Opposition Rejects Hlas Party Proposal on Research Funding Reform

Slovakia's opposition parties have rejected a proposal from Hlas, a member of the ruling coalition, to reform the country's research funding system. The proposed changes would eliminate expert panels from the grant evaluation process and allow academic reviews alone to determine funding decisions, even for grants exceeding 200,000 euros. Hlas is a centrist party that forms part of Prime Minister Robert Fico's governing coalition alongside the social-democratic Smer-SD party. The opposition's rejection highlights ongoing tensions over how Slovakia allocates public funding for scientific research and academic projects.