FER, the Foundation for European Research (Hungary) is a youth-led NGO,  with young professionals and volunteers actively shaping its strategic direction and project implementation, including in board-level decision-making. FER was founded by scientists to interact on societal challenges and to support regional and international cooperation in education, science, culture and social innovation.

The goals of FER are as follows:

• To support STEAM education, i.e. demonstrate how engineering and science are embedded in our everyday lives, how important these disciplines are in describing and understanding processes, in discovering new connections and in better understanding the world around us;

• To support the cooperation between higher education institutions and industry to secure jobs

• To support children and young people’s active participation in educational, cultural, and civic activities, with a strong focus on inclusion of marginalised, rural, and socio-economically disadvantaged youth (especially Roma minority);

• To support children and young people's educational, scientific, informative, cultural, sporting and leisure activities;

• To promote science, innovation and the researcher's way of life (especially among youth);

• To support the participation of children and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and large families in programmes in line with the Foundation's objectives;

• To foster intercultural dialogue and European cooperation by connecting Hungarian youth living in and outside the country, encouraging exchange, mutual understanding and solidarity across borders.

In order to achieve its objectives, the Foundation participates in national and international programmes, conducts and supports scientific research, organises and supports events, publishes publications, organises conferences, training courses, artistic, cultural and sporting events, recreational programmes and camps. A key objective of the FER is to give young people the chance to explore the diverse opportunities in science, technology, art, engineering and maths, and to understand the processes that can influence their future in a positive way, thus contributing to their career pathways. FER addresses and attracts people regardless of the level of their scientific background, with a special focus on families, pupils and students, and notably those who do not have easy access to, and thus are less inclined to engage in STEAM fields (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics). FER ensures that all activities promote equality, non-discrimination and accessibility, particularly addressing structural barriers to participation in science and research-related careers.

FER supports the Researchers' Night in Hungary and in 2021 organized the whole event. The preparedness of the FER team is demonstrated by the wealth of experience gained in more than 9 FP7, 15 H2020 and 2 HE projects.

In 2021, our Foundation supported the organisation of the Hungarian Researchers' Night. We contributed to making the website free of charge for educational institutions, research institutes, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, museums, public libraries and NGOs nationwide. We promoted free access to research activities for young people, especially from underrepresented and disadvantaged communities.

For more information, visit the event's English and Hungarian websites.

In 2023, FER won its first Erasmus+ (KA210-SCH) project: SmartKindergarten "Interactive methods for measuring and developing the skills of pre-school children: new solutions from SmartKindergarten in disadvantaged regions". Website: https://www.okosovi.eu/

In 2024, FER won two projects, one for the Researcher's Night (funded by ProFilii foundation) and one Erasmus+ Policy Experimentation KA3 project where FER supports youth involvement in shaping inclusive education policy.

In 2025, FER launched a new initiative to promote science and research careers among young people. As part of this programme, ten schools (9 from Hungary, 1 from Slovakia) received support to actively participate in Researchers' Night and engage in science outreach activities. The initiative focused on empowering students especially from disadvantaged areas to co-create local events, explore scientific topics, and strengthen their role as active citizens through learning and collaboration.