Semmelweis University Rector defends KinaviX state funding

Béla Merkely, the rector of Semmelweis University, has addressed allegations of conflict of interest regarding KinaviX Kft., a company owned by his son, Gergő Merkely. The company received approximately 599 million forints in state funding from the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (NKFIH) for projects linked to the university over an eighteen-month period.

Merkely defended the arrangement, stating that KinaviX is a university spinoff designed to commercialize intellectual property and innovations, calling such structures “everyday practice and goal.” He noted that while he was previously a co-owner of the company, he has since stepped down, though the university-owned Semmelweis Technology Transfer Center (TTC) Zrt. holds a stake in KinaviX. Merkely also claimed he recused himself from decisions regarding the utilization agreement between the university and the TTC to avoid conflicts.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has reviewed the funding and described one specific scientific grant as “professionally unjustifiable and problematic.” The ministry is currently investigating potential legal actions following the expert evaluation that categorized the project among “particularly problematic grants.”