Businessman Blocked from State Innovation Grants Returns with Million-Euro Support Under New Minister

Businessman Matej Michalko, whose cybersecurity projects were excluded from controversial state innovation grants, has received new funding worth over five million euros from two companies under the current administration. Michalko's projects, which include cybersecurity for the state and space communication systems, were initially rejected from innovation programs that led to the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Peter Kmec from the Hlas party last year. The Kmec scandal involved questionable selection processes for state innovation grants that sparked political controversy and forced the deputy prime minister to leave government. Despite being considered one of the riskiest projects in those problematic tender processes, Michalko's companies have now secured substantial state contracts and subsidies under the oversight of current officials. The case highlights ongoing concerns about transparency in Slovakia's distribution of state innovation funding and the selection criteria used to award public money to private technology projects.