Hungarian-Israeli innovation fund gets top-up | The Budapest Business Journal on the web | bbj.hu

The allocation for a joint Hungarian-Israeli fund to support innovation has been tripled to EUR 6 million, Hungaryʼs ambassador to Israel Levente Benkő said at a an event in the recently opened diplomatic trade mission in Jerusalem on Monday, state news wire MTI reports.

Benkő told representatives of Israeli and Hungarian businesses at the event that the deadline for applying for the funding had been extended until June 12.

The monies are targeted at projects in the areas of clean technology, farm and food technology, artificial intelligence, IT security, biotechnology, healthcare and self-driving vehicles, he added.

The first fully digital, domestically developed language exam, the International Test of Language Competence (iTOLC) has been accredited, meaning that students will be able to undertake German and English exams through computers, the company told the Budapest Business Journal.

The European Travel Commission (ETC) reported a 5.1% increase in Chinese arrivals to EU destinations in 2018, marking a successful end to the EU-China Tourism Year (ECTY). Hungary proved one of the fastest-growing destinations for Chinese visitors.

This year, the Invitech InnoMax Awards focused on supporting innovative efforts of non-profit organizations, with winners including a design for an animated laser projector, an online interface for evaluating hospital services, and an app promoting a healthy, environmentally conscious diet.

Hourly labor costs in Hungary in 2018 were the fourth lowest among EU member states after Bulgaria, Romania and Lithuania, according to a fresh study published by Eurostat, the statistical agency of the European Union. 

Under certain conditions, Hungary is prepared to acquire a 25% stake in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on the Croatian island of Krk, Croatian Minister of Environment and Energy Tomislav Ćorić said on local television late Sunday, Hungarian news agency MTI reported today.