Financing and Management

Procedure and project organisation

• Cost advantages in Hungary
• Project costs and financing
  
• Operational costs
  
• Co-operation and legal framework
  
• Procedure and project organisation

The Hungarian Prime Minister entrusted the Minister of Economy and Transport in 2006 to set up the conditions of hosting ESS in Hungary. The publishing of the ESFRI Roadmap in October 2006 was followed by several formal decisions. The government announced in April 2007 that it would officially support the project and  the Prime Minister charged experts to launch the negotiations and international partnerships. ESS Hungary Non-profit Ltd. was established to take care of the technical project preparation. The ESS Coordination Center in the new Ministry of National Development and Economy supports the work of Geza Egyed, the Government Commissioner for ESS appointed in September 2008. At the same time the Hungarian Government assigned 90 Billion HUF (about 340 Million EUR) to contribute to ESS construction costs in Hungary.

This process was started in 2006, when the Hungarian Prime minister entrusted the Minister of Economy and Transport to undertake and conclude the evaluation and process for establishing the ESS in Hungary, and prepare the case for a government decision. The publishing of the ESFRI Roadmap in October 2006 was followed by several formal decisions. In November 2006, the Minister of Economy and Transport created a position of an ESS Commissioner, who was charged to organize and establish the Hungarian bid. The government at its session on the 18th of April 2007 endorsed the report of the Minister of Economy and Transport on the process of establishing the case to host the ESS in Hungary. Ferenc MEZEI and László ROSTA were nominated as experts by the Prime Minister and a mandate was issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to initiate negotiations for international partnership for ESS in Hungary. At government level Géza EGYED, State Secretary at the Ministry of National Development and Economy (NFGM, formerly Ministry of Economy and Transport) was in direct charge of ESS matters, supported within the ministry by the ESS Coordination Centre.  In September 2008 a Resolution of the Hungarian Government assigned 90 Billion HUF (about 340 Million EUR) which covers full 30 % of the total construction costs 2009 – 2017 of ESS in Debrecen ( in addition to the 50 Million EUR value made available free of charge for  ESS for the site and site preparation in Debrecen.) At the same time Géza EGYED was appointed Government Commissioner in charge of ESS.

The first step to provide the necessary legal structure and organizational background for the ESS in Hungary was the establishment of the charitable company “ESS Hungary Non-profit Ltd” in February 2007. Its first task was to act as the Hungarian partner in the EU FP7 ESS Preparatory Phase project. After successful grant application and negotiation process lead by the Swiss research centre PSI as coordinator, this EU FP7 project officially started on 1 April 2008. The Hungarian shareholder of “ESS International” will be the newly founded “ESS Hungary PLC”. This company also will be operated on a not-for-profit basis. Its stakeholders will be the Hungarian Government, the City of Debrecen and “ESS Hungary Non-profit Ltd”. Ferenc MEZEI is currently the President of “ESS Hungary PLC”.

In Debrecen, in order to further advance the local scientific, technical and educational basis for the preparatory phase of hosting ESS, Debrecen University and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences research institute ATOMKI for nuclear physics and accelerator based research have signed an agreement to establish the SCIENCE-ESS@Debrecen consortium, which is located at ATOMKI and lead by András FENYVESI (senior
scientist).