Country Profile RO

8/6/2019 Country Profile RO

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ERAWATCH Research Inventory ReportFor:

ROMANIA

This document presents information publ ished in the

Research Inventory of the ERAWATCH website.ERAWATCH provides timely and comprehensiveinformation on national and regional research policies,s t ructures, support measures and organisat ions.ERAWATCH is a being conducted on behalf of DG Researchof the European Commission by DG Joint Research Centre- the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies. Theinformation is mainly collected by the ERAWATCH

Network.

For any further information seeht tp : / /cord is .europa .eu/e rawatch

Contents :

Overview

Research PolicyImportant pol icy documentsImpact of EU developmentsRegional research policiesStructure of the research systemMain research policy making mechanismsResearch Funding systemImportant suppor t measuresResearch performersKey research indicators

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

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Relevance of research policy

The Relative Importance of Research Policy

R&D and innovation policies have been recognised as a key driver ofeconomic revival and international competitiveness, and have been included

as dist inct themes in al l the government programmes after 1989. They aredesigned and implemented by the minis try in charge with R&D andinnovation, currently the Ministry of Education, Research and Innovationandits National Agency for Scientific Research (NASR), in collaboration withother ministries involved in R&D activities.

The current 2009-2013 Government programmespecifies the fol lowingobjectives in the RDI area:

1. Sustaining the scientific areas with the highest performance potential;

2. Increasing the number of internationally competitive researchers;

3. Increasing the attractiveness of scientific careers and promoting youngresearchers;4. Encouraging partnerships and the comeback of the Romanian scientificdiaspora;

5. Improving the functionality of the RDI system;6. Better integration of scientific research into the economy and society;7. Increasing institutional and personal capacity of researchers to attractinternational funds, public and private;

8. Communication of science results to society.

In addition, R&D and innovation policies have also been included in othergovernment programmes, such as:

t h ePre-Accession Economic Programme, which is the precursor of theconvergence and stability programmes used by EU Member States toparticipate in the coordination procedures of economic policies withinthe Union;

the 2005-2009 National Export Strategywhich specifies the need tobridge technology and competi t iveness gaps, producing high

value-added exports by development of R&D and innovation activitiesin enterprises, and enhancing presence on global markets;

t h e "Industrial Policy of Romania until 2008", which emphasise therole of RDI in increasing the competitiveness of Romanian industry;

the National Reform Plan for implementing the Lisbon Strategy,whichincludes RDI policies on the theme of "Knowledge andInnovation", among the micro-economic priorities for improvingeconomic competitiveness and productivity;

the 2007-2013 Sectoral Operational Programme "Increasing EconomicCompetitiveness (SOP-IEC),whichincludes RDI policies under PriorityAxis 2: Research, Technological Development and Innovation forcompetitiveness. The specific objectives of this programme are tost imulate universi ty-industry-R&D inst i tut ions partnerships,investments in the RDI infrastructure and access of enterprises,

European Communit ies, 2010.Reproduction of ERAWATCH is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.h t tp : / / cord i s .europa .eu /erawatch /

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ERAWATCH Research Inventory Report: ROMANIA


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especially SMEs, to RDI activities.

At the interministerial level, research policy is discussed within the NationalCouncil for Science and Technology Policy, which is the government'shigh-level policy coordination body. It is chaired by the prime minister, andincludes: the Minister of Education, Research and Innovationand the

Chairman of the National Authority for Scientific Research, the Ministers ofEconomy , Agriculture, Forestsand Rural Development, Comm unications andInformation Society,and the President of the Romanian Academy. The mainmission of the Council is to establish the priorities and legislative frameworkfor the implementation of the National Strategy for R&D and Innovation, i nline with the objectives and sectoral strategies of the governmentprogramme, and in consultation with key stakeholders (local and centralpublic administration bodies, Romanian Academy, higher educationorganisations, R&D institutes, economic agents, employers' federations andlabour unions, etc).

Research expenditure is planned to increase to up to 1% of the GDP until2010. Research policy plans and intentions have traditionally had relativedifficulty in finding their way through the political-administrative systems.However, recent years have seen some notable improvements in NASR'shorizontal collaborat ion with other government ministries/agencies, localadministrat ion and regional authori t ies , mainly in the context of preparat ionsfor the EU accession, and, after 1 January 2007, of the implementation ofStructural Funds. Several examples illustrate this trend:

part icipation in 2005-2006, alongside other economic ministries , in theInter-ministerial Council for Industrial Policy, which elaborated the

Document and Action Plan for the 2005-2008 In dustrial Policy ofRomania;

contribution to the elaborat ion of 2005-2009 National Export Strategy(RDI section) and the 2007-2013National Development Plan,coordinated by the Ministry of Economy and Finance;

part icipation as Intermediate Body in the implementat ion of theSectoral Operational Programme "Increasing Economic Competitiveness"(SOP-IEC) (Priority Axis 2Research, Technological Development andInnovation for Competitiveness), next to the Ministry of Economy andFinance as Management Authori ty, and other inst i tut ions designated asIntermediate Bodies.

These developments contributed to improving the communication betweeninnovation stakeholders and allowed for greater e mphasis on RDI policies insectoral industrial policies and regional development strategies. Anexpression of the increasing recognition of innovation as a key driver ofeconomic development is the November 2007 Excellence Awardgranted bythe Romanian Chamber of Commerce a nd Industries to the NationalAuthority for Scientific Research for the support given to increasing thecompeti t iveness of Romanian products and services through R&D andinnovation.

Last update date: 0 2 / 0 8 / 2 0 0 9

Name of correspondent: Liana Marina Ranga


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Relevance of research policy

Recent political events relevant to research policy

There have been no recent political events with major influence on researchpolicy.

Last update date: 0 2 / 0 8 / 2 0 0 9Name of correspondent: Liana Marina Ranga


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Policy goals and priorities

Key Research policy focus

R&D policies and the associated policy instruments in Romania can beconsidered to be in a process of transition from a broadlygeneric focus,

mainly manifested in the structure of the 1999-2006 National RDIPlan andotherprogrammes that complemented thePlan, to a morethem atic focus,illustrated bythe current 2007-2013 National RDIPlan.

For example, the 1999-2006 National RDI Plan was structured in 14programmes addressing priority areas in the broader sense (e.g. RELANSINProgramme for economic revival through research and innovation, CERESProgramme for basic and socio-economic research, MENER Programme forenvironment, energy and resources, AGRAL Programme for agriculture andfood, CALIST Programme for quality and standards, etc). The 2007-2013National RDI Strategy reduces the number of na tional priority areas to nine

(ICT, energy, environment, health, agriculture and food, biotechnologies,innovative materials , processes and goods, space and securi ty, andsocio-economic and humanistic research), and identifies six specific themes,similar to the EU FP7: People, Capacities, Ideas, Partnerships in prioritydomains, Innovation and Sustaining institutional performance.

The2007-2013National RDI Plan is complemented by other programmesthat reflect amix of generic and thematic approaches, such as:

t he "Excellence Research" Programme, launched in May 2005 with thepurpose of supporting the collaboration between R&D units, universitie s

and firms for improving research quality in Romania, and facilitatingintegration in the European Research Area. The programme includesfour modules: 1. "Complex R&D Projects"; 2. "Human resourc esdevelopment for training, mobility of researchers and increasingattractiveness of research careers"; 3. "Support of participation inEuropean and international research programmes"; and 4. "Developmentof infrastructure for quality assessment and certification".

t he Core Programmes, proposed by national R&D inst i tutes and/orpublic research inst i tut ions to support specific medium- and long-termRDI strategies for the sectoral development of the respectiveinstitutions. They are validated by the ministries coordinating therespective National R&D institutes, then approved and funded by NASRwith amounts between 20% and 60% of the R&D income of the applicantinstitution realised in the year prior to theapplication;

t he Sectoral R&D Programmes, initiated by NASR, and coordinated byNASR and other ministries with responsibilities in the respectivesectors. For instance, the Sectoral R&D Plan coordinated by NASR hasthe objective of strengthening NASR' s capacity to elaborate, implementand evaluate RDI policies, strategies and progr ammes, and to developinstruments for their planning and monitoring;

t he INFRATECHProgramme, initiated and coordinated by NASR with

the purpose to develop the innovation infrastructure in the country.


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Policy goals and priorities(Main aims of research policy)

The main institution with research policy r esponsibilities is theNationalAuthority for Scientific Research (NASR), which has traditionally designedR&D policies in a combined approach with innovation policies, as exemplifiedby the 1999-2006 National RDI Plan. The differentiation between the twobecame clearer in the current 2007-2013 National RDIStrategy, whichseesinnovation as "an outcome, of which research can be one of the sources, next toother factors, such as experience, communication, marketing, etc. Therefore, acoherent innovation policy needs national horizontal coordination. The RDI

Strategy sustains innovation that includes a research component, and aims forcomplementarities with the Structural Funds allocated for innovation, in orderto articulate a national innovation system as part of the knowledge-basedsociety". This vision is reflected by the current 2007-2013 National RDIPlan -the implementat ion instrument of the Strategy. Other programmes managed by NASR in paral lel with the 2007-2013National RDIPlan also reflect the increasing differentiation betwen R&D andinnovation. For example,some programmes have aclear focus on R&D, suchas the "Research of Excellence" Programme,the Programme for scientificresearch grants , Core research programmes and Sectoral R&Dprogrammes,whileotherprogrammes have aa clear focus on innovation, such as theINFRATYECHprogramme. Although NASR's RDI policies are equally addressing public R&D community(i.e. national R&D institutes, public R&D institutes, academic research groups)and private business firms with R&D capabilities, their impact is muchstronger in the public R&D community than in private business firms,because of the relatively weak R&D potential of business firms andmismatches in the supply and demand of R&D between the public and thebusiness sector. This situation explains the current RDI policy goals, whichinclude:

the development of the national RDI system and strengthening i ts

capacity to create, transfer and use knowledge;fostering RDI activities and services in all socio-economic sectors, andincreasing their demand for RDI;support ing the provision of special ised human resources for RDIactivities and services;improving the innovation climate and the capacity of business firms,especially SMEs, to absorb, diffuse and generate innovation;stimulating local and regional technological development andinnovation potential, and the international collaboration in these areas.

These goals are part of NASR's objective to consolidate the "RomanianResea rch Ar ea", which is expected to smoothen integrat ion into the EuropeanResearch Area. Within this process, the most significant action lines include:


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increasing the quality of R&D activities, through an increase of publicR&D expenditure to 1%of the GDP by 2010, restructuring of R&D units,improvements in planning, funding, monitoring and evaluationmechanisms, improving the number and quality of R&D personnel,researchers ' mobil i ty schemes, and at tract ing young researchers,creation of centres and networks of excellence;

increasing the participation of Romanian researchers in internationalprogrammes, especially in EU RTDI initiatives such as ERA and FP7, tostimulate transnational learning and better access to EU funding;fostering industry-universi ty-R&D inst i tut ions partnerships and theinvolvement of the private sector in R&D activities, for accelerating theprocess of technology transfer to industry and the increase of the R&Dcapacity of domestic firms.

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Research policy

Main instruments of research policy

The main instruments to support research in Romania are both dire ct andindirect, with a heavy reliance on the former and a poor development of the

latter, which have, however, become a priority in the recent policy documents.Both types will be briefly discussed below:

A. Direct instruments

The main funding instruments currently used by the National Authori ty forScientific Research(NASR)forsupporting R&Dpolicyare:

The 2007-2013 National Plan for R&Dand Innovation(launched inMay 2007). This is the most important funding instrument of NASR, bothpolicy- and budget-wise, and has the largest budget of all current

programmes. It is organised in six programmes, similarly to the EU FP7:1. Human Resources (accounts for 9% of the total budget); 2. Capacities(13.5%); 3. Ideas (18%); 4. Partnerships (36%); 5. Innovation (13.5%) and 6.Sustaining the institutional performance (10%). The first call for

proposals for all programmes was issued in June 2007. Participation inthe programme is competition-based;

Core Programmes, launched in 2003 as complementary measures tothe 1999-2006 National RDI Plan. They are defined by the national RDIinst i tutes on an annual or mult i-annual basis to provide furtherinstitutional support to their own R&D activities a nd developmentstrategies, withfunding of up to 60% of the institution's R&D

expenditure in the previous year. The Core R&D Programmes arevalidated by the ministries which coordinate the respective institutes,and are approved and financed by NASR. In 2009NASR providesfunding for 46Core programmes ini t iated and developed by nationalR&D institutes;

Sectoral R&DPlans , launched at the end of 2003, also as complementsto the 1999-2006 National RDI Plan, supporting sectoral technologicaldevelopment. These programmes are financed by the coordinatingministries of the respective areas, including NASR, Ministry of Economy,Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development, Ministry ofEnvironment.NASR is the most advanced in this process, having createdthe legal and operat ional framework for the implementat ion of i tsSectoral R&D Programme.The Ministry of Economy launched its R&Dsectoral plan in 2007 covering the period 2007-2009. The Plan focuseson specific issues to increase the competitiveness of industrialsectors.The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology(MCIT) finalised its R&D sectoral plan in 2007 for the period 2008-2010.The Plan includes two programmes in specific areas:R&D forCommunications (development of communications networks andservices, including the digital system) andR&D for informationtechnology (information architectures and solutions for

e-Government); The "Research of Excellence" Programme, introduced in 2005 tosupport the formation of excellence poles through research consort ia,


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development of human resources and infrastructures for R&D and theparticipation of Romanian RDI units in international programmes andnetworks;

IMPACTProgramme, launched in July 2006 and planned to beoperational until 2010, providing support to RDI projects related to thePriority Axis "Increasing Economic Competitiveness through R&D and

Innovation" of the 2007-2013 National Development Plan; INFRATECHProgramme, ini t iated in 2004 as the main instrument by

which NASR sustains the development of the innov ation and technologytransfer (ITT) infrastructure in the country. It consists of twosub-programmes: (i) Sub-programme for the development oftechnology transfer centres, technology information centres, industrialliaison offices, etc ; (ii) Sub-programme for the development of S&TParks and Technology and Business incubators.

These programmes address a broad target of R&D performers both in thepublic and the private sector (national R&D institutes, public R&Dorganisations, academic research centres, business firms with R&D activities,etc. There are no specific programmes for the private sector alone.

In addition to the NASR's R&D programmes listed above, one can alsomention two other R&D programmes coordinated by inst i tut ions other thanNASR:

National priority research projectscoordinated by the RomanianAcademy, which address complex scientific and cultural issues ofnational importance, and have a clear focus on R&D;

the Programme of scientific research grants, coordinated by the

National Council for Academic Research, which supports the formationof scientific careers, and the development of research teams based onscientific personalities.

The programmes mentioned above do not promote select ive R&D supportschemes for existing high-tech sectors/technology domains, selective R&Dsupport schemes for new sectors/ technology domains or select ive R&Dsupport schemes for low- to medium-tech sectors .

B. Indirect in strumen ts

Tax incentives in general are poorly represented at present, as only a fewremained active after 1 Januar y 2007. With regard to specific measures forR&D activities, theTax Code (Law 571/2003 revised, as entered into force on1 January 2007) introduced 100% deductibility for the following categories ofexpenditure:Law 345/1 June 2002 stipulates VAT exemption for RDIactivities related to the National RDI Plan, as well as RDI activities financed ininternational, regional and bilateral partnership.The tax regime formicro-enterprises enables them to pay ei ther the corporate tax (a flat rate of16% applied to the company's profits) or a turnover tax of 2% during

2007,2.5% during 2008 and 3% during 2009, subject to certain conditions.The income tax exemption for the salaries of softwar e creators is applicableprovided that the IT activities are rigorously registered, and separately


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carried out, and the software creators are highly educated in IT, and hired assoftware engineers, system designers, system engineers or analysts. Thereare also tax incentives for the establishment and development of anindustrial park. Companies organising training for up to 20% of employeesmay be part ial ly reimbursed for t raining expenses for a maximum of onetraining programme per year. However, only specialist training companies

may provide such services, according to the norms of the Ministry of Labour.The introduction of new tax incentives is stipulated in recent policydocuments, in order to reach the 2% of GDP level from private funds foreseenby the 3% Barcelona target. The 2007-2010 National Strategy on RDIpromotes the introduction of fiscal incentives for joint projects betwee n R&Dinstitutes, universities (tax reduction by deduction of R&D expenditures, andthrough the expenses depreciat ion regime) and the creat ion of a risk capitalfund. The 2007-2010 National Reform Plan st ipulates the creat ion in2008-2009 of a Risk Capital Fund for innovative SMEs and start-ups. TheSectoral Operational Programme "Increasing Economic Competitiveness"(SOP-IEC) specifies in its Priority Axis 1 "Innovative production systems" the

creation of venture capital and risk capital funds that wil l be implementedwith JEREMIE (Joint European Resources for Micro to Medium Enterprises)assistance.

Costs related to the management of information systems;

Costs for the introduction, maintenance and improvement of qualitymanagement sys tems;

Costs for marketing, marke t study, promotion of existing or newmarket s ;

Participation in trade fairs and exhibitions;

Costs related to environmental protection and conservation;

The Tax Code also introduced flexible options for depreciation of thefollowing categories of expenditure:

Purchase of patents, copyrights, l icenses, trademarks or trade;

Manufacturing and other similar development expenses (purchase oftechnological equipment, machinery, tools, computers and peripherals);

Non-taxable revenues of patent owners for 5 years from the firstapplication.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Economy, NASR currently promotes adraft law for the introduction of tax incentives, aimed to encourage the R&Dactivities of economic units. The draftlaw stipulates an increase of thedeductibility of R&D expenditure from the current 100% to 120% at thecalculation of taxable amounts for those units whose own R&D activitiesaccount for at least 15% of their total yearly expenditure.

In addition,

The analysis of current policy mix described above suggests that it continuesto be primari ly oriented towards direct ins t ruments , but a t rend towards the


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development of new indirect instruments, such as tax incentives, is observedin the new policy documents adopted in 2007 as a response to the LisbonStrategy (the new 2007-2010 National RDI Plan, the 2007-2010 NationalReform Plan and the Sectoral Operational Programme "Increasing EconomicCompetitiveness" (SOP-IEC). The current policy mix can thus be considered tobe a result of conscious and coordinated targeting of policy strategies and

logic of intervention towards the business sector, in order to correct some ofthe main weaknesses of the Romanian RDI system wea k linkages with thebusiness sector, low R&D capacity of firms and low numbers of innovativeSMEs.

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Main instruments of research policy

Public-private collaboration

Strengthening public-private collaboration is recognised as a priority ofRomanian R&D policy. The 2007-2013 National RDIStrategy encourages theinvolvement of the private sector in RDI activities, with a view to increasingthe capacity for innovation, technological development and industrialup-take of research results . In part icular, i t encourages the development ofpublic-private partnerships in S&T by establishing centres of competence,technology platforms, scientific parks and specialised interfaces between theRDI demand and supply. It also proposes a simplified access of innovativeenterprises to the RDI financing schemes directed towards co-financing andsupport to their cooperation with research in universitie s and public R&D

insti tutes.The main mechanisms to promote public-private partnerships are:

The 2007-2013 National RDIPlan, through its"Partnerships"programme, coordinated by theThe programme supports RDI projectsclassified by thematic direct ions and themes, and research networksbetween RDI entities, consortia, companies, local or central publicadministration units, in partnership with RDI entities;

t he "Research of Excellence" Programme, managed by NASR,stimulates the collaboration between R&D institutions, universities andfirms in order to improve the quality of the Romanian RDI system, alignit to the EU standards and facilitate partnerships with internationalresearch and technology consortia, with a view to effective integrationinto the ERA and participation in FP7. It supports the formation ofexcellence poles, development of human resources and infrastructuresfor R&D and the participation of Romanian RDI units in internationalprogrammes and networks;

National Technology Platforms launched by NASRin 2005 with aview tothe joint development of s trategic agendas for medium- andlong-term research between public and private inst i tut ions, andintegration into the European technology platforms. At pr esent, NASR

moni to rs 21 national technology platforms, in domains such as:alternative energy sources, including hydrogen and fuel cells, plants,genomics and biotechnology, water management, future manufacturing,


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nanoelectronics, nanomedicine, innovative medicines, sustainablechemistry, mari t ime transport , aeronautics. The 21 platforms are basedon the active participation of 45 public R&D institutions, and 40 privatesector organisat ions.Most of the platforms have already established theworking groups for formulat ing the common research agendas ( 'mirrorgroups ') , and nominated their representat ives for the similar European

plat forms.

A special ised structure for the management of public-private partnershipswas created in 2001 the Agency for Qualifications in Higher Educationand Partnerships with the Socio-Economic Environment (ACPART),whichpromotes the partnerships between universi t ies and the business sectorthrough a dedicated division in its structure. ACPART initiated twoprogrammes in this respect: "Partners for Excellence"(in 2004) and"University in Society" (UNISO)(in 2002), which aims to promote the dialoguebetween universi t ies and business firms, and build long-term relat ionshipsbetween them in a multicultural context.

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Related policies in other domains

Fiscal Policies

Fiscal facilities for RDI activities in the Romanian tax system are very limited, but include:

VAT exemption for RDI activities performed in relation to the programmes,

sub-programmes and projects of the National RDI Plan;local tax exemption for RDI activities of Industrial and S&T Parks .

In addition, there are a number of incentives currently applied to Industrial Parks:

exemption from land-related taxes , when changing the destination of land related tothe industrial park, or for its removal from the agricult ural circuit;

tax reduction may be approved by the local public adminis trat ion for the land andbuildings destined for the use of the industr ial park;

other incentives that may be granted by local public administration in accordance withthe law.

Risk capital is not significantl y present on the Romanian market, and consists of only a fe wgeneral investment funds, which provide relatively low levels of funding, usually obtainedfrom foreign funds, which makes the market very dependent on the country 's perception byforeign investors. Regional risk capital funds have become much more active than nationalones, especially for high value transactions, because competit ion is less intensive at thislevel , but none of them can compete with banks, as they are not prepared to provide fundingfor long-term development. Currently, there are 10 r isk capital funds on the Romanianmarket, but only one of them (Romanian American Enterprise Fund RAEF) offers fundingfor SMEs. In addition, granting of risk capital is conditioned by a mi nimum funding providedby the firm, which can be a significant obstacle for SMEs.

The development of a National Risk Capital Fund for R&D and Innovation, initially based onstate capital and further developed with private funds has been included in the 2 0 0 5 - 2 0 0 8

Government Programme(Chapter 6 R&D and innovation) as a priority for stimulating theintensity and quality of RDI, but no significant measures in this sense have been adopted sofar .

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Human Resource Policies

Several measures adopted by the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth c an bementioned here as having a s ignif icant impact on providing human resources for research:

1. Law 288/2004 establishes the new structure of the higher education system in Romaniaaccording to the Bologna Agreement, and introduces the three cycles of academic education(1 academic diploma, 2 master 's program me, 3 doctoral programme). The last twocycles include scientific research activities.

2. Law 287/24 June 2004 regarding the creation of Consortiaof universities and R&Dinstitutions, whichpromote joint education (Master programmes) and research (PhDprogrammes) for consortium members , identify excellence research domains and providelogistical and financial support to consortium research centres. The law facilitates themobili ty of academic s taff within the consortium, supports the development of joint nationaland European programmes and scientific associations, etc.

3. Order 3861/13 April 2005 of the Minister of Education and Research regarding thecreation of postdoctoral research programmes starting with the academic year2 0 0 5 - 2 0 0 6 . These are advanced two-year research programmes funded by MERY through


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grants f rom the Research of Excellence Programme. The programme comes to f i l l animportant gap in the education and research system in Romania, as univers i t ies and researchinsti tutions had not developed postdoctoral programmes prior to this policy measure.Therefore, the programme aims to at tract young PhDs, increase the attractiveness of scientific careers to young PhDs in the country and abroad, and encourage the return to thecountry of young PhDs currently working abroad.

4. A grant system for young doctoral students or young researchers (under 35 years)introduced in 2000, followed in 2002 by a new type ofgrant for young doctoral students inthe final stage of their research .

5 . Currently, there are several international collaboration agreements that give youngresearchers and doctoral s tudents the opportunity to part icipate in training s tages in EUcountries, US and Japan.

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Interaction between Innovation and Research Policies

R&D and Innovation policies have been traditionally addressed in a combined approach bythe ministry in charge with R&D and innovation (currently the Ministry of Education,Research and Youth and its National Authority for Scientific Research). The 1999-2006National RDI Plan is illustrative of this approach. The differentiation between R&D andinnovation has become more vis ible in subsequent programmes, that address ei ther the R&Ddimension (e.g. the Research of Excellence Programme, the Programme for ScientificResearch Grants, the Core Research Programmes and the Sectoral R&D Plans) or theinnovation dimension (e.g. the INFRATECH Programmeor the National TechnologicalP la t forms.

Other programmes with a s tronger focus on innovation with a potential posit ive impact onresearch are managed by agencies other than the National A uthority for Scientific Research:

the programmes of the National Agency for Higher Education Qualifications andPartnership between Universities and EconomicSocial Environment (ACPART): "Partnersfor Excellence" Programme for facilitating Science-Industry contacts and joint projectsand "UNISO Universities for Society" Programme for fostering regionalunivers i ty-industry l inkages and increase public awareness on the role of entrepreneurial universities in society;

the multi-annual programmes for SMEs of the Ministry for SMEs, Trade, Tourism andLiberal Professions;

the "Industrial and Software Parks Programme" of the Ministry of PublicAdminis trat ion and Home Affairs (2002-2005 ), aimed at improving the regional

infrastructure by encouraging economic diversification and private initiatives.

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Other Policies

As described in section 1.1, the major player in R&D policy-making is the Ministry ofEducation, Research and Youth, through the National Authority of Scientific Research (NASR),which is the only government agency in charge of the formulation and implementation of

research policies. NASR collaborates with other ministries involved in R&D activities, most ofthis involvement ar is ing from the coordination exerted by some minis tr ies on some nationalR&D institutes, e.g. the Ministry of Economy and Finance coordinates eight National R&Dinstitutes, the Ministry of Transport three, the Ministry of Communication and Information


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Technology two, the Ministry of Labour, Family and Equal Opportunities two, the Ministryof Public Health two, the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development three, theMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development six (Source: NASR, December 2006).

Some important aspects of this coordinating role are related to the financing by therespective ministries of the Sectoral R&D Programmes proposed by some national R&Dinstitutes for the technological development of the respective sectors, or to the validation bythe respective ministries of the Core Research Programmes developed by some national R&Dinsti tutes in order to support their specif ic medium- and long-terms s trategies . In the lat tercase, af ter validation by the respective minis tr ies , the programmes are approved and fundedby NASR, with max. 60% of the R&D income of the institute realised in the year prior to theapplication (see all the Core R&D programmes funded by NASR in 2007 at h t t p:/ /www.mct.ro/ancs_web/index.php?action=viewart&artid=1037&idcat=229&sub=&ssub=) .

Other forms of interaction between NASR and these ministries include participation in theNational Council for S&T Policy, in the management of some Sectoral OperationalProgrammes, such as the Programme for Increasing Economic Competitiveness (where theManagement Authority is the Ministry of Economy and Finance), or consultations in theprocess of elaboration of sectoral strategies regarding the role of R&D in the respectivesectors (e.g. IT, energy, environment).

The R&D activities of these ministries remain, however, very limited, as they have verylimited R&D budgets, e.g. the Ministry of Economy and Finance 3.94% of the total publicfunding for R&D, Ministry of Defence 2.84%, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 2.69%, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development 0.99%. other ministries 0.39% (NASR, 2006).

Another agency with R&D activities is the Romanian Space Agency (ROSA), which is thenational coordinating body of space activities. ROSA is an independent public insti tutionunder the auspices of MERY, and has the mission to promote and coordinate national effortsin the space area, and promote international cooperation. In particular, ROSA is authorisedto establish R&D centres oriented towards specific objectives of the Romanian SpaceProgramme and to develop its own R&D projects. One of the ROSA s main responsibilities is

to coordinate and integrate the act ivities of the National Space Research Programme, whe re itcoordinates projects on basic space science, space structures, technologies, microgravity,communications, information, education, Earth observation and remote sensing applications,life sciences and medicine. In 2001, ROSA became the contracting authority for the NationalAeronautics and Space Programme, and since2004, ROSA has been the executive presidentof the Inter-ministerial Group for Security Research.

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Policy mixes to stimulate research

The degree of coordination between research policy and other policies has increased in therecent years mainly in the context of prepara tions for EU accession, and, after 1 January2007, in relation to the implementation of Structural Funds. For instance, R&D policies havebeen included in the Document and Action Plan for the 2005-2008 Industrial Policy ofRomania, the 2005-2009 National Export Strategy (RDI section) and the 2007-2013NationalDevelopment Plan, coordinated by the Ministry of Economy. The Sectoral OperationalProgramme "Increasing Economic Competitiveness" (SOP-IEC), managed by the Ministry ofEconomy, includes an R&D component in Priority Axis 2Research, TechnologicalDevelopment and Innovation for Competitiveness.

This was a much-needed improvement, reducing to some extent some weaknesses of t heinnovation governance system, such as fragmented communication between innovation

stakeholders and poor correlation between RDI policies, industrial and regional policies. Atthe same time, it allowed for greater emphasis on RDI policies in sectoral industrial policiesand regional development strategies, and led to an increased recognition of innovation as akey driver of economic development.


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http://www.mct.ro/ancs_web/index.php?action=viewart&artid=1037&idcat=229&sub=&ssubhttp://www.mct.ro/ancs_web/index.php?action=viewart&artid=1037&idcat=229&sub=&ssubhttp://www.rosa.ro/http://web.rosa.ro/english/general/management/eHG923_95.htmhttp://portal.rosa.ro/index.php?category_id=3http://portal.rosa.ro/index.php?category_id=3http://portal.rosa.ro/index.php?category_id=3http://portal.rosa.ro/index.php?category_id=3http://web.rosa.ro/english/general/management/eHG923_95.htmhttp://www.rosa.ro/http://www.mct.ro/ancs_web/index.php?action=viewart&artid=1037&idcat=229&sub=&ssubhttp://www.mct.ro/ancs_web/index.php?action=viewart&artid=1037&idcat=229&sub=&ssub


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The European Commission Policy Mix Web Portal

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http://rid.intrasoft-intl.com/PolicyMix/index.cfmhttp://rid.intrasoft-intl.com/PolicyMix/index.cfm


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ROMANIA - Important policy documents

Title of document Date Organisation responsible Type of Document

2007-2010 NationalReform Plan

20 07 -1 1- 07 Government of Romania,Department of EuropeanAffairs / Government of

Romania, Department ofEuropean Affairs

Strategy document

Government Decision1449/17 November2005 regarding thefunctioning of theNational Authority forScientific Research

200 5- 12 -07 Government of Romania /Government of Romania

Government Decision

2007-2013 SectoralOperationalProgramme 'IncreasingEconomic

Competitiveness'(SOP-IEC)

20 07 -0 2- 27 Government of Romania,Ministry of Economy andFinance / Government ofRomania, Ministry of

Economy and Finance

Structural OperationalProgramme for theimplementation of the2007-2013 National

Development Plan. Approvedby the RomanianGovernment on 27 February2007 and by the EuropeanCommission on 12 July2007.

National Strategy forResearch, Developmentand Innovation2007-2013

20 07 -0 3- 29 Government of Romania,Ministry of Education,Research and Youth -National Authority forScientific Research /Government of Romania,

Ministry of Education,Research and Youth -National Authority forScientific Research

Strategy

Law 324/8 July 2003for approving GO57/2002 regardingscientific research andtechnologicaldevelopment

20 03 -0 7- 16 Parliament of Romania /Parliament of Romania

Law

European Communities, 2010.Reproduction of ERAWATCH is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.h t tp : / / co rd i s . eu ropa . eu /e r awa tch /

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Impact of EU developments

Overview

The links between Romanian RDI policy and European research policy aresignificant, and are manifested in various ways, from policy-making thro ugh

policy-implementation and evaluation, as well as participation in various EUinitiatives. The 2007-2013 National RDI Strategy and its implementinginstrument, the 2007-2013 National RDI Plan reflect the effort to definenational research priorities in line with European priorities. Romania is alsoinvolved in other European initiatives, such as COST and EUREKA, which areseen as important channels for bui lding par tnerships that can be fur therdeveloped under the European Framework programmes.

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European Communities, 2010.Reproduction of ERAWATCH is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.h t tp : / / co rd i s . eu ropa . eu /e r awa tch /

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Towards ERA and Lisbon

Towards European Research Area

The integration of the Romanian S&T community into the ERA is seen as a major strategic policyoption, which is largely welcomed in the country. Several action lines have been adopted by NASR inthis respect:

correlation of thematic priorities of national R&D programmes with those of the EU FrameworkProgrammes (e.g. the 2007-2013 National RDI Plan has a quasi-identical structure as FP7, beingstructured in the same main components 'People' , 'Capacities ' , ' Ideas' , 'Priority partnerships' ,'Innovation');ensuring the legal, insti tutional and financial support for participation in EU RDI programmes(e.g. the Framework Programmes, COST, EUREKA);development of the infrastructure for information, assis tance and promotion of participation inERA (National Contact Points network and associated information and assistance services,Romanian Office for Science and Technology by the European Union);intensifying collaboration with researchers from EU Member States and other CandidateCountries , and strengthening R&D cooperation with inter-governmental s tructures such as CERN,ESA, ESFRI (Romania currently participates in 9 of the 36 ESFRI projects), and other internationalorganisations(e.g. UNESCO, etc.).

Romania was one of the firs t EUMember States thatadopted the legal framework for implementingt heScientific Visa, by transposing the EUdirective 2005/71/CE into the national legislation.Thedirective refers to the specific procedure for admitt ing into the country third country cit izensundertaking scientific activit ies for periods longer than three months.

Romania also contributed to the large-scale debate organised by the European Commission inrelation to theGreen Paper 'The Euro pean Research Area: New perspectives' EC COM (2007) 161final.NASR launched a national consultation of the S&T community, which highlighted the nationalconsensus on sustaining the priorit ies proposed by the Gr een Paper. In her posit ion as member of theCompetit iveness Council , Romania supported the creation of theEuropean Technological Institute(EIT) and promoted the participation of Romanian universit ies and research insti tutes in this project.

The country is also involved in specific ERA initiatives developed within FP7, such as:

T he ERA-Nets - Romania participated in 14 ERA-Nets, including the SEE ERA-Net projectcoordinated by Austria, whichmonitors the research programmes of South Eastern Europe. Technological Platforms and Joint Technology Initiatives (JTI), as well as other new forms ofpublic-private research partnerships. In2007-2008, Romania registered as member to 4 of theapproved six Joint Technology Initiatives:ARTEMIS (integrated informationsystems), ENIAC(nanotechnologies), IMI (innovative medicines) and CLEAN SKY (aeronautics) (NRP 2008).Romania is a founding member ofCLEANSKY, i n which it participates through a consortiumoftwo research insti tutes andtwo plane manufacturers, as well as of IMI , through the RomanianAssociation of International Medicines Manufacturers. Romania also participates in theJointTechnology Initiative for Aeronautics.Romania acknowledged her interest to participate as direct investor in the establishment of somepan-European research infrastructures and started the legal procedures to allow such

investments in 9priority projects funded through FP7. The country i s a founding member in theFAIR project ( FAcility for Ion and Antiproton Research), conductedinGermany, and inELI(Extreme Light Infrastructure), for which a possible location in Romania is being considered.

The funding for complex R&D projects in the thematic areas of FP7 and their correlation with theEuropean Technological Platforms was providedthrough the Research of Excellence (CEEX)programme, whichsupported the development of S&T partnerships among teams, insti tutions andresearch networksin Romania and similar s tructures in the European space until 2008. At present, theCapacities programme (module III) of the2007-2013 National RDIPlan provides funding for nationalparticipation in FP6, FP7, FP7 Euroatom and CERN.

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Towards ERA and Lisbon

Lisbon-strategy related activities


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In Romania, Lisbon Strategy objectives have been examined in the light of national priorities, and afirst document called "Romania's contribution to the intermediate evaluation of Lisbon Strategy"w a sissued in March 2005 both in the country and to the European Commission officials in Brussels . Thedocument was prepared by two independent organisations: Romanian Centre for Economic Policies ,and the Applied Economy Group, on an initiative of, and support from, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.The Government approved the National Reform Program (NRP)( http:/ /x.gov.ro/obiective/200705/pnr_ro_oficial_2 .pdf) in July 2007.

The Romanian NRP is based on the main s trategy documents elaborated by the Government ofRomania, and is in line with the Integrated Guidelines and the NRPs prepared by the Member States. Inthe elaboration of the Romanian NRP, the Department for European Affairs has s tarted from a detailedanalysis of the current s i tuation in the main economic and social domainsat the moment of EUaccession, andestablished the following reform priorit ies:

- Improving administrative capacity - this is a horizontal priority of major importanceforsupporting competitiveness in key fields: public policies, EU funds management, capacity of publicauthorit ies to launch public procurements , the judiciary reform.

- Improving the quality and management of governmental expenditure - a ims a t ensuring theefficiency of productive investments in the context of the implementation of some prudentmacro-economic policies .

- Improving the marketfunctioning - refers mainly to the energyand the communications markets ,including investments for the interconnection with European networks.

- Further improvement of the business environment - inc ludes the reduct ionand re-or ienta t ion of state aid, increasing the quality of the regulatory framework and facilitating the access to capital.

- Fosteringemployment and participation in the labour market - involves the adoption of measuresconducive to jobs creation, improvement of the adaptabili ty of enterprises and workers ,fosteringemployment and improvement of the quality of human resources.

- Improvement of life quality through sustainablemanagement of renewable resources and climatechange - tackles the increase of energy efficiency, the management of natural resources, bio-diversity conservation and the reduction of pollution.

The key factor in pursuing these priorit ies is the development of appropriate infrastructures, bothhuman and material . Knowledge and Innovation are included among the micro-economic priorit ies forimproving economic competit iveness and productivity (chapter 3.2 of the NRP - see details at h t tp : / /ec .europa .eu/enterpr ise /entrepreneurship/f inancing/enterpr ise_f inance_index/pdf/ romania .pdf )

.

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Impact of EU instruments

Impact of Structural Funds on Research Funding

A. The main channel for the distribution of Structural Funds to RTDIactivities is Priority Axis Two "Research, Technological Development and

Innovation for Competitiveness" of the 2007-2013 Sectoral OperationalProgramme "Increasing Economic Competitiveness" (SOP-IEC), whichsupports the innovation-based development of Romaniawith a high degreeof compatibility with and convergence to the EU.

The total funding allocated to Priority Axis Two for the programming period2007-2013 is 646,259,176, of which the community fundingis536,395,116and the national funding (from public sources only, noprivate funding) is 109,864,060. This represents a co-financing rate of 83%,provided by theEuropean Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The mainareas of intervention for Priority Axis Two funding are:

1. R&D partnerships between universities/research institutes, andenterprises for generating results directly applicable in the economy,through joint R&D projects and complex research projects fostering theparticipation of high-level international experts;

2. Invest ments in RDI infrastructure and related administrative capacity,including the development of the existing R&D infrastruct ure and thecreation of new infrastructures(laboratories, research centres), poles ofexcellence, networks of R&D centres, nationally coordinated and linked withEuropean and international networks (GRID, GEANT), strengthening

administrative capacity;

3. RDI support for enterprises, including support for h igh-tech s tar t -upsand spin-offs; development of R&D infrastructure in enterprises, andcreation of new R&D jobs, promoting innovation in enterprises.

So far,eight of the nine operations included in priority Axis Two have beenlaunched, of whichsixarealreadyclosed(see status below). For these sixoperat ions, 269 projects have been submitted and 85 have been selected forfunding. The current status of Priority Axis Twooperations is as follows:

Operation 2.1.1: R&D proj ects in partnership between univ ersities/

research institutes and enterprises: competition launched in March 2009,closed inJune 2009.

Operation 2.1.2: R&D Projects with foreign participation: competi t ionlaunched in March 2009, closed in June 2009.

Operation 2.2.1: Development of existing R&D infrastructuresand creationof newones: competition launched in July 2009, to be closed in October2009 (competition still open)

Operation 2.2.2: Development of excellence poles: competi t ion not open

yet, to be launched in 2010.Operation 2.2.3:Development ofnational R&D networkslinked toEuropean and international networks(GRID, GEANT):compet i t ion launched


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in June 2008, closed inAugust 2008.

Operation 2.2.4: Strengthening the administrative capacity: competi t ioonlaunched in June 2008, closed inAugust 2008.

Operation 2.3.1:Suport for innovative start-ups and spin-offs: compet i t ionlaunched in February 2008, activesince March 2008 (competition still open).

Operation 2.3.2: Development ofbusiness R&D infrastructure and creationof new R&D jobs: competition launched in July 2008,closed in September2008.

Operation 2.3.3: Promoting innovation in enterprises: competi t ion launchedinNovember 2008,closed in March 2009

In order to prepare, select and coordinate the projects to befunded throughSOP-IEC Priority Axis Two, NASRcreated in 2005 the Intermediate Body forRDIas ageneral directorate within NASR, also havingrepresentative officesin each of the eight development regions of the country (within universitiesand/or research institutes in the respective regions).On average, thestructure of funds managed by NASR, by funding source, is the following:state budget approx. 70-75%; private funds approx. 15-20%;non-reimbursable foreign funds approx. 5-10%.

Furthermore, in 2006thenational Programme IMPACTwas launched for theperiod 2006-2010 (see http: / /www.mct.ro/ index.php?action=view&idcat= 3 8 1), with the aimto identifyand create a stock ofpr ojects to be fundedbyStructural Funds. Thecentral NASRoffice of the Intermediate Body forRDIexerts the coordination of the programme.The IMPACTprogramme

works by fundingconsultancy services and in some cases specialisedtechnical assistance to helpthe bidders (which can be Romanian legalpersons, called project beneficiaries ' in the framework of the programme) inthe preparation ofapplications for SOP IEC Priority Axis Two.These service sare provided by specialised consultancy firms (called 'service providers' inthe framework of the programme) tha t have been selected by NASR on acompetition basis. The list of service providers agreed by NASR is madeavailable to project beneficiaries, so they can select the most appropriateones to their needs. Thus, the programme part icipants are both the pr ojectbeneficiaries and the service providers.

B. Themain channel for the distribution of Structural Funds to HumanResources for Research and Development is Priority Axis 1 "Education andtraining in support for growth and development of knowledge-based society"of the 2007-2013 Sectoral Operat ional ProgrammeHuman ResourcesDevelopment (SOP HRD). The overall objective of this priority Axisisthedevelopment of flexible lifelong learning pathways and increasing theaccess to education and training by delivering modern quality initia l andcontinuous education, including higher education and research. In pursuanceof these objectives, SOP HRD Priority Axis One includes the following keyareas of intervention: Thetotal budget of Priority Axis One of SOP HRDforthe programming period 2007-2103 is EUR 991,788,814, of which

EUR797,803,989 is provided by Community Funding, representing aco-financing rate of 80.44%, and EUR 193,984,825 is national public funding.


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1. Access to quality education and initial vocational education training;

2. Quality in higher education;

3. Human resources development in education and training;

4. Quality in CVT; 5. Doctoral and postdoctoral programmes in support of

research.

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Impact of EU instruments

Impact of EU framework programmes

The latest reference to Romania's participation in the EUFrameworkProgrammes is included in the October 2008 National Reform ProgrammeImplementation Report. The documentspecifies that, according to theJuly2008 stat is t ics supplied by the European Commission, Romania'spart icipat ion in FP6 andFP6-Euratom comprised541projects (some of themstill running), attracting a contribution of the European Commission ofabout57 MEUR.Thiscorrespondsto a success rateof about 13%, consideringthetotal number of submitted projects ofover 4,100. Romanian part icipationin FP6 increased compared to the previous programme FP5 (1998-2000),interms ofpart icipants , projects submitted andawarded, as well as project

budgets and EU contribution to these projects.

Romania's part icipat ion in FP7in2007-2008 consisted of 772 submittedproject applications, of which 98 projects were selected for financing,involving 119 Romanian part icipants and a contribution of the Commissionofabout 14.5 MEUR. The fields with the highest numbers ofapplicationswere:ICT(about 25% of total submitted projects) and environment (about14% oftotalsubmitted projects). The highest success rate was achieved inthe fields of research infrastructures (68.18%) and space (40.91%).

Romania is also directly involved in variousinitiatives aimed to stimulate the

development of the European Research Area (ERA), which aresupported byFP7 specific instruments. For example, Romania c urrently participates in 16ERA NET projects, launched in 2006-2008 in: environment, energy, ICT,health, biotechnologies, space, cutt ing-edge researchand socio-economicand humanistic research. By participating inthese projects, Romania ensuresboth the alignmentofnational RDI programmes in the respective fields tothose of the other Member States, and the direct connection to the EuropeanS&T priorities.

The country part icipat ion in theFramework Programmes has beensupportedby NASR on several fronts:

By ensuringRomanian representation in the EU organisations


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responsible for RDI policy-making and programme design;

By providing the national financial contribution to the FP6/FP7 budgetsand financial support for the Romanian researchers part icipat ing in theseprogrammes;

By improving the dissemination of information on the FPs and the

capacity of Romanian researchers and administration to work with EUspecific procedures, through various measures, such as:

- Extension of thenational network of national contact points at regionaland institutional level and itsspecializationon FP specific domains. Atpresent, the network of contact points for FP6/FP7 covers several fields(health, genomics and biotechnologies for health, food security andagriculture; citizens and government; science and society, science policy;SMEs; mobilities and human resources; environment; nanosciences, newmaterials and new production processes). The personnel involved consistmainly of European integration advisers, who cover a wide area of issues

connected with European integration. For example, in the ERA MOREnetwork, Romania is represented by 8 regional centres (FP6 Romob project),giving personalized support to foreign researchers in Romania. TheRomanian mobility network is functional since 2005 and covers the eightdevelopment regions with dedicated staff in universities, research institutesand chambers of industry and commerce in the main ci t ies of the country;

-Opening ofthe Romanian Office for Science and Technology (ROST) inBrussels, in March 2006, aimed to facilitate the participation of Romanianresearchers inEU programmes.The office works especially on identifyingS&T partnerships between Romanian researchers and EU counterparts, for

increasing the Romanian part icipation in EU programmes and the amount ofEU funding for research projects, as well as for the training of R&Dpersonnel for European integrat ion;

- Development of advertising, dissemination/information activities.

- Dissemination actions throughout the country, with the support of EC DGRTD. The FP7 dissemination and advertising events were targeted both to thescientific community and the business representat ives, as potential partnersin FP7 consortia. Information events were organised in research institutes,universi t ies , inst i tutes of the Romanian Academy and chambers of commerce

in the main cities of the country.The promotion of FP6 activities at nationallevel was sustained by the Specific Support Action (SSA) projects: ROINTERA,RODI, ROMNETERA, coordinated by Romanian experts. Within these projects,averages of two monthly "Info Days" have been organised, with participationof EC representatives.

The financial support for the part icipat ion in the European Frameworkprogrammes, as well as other forms of international cooperat ion is channeledthrough the Capacities Programme of the 2007-2013 National RDI Plan

(modules III and IV) (see http: / /www.mct.ro/ index.php?action=view&idcat= 2 2 8for details) as follows:


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http://www.mct.ro/index.php?action=view&idcat=228http://www.mct.ro/index.php?action=view&idcat=228http://www.mct.ro/index.php?action=view&idcat=228http://www.mct.ro/index.php?action=view&idcat=228


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Module III provides financial support for the Romanian participants in:

FP 7 and EURATOM: RTD (75% EU + max.25% NASR); DEMO (50% EU +max. 50% NASR), management, training, dissemination, etc. (100% EU). Theco-financing is made according to the state aid rules.

Bilateral co-operation programmes, NATO and CERN

Module IV provides provides financial support for the Romanian participantsin various international institutions and organizations. The eligi ble costs arerelated to travelling abroad and organizing meetings in thecountry.

The most visible impact of the European FPs on the national researc hpolicy-making and activities was the effort of Romanian RDI policy-makers

to ensure the synergy of national R&D programmes with the thematic areasand S&T domains specific to ERA. A good example in this respect is the"Research of Excellence" Programme (CEEX), launched in 2005 as a specificinstrument for the preparat ion of part icipat ion in FP7, discussed in sect ion4.2.

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Impact of EU instrumentsOther EU developments and impacts

Romania is also involved in other European initiatives, such as COST andEUREKA, which are seen as important ways to forging sustainable Europeanpartnerships that may further be continued in projects developed under theEU FPs.The latest record of Romania's participation in COST(February 2009)shows227 projects distributed in all the 9 priority actions as follows:

BMBS Biomedicine and Molecular Biosciences: 25

FA Food and Agriculture: 35FPS Forest Products and Services: 20

CMST Chemistry and Molecular Sc iences and Technologies: 24

ESSEM Earth System Science and Environmental Management: 28

MPNS Materials, Physical and Nanosciences: 27

ISCH Individuals, Society, Culture and Health: 24

ICT Information and Communication Technologies: 23

TUD Transport and Urban Development: 21

Romanian participationin EUREKA is concentrated in69projects, of which


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35 are active.

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Overview and governance

Overview

Romania is divided into eight development regions(North-East, South-East,South Muntenia, South-West Oltenia, West, North-West, Centre, Bucuresti

Ilfov), which do not have an administrative status and are only territorialunits for which regional development policies are formulated andimplemented, with a view to more efficient use of financial and humanresources. The regional governance system has been defined initially in Law151/1998, later on replaced by Law 315/2004,which specifies the regionalgovernance structures, coordination mechanisms, object ives, competencesand specific instruments for the promotion of a regional development policy.

The evolution of the regional governance over the last decade or so ischaracterised by increasing regional disparities. At the beginning of thetransition period, Romania had a low level of regional disparities compared

to the EU countries or other accession and candidate countries, but the gaphas widened in recent years, especially between the capital region(Bucharest-Ilfov) and the rest of the country. The major causes for regionaleconomic disparities include: the different localisation and volume of FDI inthe development regions; the limited access to funding of SMEs; theeducation level of the occupied population, and the availability of a highlyskilled workforce; the loss of internal and external competitiveness ofdomestic enterprises as a result of low-tech and obsolete equipment. Similardevelopments have taken place in other t ransi t ion countries, but the gapbetween the capital and the other development regions in Romania is much

higher, given the larger population and territory of the country.Inter-regional disparities have developed particular ly along a West-East axis,with the Western regions (closer to the EU markets) generally more advanced,and the most under-developed areas concentrated on the Northeas t andSouth border.

At present , the main instrument for regional development is the 2 0 0 7 - 2 0 1 3Regional Operational Programme (ROP), one of the six operat ionalprogrammes that implements the National Development Plan 2007-2013,and contributes to reducing economic development dispari t ies betweenRomania and the EU, and inter-regional disparities in the country. Among the

six priority development axes of the ROP, which are common to all Romanianregions, Axis Four: Consolidating the regional and l ocal businessenvironment can be considered to include innovation objectives, althoughnot explici t ly formulated as such, through i ts support to the development ofregional business support infrastructures, such as business incubators,industrial parks, etc. and the support to SMEs and entreprene urial initiatives(see section 5.2 for further details on the ROP).

Currently, there are no regional RDI policies, largely due to the fact thatregional policies in general are only in an incipient development stage inRomania. The existing RDI policies have been designed at national level, and

the funding provided on this basis is competi t ion-based and open to R&Dunits and economic agents from all over the country. The ex-post evaluationof some RDI programmes (e.g. the 1999-2006 National RDI Plans) showed,


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however, strong regional differences among beneficiaries of public RDIfunding, most of them being located in the Capital region Bucharest-Ilfov.Although the ROP programme has no explicit reference to RDI policies, i tsimplementation can accelerate the development of re gional RDI policies,especially considering NASR's priority to ensure better connection betweenRDI policies and the broader development strategies of the government.

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Regional research policies

Research policies and programmes

As mentioned in the previous section, at present there are no regional R&Dpolicies, as all the policies and the implementing instruments have been

designed at national level by NASR. There are, however, some implicationsfor regional R&D capacity arising from the Regional InnovationStrategiesimplemented by the regional development agencies (RDAs). Forexample, within the framework of West Region's 2005-2008 RegionalInnovation Strategy, the West RDA, together with four universities and otherRDI institutions from the West Region, created in 2006 theTehimpulsRegional Centre for Promoting Innovation and Technology Transfer, whichaims to increase the competitiveness of ente rprises in the West Region bystructuring a local market for R&D and innovation through brokerageservices. The centre provides assistance for developing innovative services

and commercialising the results, for developing collaborations betweenenterprises and R&D institutes, and increasing awareness on innovation andtechnological transfer in the region. The target group of the Centre are SMEs,large enterprises, universities, R&D and innovation units and foreigninvestors.

Another example is the Regional Institute for Education, Research andTechnology Transfer (IRECTT), created in May 2007 by the North-West RDAand 14 public authorities and local universities within the framework of theRegional Innovation Strategy REGIS-NW. Created on the model of theEuropean Institute for Technology, IRECTT aims to develop competences in

the education-R&D-innovation triangle and to bridge public authori t ies ,academia and business. The North-East Region's Innovation Strategy, called"Development of an Innovative St rategy Cont inuously Or iented toValorisation of the Economic Resources in North-East Romania" (DISCOVERNE ROMANIA)has the strategic object ive to st imulate research andinnovation policies policy-makers and facilitate the integration ofuniversities, R&D institutes, SMEs and specialised companies for SMEs'support, in regional, national and European networks of innovation.

Based on the developments described above, one can conclude that there is agrowing emphasis on regional policy and governance structures primarily

determined by the process of EU accession, and, af ter 1 January 2007, by theimplementation of Structural Funds. The RI S projects are managed by therespective RDAs, in collaboration with EU and regional/local partners, whichsuggests an intensification of RDAs' role and a possible improveme nt of theirmanagement competencies on a learning-by-doing basis . However, the localRDAs do not have specific R&D-related competences, and no direct links orimplications for R&D policy-making can be drawn from these developments.

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Research policies and programmes

Important policy documents


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The only policy document relevant at the r egional level is the 2007-2013Regional Operational Programme described in section 5.2.

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ROMANIA - Organisations

Title of organisation Shortname

Academy of Technical Sciences of Romania ASTR

Academy for Agricultural and Forestry Sciences "Gheorghe Ionescu-Sisesti" ASAS

Academy of Medical Sciences ASMRomanian Academy

National University Research Council NURC

Overview of structure

Organogram

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Overview of structure

Brief description of the structure of the research system

The R&D system is structured on several levels:

1. In Parliament, the twoCommissions for Education, Science, Youth andSport of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputiesdebate and approve draf tlaws and other legislative documents related to science, education, sport and


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