At the opening event of the second round of the program, Zsófia Nagy-Vargha said that the number of applicants for the first call last spring was more than twice as many, and a large number of Hungarians from across the border also applied for the program.

The goal of the scholarship is to make the businesses successful, and thus to utilize the talents’ knowledge at the level of the national economy as well. The success of young people can also be the success of Hungary, the deputy state secretary pointed out.

Zsófia Nagy-Vargha also spoke about the fact that care is an area behind which there is a definite social consensus. That is why the National Talent Program was launched 14 years ago, within the framework of which almost 19,000 projects worth HUF 33 billion were implemented, i.e. 300-350,000 talented young people are supported every year.

The social consensus is proved by the fact that the National Talent Program is realized with the help of the Hungarian people, since in addition to the budgetary resources, the program is also supported by one percent tax offers, he added.

Dóra Sándor-Kovács, managing director of the National Talent Center, said that the specialty of the Start program is that, in addition to financial support, they provide complex professional assistance to young people who are creative and “wink” in the direction of the business world.

During the second call for tenders, ideas could be submitted in three areas: in the health-social area, in the green area, and in the area aimed at supporting communities – he explained, adding that most applications were received in the community area.

László Jónás, the professional manager and managing director of the Design Terminal, talks about the fact that, according to surveys, the percentage of young people who intend to start their own business is low. In his opinion, this may be because there is no supportive professional community that would help new entrepreneurs, answer their questions, and dispel their doubts. That’s why they want to build a community during professional training, so that young people can get support from experienced leaders, discuss their experiences and ask questions if they get stuck, said László Jónás.

According to the previous information about the program, young people between the ages of 18 and 35 can apply for the program, the owners of the selected ideas will each win a starting capital of HUF three million, and they can also participate in the entrepreneurship training organized jointly with the Design Terminal. After that, all participants have the chance to receive an additional five million HUF support, thus getting even closer to their “dream business”.