From 4th-8th February, Sustainable Finance Lab (Utrecht University) researcher Helen Toxopeus carried out fieldwork in Hungary together with Judit Boros, PhD student and part of the Central European University (CEU) NATURVATION team in Budapest. Among the interviewees were banks, NGOs, (sustainable) business networks, start-ups and government officials. The interviews gave insight into the current political, regulatory and business conditions of NBS finance in Hungary, including their interrelationship with EU-level funding. “We thank all interviewees for their time and willingness to share their perspective with us, which will lead to both policy and academic output, with societal impact (and more urban nature!) as an ultimate goal.”

The fieldtrip involved students as well. A Hungarian Bachelor student from Utrecht School of Economics, Rebeka Dévényi, joined the fieldwork as part of her bachelor thesis project and gave valuable translation (and cultural) assistance. Also, the trip involved meeting the CEU team and brainstorming with CEU master student Andrea Nyilas about relevant research on finance for urban forestry in the context of the NATURVATION project.