The Slovak government has reduced grants for research and development, requiring participating companies to cover more of the costs themselves. Companies receiving support for biotechnology, robotics or automation will need to provide a larger share of their own funding. According to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for the Recovery Plan and Knowledge Economy, the change will reduce state spending by €15.7 million. The office said the lower public contribution applies to companies that successfully obtain the relevant grants. Checks carried out by the same office also led to the return of more than €405,000 in public money that had been claimed improperly. The announcement did not specify the revised co-financing rates or provide a detailed breakdown of the savings. The recovered funds and lower budget concern separate parts of the government’s oversight of research grants.