Controversies with Research and Development stimuli remain

The Ministry of Education submitted to inter-ministerial commentary procedure a draft amendment to the Act on incentives for research and development. This comes after the ministry received wide criticism for the allocation processes not being transparent enough.
Last year, the ministry allocated more than €33.4 million to 30 companies for research and development projects. However, according to the Opposition Freedom and Solidarity MP Branislav Gröhling, successful applicants include companies that have generated no revenues, do no research, are based in private dwellings and family homes and do not have functioning webpages. In reaction to this criticism, the Education Minister Martina Lubyová (Slovak National Party/SNS nominee) says that companies that reside in family houses should not be eliminated from the assessment, as that would mean discrimination. According to Lubyová, stimuli for research and development should also support start-ups that have innovative ideas, yet might reside in a family house.
The proposed amendment, which should come into force as of June 1, also includes a paragraph that the incentives will not be granted to an applicant who has not fulfilled the obligation to be registered in the Public Sector Partners Register. According to the anti-corruption watchdog Zastavme korupciu Foundation, the amendment drafted by the Ministry only hides their previous wrongdoings. They also claim that the aforementioned prerequisite has been already part of the existing law and thus should have been taken into account in the assessment process.