the number of excellent young researchers staying in Hungary, the more effectively Hungarian science is able to serve innovation. Basic research is the rich soil in which Hungarian patents and startup companies may grow, and in which Hungarian innovation can grow its strong and deep roots. Basic research trains the experts and provides the discoveries that serve as the basis for any kind of development and innovation.
It is our firm request that the hasty and ill-founded process of restructuring the funding of Hungarian research and innovation is suspended immediately. This is the only way to reverse the detrimental effects of the current instability, which pushes more and more of us to consider leaving Hungary and continuing our work in another country.
Sincerely,
The undersigned Momentum group leaders.
Budapest, 7 February 2019.
Signed by the awardees of Momentum (Lendület) Grant until 12:00, 8 February 2019
Abért, Miklós, MTA Rényi Lendület Groups and Graphs Research Group
Ablonczy, Balázs, MTA BTK Lendület Trianon 100 Research Group
Adamik, Béla, MTA NYTI Lendület Research Group for Computational Latin Dialectology
Andics, Attila, MTA-ELTE Lendület Neuroethology of Communication Research Group
Bajnok, Zoltán, MTA Wigner FK Lendület Holographic Quantum Field Theory Group
Báldi, András, MTA ÖK Lendület Ecosystem Services Research Group
Bárány, Attila, MTA-DE Lendület Hungary in Medieval Europe Research Group
Bárth, Dániel, MTA-ELTE Lendület Historical Folkloristics Research Group
Batáry, Péter, MTA ÖK Lendület Landscape and Conservation Ecology Research Group
Beke-Somfai, Tamás, MTA TTK Lendület Biomolecular Self-assembly Research Group
Benczúr, András, MTA SZTAKI Lendület Big Data Research Group
Bíró, Anikó, MTA KRTK Lendület Health and Population Research Group
Biró, Péter, MTA KRTK Lendület Mechanism Design Research Group
Csanády, László, MTA-SE Lendület Ion Channel Research Group
Csonka, Szabolcs, MTA-BME Lendület Nanoelectronics Research Group
Csörsz, Rumen István, MTA BTK Lendület Literary Culture in Western Hungary, 1770–1820
Dalos, Anna, MTA BTK ZTI Lendület Archives and Research Group for 20th and 21st Century Hungarian Music
Demeter, Tamás, MTA BTK Lendület Morals and Science Research Group
Dénes, Ádám, MTA KOKI Lendület Laboratory of Neuroimmunology Research Group
Dóra, Balázs, MTA-BME Lendület Topology and Correlation Research Group
Dosztányi, Zsuzsanna, MTA-ELTE Lendület Bioinformatics Research Group
Enyedi, Balázs, MTA-SE Lendület Tissue Damage Research Group
Erdélyi, Gabriella, MTA BTK Lendület Integrating Families Research Group
Földváry, Miklós István, MTA-ELTE Lendület Research Group of Liturgical History
Fuxreiter, Mónika, MTA-DE Lendület Laboratory of Protein dynamics
Geiszt, Miklós, MTA-SE Lendület Peroxidase Enzyme Research Group
Hájos, Norbert, MTA KOKI Lendület Laboratory of Network Neurophysiology
Hangya, Balázs, MTA KOKI Lendület Laboratory of Systems Neuroscience
Harcos, Gergely, MTA Rényi Intézet Lendület Automorphic Research Group
Homolya, László, MTA TTK EI Lendület Laboratory of Molecular Cell Biology
Horváth, Péter, MTA SZBK Lendület BIOMAG Research Group
Jakus, Zoltán, MTA-SE Lendület Lymphatic Physiology Research Group
Józsi, Mihály, MTA-ELTE Lendület Complement Research Group
Kállay, Mihály, MTA-BME Lendület Quantum Chemistry Research Group
Katona, István, MTA KOKI Lendület Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology
Katz, Sándor, MTA-ELTE Lendület Lattice Gauge Theory Research Group
Kele, Péter, MTA TTK SzKI Lendület Laboratory of Chemical Biology
Kern, Zoltán, MTA CSFK Lendület 2ka Palæoclimate Research Group
Kézsmárki, István, MTA-BME Lendület Magneto-optical Spectroscopy Research Group
Király, Ildikó, MTA-ELTE Lendület Social Cognition Research Group
Kiss, Farkas Gábor, MTA-ELTE Lendület Humanism in East Central Europe (HECE) Research Group
Kiss, László, MTA CSFK Lendület Exoplanets and Stellar Structure Research Group
Kiss, Viktória, MTA BTK Lendület Mobility Research Group
Kóczy, Á. László, MTA KRTK Lendület Game Theory Research Group
Kóspál, Ágnes, MTA CSFK Lendület Disk Research Group
Kovács, Tamás György, MTA Atomki Lendület Lattice QCD Research Group
Legeza, Örs, MTA Wigner Lendület Strongly Correlated Systems Research Group
Lengyel, Balázs, MTA KRTK Lendület Agglomeration and Social Networks Research Group
London, Gábor, MTA TTK Lendület Functional Organic Materials Research Group
Lukács, Ágnes, MTA-BME Lendület Language Acquisition Research Group
Makara, Judit, MTA KOKI Lendület Laboratory of Neuronal Signaling
Maria, Lugaro, MTA CSFK Lendület AGB Nuclei and Dust Research Group (LAND)
Markó, Alexandra, MTA-ELTE Lendület Lingual Coarticulation Research Group
Maurovich-Horvát, Pál, MTA-SE Lendület Cardiovascular Imaging Research Group
Mócsai, Attila, MTA-SE Lendület Inflammation Physiology Research Group
Mosonyi, Milán, MTA-BME Lendület Quantum Information Theory Research Group
Muraközy, Balázs, MTA KRTK Lendület Firms, Strategy and Performance Research Group
Nagy, László, MTA SZBK Lendület Fungal Evolutionary Genomics Research Group
Nagy, László, MTA-DE Lendület Immunogenomics Research Group
Nusser, Zoltán, MTA KOKI Lendület Cellular Neurophysiology Research Group
Orbán, Gergő, MTA Wigner FK Lendület Computational Systems Neuroscience Lab
Ősi, Attila, MTA-ELTE Lendület Dinosaur Research Group
Pál, András, MTA CSFK Lendület Fly's Eye Research Group
Pál, Csaba, MTA SZBK Lendület Synthetic and Systems Biology Research Group
Pálffy, Géza, MTA BTK TTI Lendület Holy Crown of Hungary Research Group
Pálvölgyi, Dömötör, MTA-ELTE Lendület Combinatorial Geometry Research Group
Papp, Balázs, MTA SZBK Lendület Computational Systems Biology Research Group
Pásztor, Gabriella, MTA-ELTE Lendület CMS Particle and Nuclear Physics Research Group
Reményi, Attila, MTA TTK Lendület Protein Interaction Group
Simon, Ferenc, MTA-BME Lendület Spintronics Research Group (PROSPIN)
Stipsicz, András, MTA Rényi Institute Lendület Low Dimensional Topology Research Group
Surányi, Balázs, MTA NYTI Lendület Quantifier Scope Research Group
Szabadics, János, MTA KOKI Lendület Laboratory of Cellular Neuropharmacology
Szakács, Gergely, MTA TTK EI Lendület Membrane Biology Research Group
Szegedy, Balázs, MTA Rényi Institute Lendület Limits of Structures Research Group
Székvölgyi, Lóránt, MTA-DE Lendület Genome Architecture and Recombination Research Group
Szilágyi, Róbert, MTA-ELTE Lendület Chemical Structure/Function Research Group
Szöllősi, Gergely János, MTA-ELTE Lendület Evolutionary Genomics Research Group
Szüts, Dávid, MTA TTK Lendület Genome Stability Research Group
Takács, Gábor, MTA-BME Lendület Statistical Field Theory Research Group
Takács, Károly, MTA TK Lendület Research Center for Educational and Network Studies (RECENS)
Tapolcai, János, MTA-BME Lendület Future Internet Research Group
Tarczay, György, MTA-ELTE Lendület Laboratory Astrochemistry Research Group
Tardos, Gábor, MTA RAMKI Lendület Cryptography Research Group
Tasnádi, Attila, MTA-BCE Lendület Strategic Interactions Research Group
Timinszky, Gyula, MTA SZBK Lendület DNA Damage and Nuclear Dynamics Research Group
Tóth, Szilvia Zita, MTA SZBK Lendület Laboratory for Molecular Photobioenergetics
Tóth, Zsombor, MTA BTK Lendület Long Reformation in Eastern Europe (1500-1800) Research Group
Török, Péter, MTA-DE Lendület Functional and Restoration Ecology Research Group
Vankó, György, MTA WFK Lendület Femtosecond Spectroscopy Research Group
Varga, Dezső, MTA Wigner FK Lendület Innovative Particle Detector Development Research Group
Varju, Márton, MTA TK Lendület HPOPs-Policy Opportunities for Hungary in the European Union Research Group
Virág, Bálint, MTA Rényi Lendület Random Spectra Research Group
Weisz, Boglárka, MTA BTK Lendület Hungarian Economic History Research Group
Werner, Norbert, MTA-ELTE Lendület Hot Universe Research Group
ERC grant winners: Abért Miklós (2014, Consolidator grant), Dénes Ádám (2016 Consolidator grant), Hangya Balázs (2016 Starting grant), Kállay Mihály (2007 Starting grant), Katona István (2009 Starting grant), Katz Sándor (2007 Starting), Kóspál Ágnes (2016 Starting grant), Maria Lugaro (2016 Consolidator grant), Makara Judit (2017 Consolidator grant), Mócsai Attila (2007 Starting grant), Nagy László (2017 Starting grant), Nusser Zoltán (2011 Advanced grant, 2018 Advanced grant), Pál Csaba (2007 Starting grant, 2014 Consolidator grant), Simon Ferenc (2010 Starting grant), Stipsicz András (2011 Advanced grant), Szabadics János (2017 Consolidator grant), Szakács Gergely (2010 Starting grant), Szegedy Balázs (2013 Consolidator grant), Szöllősi Gergely (2016 Starting grant), Takács Károly (2014 Consolidator grant), Vankó György (2010 Starting grant)."
The authors of the above letter can be contacted at lendulet.csoportvezetok@gmail.com