Audit finds shortcomings in Czech start-up funding

The Czech Industry Ministry failed to properly assess the impact of hundreds of millions of crowns spent supporting start-ups, according to the Supreme Audit Office. The ministry provided CzechInvest with CZK 914 million between 2021 and 2025 for programmes aimed at creating companies, expanding abroad and testing new technologies. Auditors found that most programmes measured the number of projects supported rather than their actual results. The ministry acknowledged shortcomings and said Industry Minister Karel Havlíček (ANO) had appointed a start-up commissioner and begun work on new legislation. Auditors also identified CZK 21 million in uneconomical spending on agency workers.