<span style="color: #222222;">The Hungarian parliament passed a bill today enabling the takeover of research institutes by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government, which is accused by critics of seeking to control key institutions and sectors.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' The bill, approved by 131 of lawmakers in the 199-seat assembly, gives Mr Orban's nationalist, anti-migration government control of a vast network of research institutes currently run by the two-century-old Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA).</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Mr Orban's critics say that since coming to power in 2010, he has tightened his control over most key institutions in Hungary, including public media, the judiciary and the education sector. Scientists have condemned the move against research institutes as a threat to academic freedom.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Under the legislation, a new institution with board members appointed by Mr Orban will allocate funding for research. This body would also use the MTA's properties and part of its administration.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"><br />'' Mr Orban has argued that Hungary needs to boost its performance in international innovation rankings and create more economic profit from science.</span><br />