HCEMM NONPROFIT KORLATOLT FELELOSSEGU TARSASAG

Their core work

HCEMM is the Hungarian Centre of Excellence for Molecular Medicine, a non-profit research institute in Szeged established in strategic partnership with EMBL (European Molecular Biology Laboratory). They run translational molecular medicine research — connecting basic biomedical discovery to clinical applications and technology transfer — and operate as a regional hub meant to raise Hungary's biomedical research capacity to international standards. Their work covers disease-oriented molecular research, training of next-generation principal investigators, and building infrastructure for moving discoveries from bench toward patient. In practice, they are both a research-performing organization and a capacity-building vehicle created through the EU Teaming instrument.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In 2015–2016, HCEMM's work was preparatory — HU-MOLMEDEX was a Teaming Phase 1 CSA focused on designing the centre, planning translational medicine activities, and framing regional economic impact through technology transfer. From 2017 onward, with the full HCEMM project, the focus shifted from planning to execution: building the EMBL-partnered centre, passing international scientific evaluation, and securing long-term sustainability. The trajectory is a textbook Teaming evolution from blueprint to operational research institute.

HCEMM has transitioned from an EU-funded startup phase into an established research institute and is now the natural Hungarian entry point for any molecular medicine or translational biomedical collaboration.

How they like to work

HCEMM exclusively coordinates — both H2020 projects placed it in the lead role, which is expected for a Teaming beneficiary where the applicant is the centre being built. Consortia were small and tightly scoped (6 unique partners across 2 countries), reflecting a bilateral Hungary–EMBL structure rather than a broad research network. Partnering with HCEMM means working with a dedicated institute whose scientific governance is anchored to EMBL standards.

A compact network — 6 consortium partners across 2 countries — dominated by the structural partnership with EMBL (Germany) alongside Hungarian stakeholders. Geographic reach is bilateral rather than pan-European, by design.

What sets them apart

HCEMM is one of a small number of H2020 Teaming centres that successfully moved from Phase 1 design to a fully funded Phase 2 centre of excellence (EUR 12.7M), and it is the Hungarian molecular medicine institute formally tied to EMBL. For Central and Eastern European partners, it offers EMBL-grade scientific governance locally; for Western European groups, it offers a credible Hungarian anchor for translational medicine projects. The asset is the institute itself, not a single lab.

Highlights from their portfolio

• HCEMM
  EUR 12.7M Teaming Phase 2 project that actually established the centre — one of the largest Widening Participation awards to Hungary and the backbone of the organization's existence.
• HU-MOLMEDEX
  Teaming Phase 1 CSA that designed the centre — a rare example of an org whose entire H2020 footprint is the two-phase journey from blueprint to operational institute.