Balázs Hankó just ramped up the distribution of unique innovation grants ahead of the elections.

Hankó Balázs, former minister responsible for culture and innovation, significantly increased the distribution of unique innovation grants before the elections. The National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH) planned to allocate 118.3 billion HUF this year, with a portion of 4.356 billion HUF available for ministerial decisions. Analysis shows that during election years, grant distributions peak just before elections, with 97% of decisions made before the 2022 elections and a similar trend observed for 2026. The distribution of grants has raised concerns about transparency and potential misuse for political campaigning. The Ministry of Science and Technology has promised to improve transparency in the future.