Audit finds irregularities in Czech Culture Ministry’s library digitization grants

The Czech Supreme Audit Office (NKÚ) has found that while the Ministry of Culture has allocated funds appropriately for library digitization, it set vague goals that hindered an overall assessment of efficiency and financial prudence. The audit, covering 2017–2023, revealed that the ministry failed to track the impact of funding, evaluated applications non-transparently, and allocated grants contrary to set conditions.

The ministry spent CZK 446.7 million on digitization, benefiting institutions such as the National Library and National Technical Library. However, NKÚ found that CZK 12.7 million was awarded in violation of budget rules, exceeding the allowed funding limit. The audit also noted potential conflicts of interest in grant evaluations and a lack of oversight, with only one recipient inspection conducted in seven years.