Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Contents:
Overview
Research Policy
Important policy documents
Impact of EU developments
Regional research policies
Structure of the research system
Main research policy making mechanisms
Research Funding system
Important support measures
Research performers
Key research indicators
Overview
Basic characterisation of the research system
The current situation of the Romanian R&D system is closely related to the country's
economic performance, which continued to improve in recent years but slowed
down significantly since early 2009. Until late 2008, Romania developed as one of
the fastest growing economies in the region, gradually moving away from
the growth patterns of the transition years, based mainly on low-cost export,
to investment and domestic consumption as the main engines of economic growth.
Other economic drivers have been the technology upgrading primarily based on
imports and foreign direct investments, industrial downsizing and restructuring, as
well as a prudent monetary policy that reduced inflation, improved the stability of
the business environment and the functionality of the Romanian market.
The economic downturn manifested especially since early 2009 affected important
sectors of the economy and brought about significant cuts in the public funding for
R&D, with consequences that are difficult to quantify yet. For example, the
GERD level foreseen for 2009 was 0.89% of the GDP, an amount that was supposed
to continue the gradual progression from 0.41% in 2005, 0.46% in 2006, 0.5% in
2007 and 0.7% in 2008 and the subsequent increase to 1% by 2010, as part of the
government commitment to meet the 3% objective of the Lisbon Strategy.
Instead, in January 2009, the government allocated only 0.18% of the GDP to RDI
activities, accounting for only one third of the 2008 level. This measure was met
with significant protests from the scientific community so that in February 2009,
GERD was supplemented with RON 620 million (approx. EUR 148 million),
reaching approx. 0.3% of the GDP (RON 1.8 billion, approx. EUR 430 million at
an exchange rate of 1 EUR = 4.2 RON), still significantly lower than the actual 2008
level of approx. 0.5% of the GDP.
The evolution of the R&D system over the last 10 years was marked by positive
developments and gradual recovery after the strong decline of the transition
years. The dramatic drop of the GDP during 1995-2000 had a severe impact on the
R&D system, which is largely dependent on public funding (0.80% in 1995, 0.71%
in 1996, 0.58% in 1997, 0.49% in 1998, 0.40% in 1999, 0.37% in 2000). GERD as a
percentage of GDP halved over the decade 1993-2003, with the lowest level in 2000.
In this period, the government-funded share of GERD fell most steeply, but started
to recover from 2003, while the decline in industry-financed GERD was less severe,
but continued after 2000 and the first signs of recovery appeared only in 2006. New
policy initiatives and the increase in the public funding for R&D in recent years
contributed to the partial recovery of the R&D system.
The major player in research policy-making is the Ministry of Education,
Research and Innovation (MERI) through the National Authority for Scientific
Research (NASR), which has the mission to formulate and implement specific
policies for the R&D and innovation area. MERI collaborates with other ministries
involved in RDI activities, the link between them being ensured primarily by the
National R&D institutes they coordinate: Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Public
Finances, Ministry of Regional Development and Housing, Ministry of Agriculture,
Forests and Rural Development, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of
Communications and Information Society, Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure,
Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Protection, Ministry of Health, Ministry of
© European Communities, 2009.
Reproduction of ERAWATCH © is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
http://cordis.europa.eu/erawatch/
National Defence, Ministry of SMEs, Trade and Business Environment. In
addition, MERI also collaborates with a few government-subordinated agencies
that have specific functions related to R&D and innovation, such as the
National Institute for Statistics and the National Commission for Prognosis.
The main R&D performers include (Government of Romania, 2007):
a. 263 institutions of public interest: 45 national National R&D Institutes, 56
accredited public universities, 66 institutes and research centres of the Romanian
Academy (52 institutes, 14 research centres), 96 R&D institutes, centres or stations
organised as public institutions;
B. 32 accredited private universities
C. The network of specialised institutions for technology transfer and innovation
ReNITT, which included in 2007 46 specific entities (technology transfer centres,
technology information centres, technology and business incubators) as well as 4
S&T Parks located in different regions of the country.
Public R&D organisations are the most active R&D performers, while the private
sector and the higher education institutions are only marginally involved in R&D
activities. The highest share of R&D activities is conducted in applied areas: approx.
29% of R&D funding was directed to production and industrial activities.
The number of R&D personnel recorded a loss of about 10,000 researchers during
1995-2003 (about a quarter of the R&D personnel of a country with almost 23 mil.
inhabitants) (National Institute of Statistics, 2004). This was a consequence of the
lack of funding, brain drain, migration to other employment categories and the
restructuring of R&D activities during the transition period. After this dramatic
decline, the total number of R&D personnel started to rise again, reaching in 2006 a
share of 49.9 R&D personnel in 1,000 civil persons employed, of which 47.8
women. The total number of R&D personnel in 2006 was 42,220,
including 30,122 researchers and 9,341 PhDs (National Institute of Statistics,
2007). Statistical evidence (National Institute of Statistics, 2007) highlights some
notable characteristics of the total number of R&D personnel broken down by
performing sector, scientific field and age group:
The highest concentration of R&D personnel is in the enterprise sector,
followed by the government and the tertiary education sectors, with a majority
of personnel in the publicly funded R&D institutes;
The highest concentration of R&D personnel is in engineering and
technological sciences, followed at great distance by the natural and exact
sciences, and in the last positions, agricultural sciences, social sciences and
humanities. This reflects the predominantly applied character of R&D in
Romania, and the comparatively lower focus on agricultural and
socio-humanistic research;
A significant decline in the number of researchers in all age groups between
1995 and 2000, and a slight growth between 2001 and 2005, which suggests
that the declining trend in the share of researchers in the total active population
has come to an end.
The challenges for research policies and the national R&D system arise therefore
from this state of play. The 2007-2013 National RDI Strategy defines three key
objectives of the Romanian RDI system:
Overview
Main challenges for research policies
Currently, the main challenges facing R&D policies in Romania arise from the need
to ensure the convergence of national R&D policies to EU R&D orientations and
priorities in view of a smooth integration of the country into the ERA, to strengthen
the knowledge base and the economic competitiveness, and reduce the gap to the EU
Member States. The 2007-2013 National RDI Strategy defines the following key
challenges for research policy:
Overview
New research policy developments
Research – the engine for the recovery of the Romanian economy
The key role of Romanian research in the economic recovery of the country,
significantly affected by the economic downturn, was discussed at the latest meeting
of the Romanian Innovation Council (6 February 2009). The participants
emphasised the need to adopt new strategic programmes in the five priority areas of
the Romanian research, which are also supported by the Structural Funds
(environment, health, energy, agriculture and new materials), considering their
major potential for the creation of new jobs and economic growth.
The Romanian Innovation Council was created in March 2008 as a consultative
body of the National Authority for Scientific Research (NASR) with the mission to
assist NASR in the elaboration of the Innovation Strategy and to assist the
Management Authority for Scientific Research, Innovation and Technology Transfer
in the implementation of the ‘Innovation’ Programme of the 2007-2013 National
RDI Plan. The Innovation Council is composed of representatives of the Romanian
scientific and business communities, who meet quarterly or at the request of the
president of the Council. The Council functions through five working groups, in the
areas of: inventions, new products and technology transfer; patents and intellectual
property rights; information and communication technologies; development of
funding sources; elaboration of new law proposals.
The ‘Innovation Roadshow’ is an initiative of the National Authority for Scientific
Research launched at the end of August 2008 and organised as a series of
conferences, seminars and meetings between representatives of R&D institutions and
firms (especially SMEs) in all the development regions of the country. On these
occasions, the most advanced products, services and technologies (ready for
implementation/acquisition) of national and private R&D institutes, universities,
other R&D actors, are presented to the business sector and adapted to the economic
specificities of the region/county. The roadshow also presents government and EU
funding opportunities for joint projects of R&D institutions and business firms, and
organises visits to the firms that are interested in taking over/developing new
innovative products, services or technologies, or entering partnerships with R&D
units. For example, the evaluation of the roadshow held in the South-West Region in
November 2008 (based on questionnaires collected from 25 participants - 12
business people and 13 researchers) showed that most of the business people
attending the event came from private firms. All the participating firms were
involved in R&D activities and most of them were domestic. Business people were
mostly interested in such areas as: energy, nanotechnologies and nanomaterials,
environment and sustainable development, transport and civil planning. Most of the
business people considered that the research results presented in the roadshow can
be partially transferred to their firms, and almost half of them declared they would
implement such results totally or partially. The researchers attending the event
focused on making new business contacts and collecting information on the needs of
the economic agents. 96% of participants considered that the event was well
organised, had good logistics (86%) and a good agenda (96%). All participants were
of the opinion that Romanian science has the capacity to provde solutions for
increasing the competitiveness of Romanian firms (see more details on the
Innovation Roadshow on http://www.fabricadebani.ro/list.aspx?tid=7).
These goals are part of NASR's objective to consolidate the "Romanian Research
Area", which is expected to smoothen integration into the European Research Area.
Within this process, the most significant action lines include:
increasing the quality of R&D activities, through an increase of public R&D
expenditure to 1% of the GDP by 2010, restructuring of R&D units,
improvements in planning, funding, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms,
improving the number and quality of R&D personnel, researchers' mobility
schemes, and attracting young researchers, creation of centres and networks of
© European Communities, 2009.
Reproduction of ERAWATCH © is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
http://cordis.europa.eu/erawatch/
excellence;
increasing the participation of Romanian researchers in international
programmes, especially in EU RTDI initiatives such as ERA and FP7, to
stimulate transnational learning and better access to EU funding;
fostering industry-university-R&D institutions partnerships and the
involvement of the private sector in R&D activities, for accelerating the
process of technology transfer to industry and the increase of the R&D
capacity of domestic firms.
Research policy
Main instruments of research policy
The main instruments to support research in Romania are both direct and indirect,
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 Authority for Scientific
Research (NASR) for supporting R&D policy are:
The 2007-2013 National Plan for R&D and Innovation (launched in May
2007). This is the most important funding instrument of NASR, both policy-
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 in the programme is
competition-based;
Core Programmes, launched in 2003 as complementary measures to the
1999-2006 National RDI Plan. They are defined by the national RDI institutes
on an annual or multi-annual basis to provide further institutional support to
their own R&D activities and development strategies, with funding of up to
60% of the institution's R&D expenditure in the previous year. The Core R&D
Programmes are validated by the ministries which coordinate the respective
institutes, and are approved and financed by NASR. In 2009 NASR provides
funding for 46 Core programmes initiated and developed by national R&D
institutes;
Sectoral R&D Plans, launched at the end of 2003, also as complements to
the 1999-2006 National RDI Plan, supporting sectoral technological
development. These programmes are financed by the coordinating ministries
of the respective areas, including NASR, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of
Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development, Ministry of Environment. NASR
is the most advanced in this process, having created the legal and operational
framework for the implementation of its Sectoral R&D Programme.The
Ministry of Economy launched its R&D sectoral plan in 2007 covering the
period 2007-2009. The Plan focuses on specific issues to increase the
competitiveness of industrial sectors. 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 for Communications (development of communications networks
and services, including the digital system) and R&D for information
technology (information architectures and solutions for e-Government);
The "Research of Excellence" Programme, introduced in 2005 to support
the formation of excellence poles through research consortia, development of
human resources and infrastructures for R&D and the participation of
Romanian RDI units in international programmes and networks;
IMPACT Programme, launched in July 2006 and planned to be operational
until 2010, providing support to RDI projects related to the Priority Axis
© European Communities, 2009.
Reproduction of ERAWATCH © is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
http://cordis.europa.eu/erawatch/
until 2010, providing support to RDI projects related to the Priority Axis
"Increasing Economic Competitiveness through R&D and Innovation" of the
2007-2013 National Development Plan;
INFRATECH Programme, initiated in 2004 as the main instrument by
which NASR sustains the development of the innovation and technology
transfer (ITT) infrastructure in the country. It consists of two sub-programmes:
(i) Sub-programme for the development of technology transfer centres,
technology information centres, industrial liaison offices, etc ; (ii)
Sub-programme for the development of S&T Parks and Technology and
Business incubators.
These programmes address a broad target of R&D performers both in the public and
the private sector (national R&D institutes, public R&D organisations, 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 also mention two
other R&D programmes coordinated by institutions other than NASR:
National priority research projects coordinated by the Romanian
Academy, which address complex scientific and cultural issues of national
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 formation of scientific
careers, and the development of research teams based on scientific
personalities.
The programmes mentioned above do not promote selective R&D support schemes
for existing high-tech sectors/technology domains, selective R&D support schemes
for new sectors/technology domains or selective R&D support schemes for low- to
medium-tech sectors.
B. Indirect instruments
Tax incentives in general are poorly represented at present, as only a few remained
active after 1 January 2007. With regard to specific measures for R&D activities,
the Tax Code (Law 571/2003 revised, as entered into force on 1 January 2007)
introduced 100% deductibility for the following categories of expenditure:Law
345/1 June 2002 stipulates VAT exemption for RDI activities related to the National
RDI Plan, as well as RDI activities financed in international, regional and bilateral
partnership. The tax regime for micro-enterprises enables them to pay either the
corporate tax (a flat rate of 16% 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 software creators is
applicable provided that the IT activities are rigorously registered, and separately
carried out, and the software creators are highly educated in IT, and hired as software
engineers, system designers, system engineers or analysts. There are also tax
incentives for the establishment and development of an industrial park. Companies
organising training for up to 20% of employees may be partially reimbursed for
training expenses for a maximum of one training programme per year. However,
only specialist training companies may provide such services, according to the
The Tax Code also introduced flexible options for depreciation of the following
categories of expenditure:
· Purchase of patents, copyrights, licenses, trademarks or trade;
· Manufacturing and other similar development expenses (purchase of
technological equipment, machinery, tools, computers and peripherals);
· Non-taxable revenues of patent owners for 5 years from the first application.
Research policy
Related policies in other domains
Name of correspondent: Liana Marina Ranga
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.
Risk capital is not significantly present on the Romanian market, and consists of
only a few general investment funds, which provide relatively low levels of funding,
usually obtained from foreign funds, which makes the market very dependent on the
country's perception by foreign investors. Regional risk capital funds have become
much more active than national ones, especially for high value transactions, because
competition is less intensive at this level, but none of them can compete with banks,
as they are not prepared to provide funding for long-term development. Currently,
there are 10 risk capital funds on the Romanian market, but only one of them
(Romanian American Enterprise Fund – RAEF) offers funding for SMEs. In
addition, granting of risk capital is conditioned by a minimum funding provided by
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 on state capital and further developed with private funds has been included in
the 2005-2008 Government Programme (Chapter 6 – R&D and innovation) as a
priority for stimulating the intensity and quality of RDI, but no significant measures
in this sense have been adopted so far.
Last update date: 02/08/2009
Name of correspondent: Liana Marina Ranga
Related policies in other domains
Human Resource Policies
Several measures adopted by the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth can be
mentioned here as having a significant impact on providing human resources for
research:
1. Law 288/2004 establishes the new structure of the higher education system in
Romania according to the Bologna Agreement, and introduces the three cycles of
academic education (1 – academic diploma, 2 – master's programme, 3 – doctoral
programme). The last two cycles include scientific research activities.
2. Law 287/24 June 2004 regarding the creation of Consortia of universities and
R&D institutions, which promote joint education (Master programmes) and
research (PhD programmes) for consortium members, identify excellence research
domains and provide logistical and financial support to consortium research centres.
The law facilitates the mobility of academic staff within the consortium, supports the
development of joint national and European programmes and scientific associations,
etc.
Research policy
Research policy trends
The main trends in research policy are primarily determined by the need to align the
Romanian RDI system to EU standards, and to facilitate the integration in the ERA.
Therefore, several trends can be mentioned here, including:
increasing differentiation between R&D and innovation policies, with the
latter being oriented mainly towards improvement of the innovation
infrastructure and hybrid institutions at the science-industry interface (e.g.
technology transfer offices, business incubators, science parks, etc.);
improvement of transparency and public accountability, and the spread of an
evaluation culture for programmes funded from the public budget as well as
from Structural Funds;
strengthening of competitive-based funding for public research, and the
introduction of better performance criteria;
greater emphasis on support for collaborative research, public-private
partnerships and the consolidation of R&D excellence centres and networks;
introduction of new indirect funding instruments, such as tax incentives, and
risk capital funds;
consolidation of R&D personnel, especially by attracting highly skilled
young researchers. The majority of R&D personnel is in the enterprise sector,
followed by government and the tertiary education sectors, with the highest
numbers in public R&D institutes, which also have commercially oriented
activities;
participation in international R&D programmes and consortia, especially
within ERA.
Romania was one of the first EU Member States that adopted the legal framework for
implementing the Scientific Visa, by transposing the EU directive 2005/71/CE into the
national legislation. The directive refers to the specific procedure for admitting into the
country third country citizens undertaking scientific activities for periods longer than three
months.
Romania also contributed to the large-scale debate organised by the European Commission
in relation to the Green Paper 'The European Research Area: New perspectives' EC
COM (2007) 161 final. NASR launched a national consultation of the S&T community,
which highlighted the national consensus on sustaining the priorities proposed by the Green
Paper. In her position as member of the Competitiveness Council, Romania supported the
creation of the European Technological Institute (EIT) and promoted the participation of
Romanian universities and research institutes in this project.
The country is also involved in specific ERA initiatives developed within FP7, such as:
The ERA-Nets - Romania participated in 14 ERA-Nets, including the SEE ERA-Net
project coordinated by Austria, which monitors the research programmes of South
Eastern Europe.
Technological Platforms and Joint Technology Initiatives (JTI), as well as other
new forms of public-private research partnerships. In 2007-2008, Romania registered
as member to 4 of the approved six Joint Technology Initiatives: ARTEMIS
(integrated information systems), ENIAC (nanotechnologies), IMI (innovative
medicines) and CLEAN SKY (aeronautics) (NRP 2008). Romania is a founding
member of CLEAN SKY, in which it participates through a consortium of two
research institutes and two plane manufacturers, as well as of IMI , through the
Romanian Association of International Medicines Manufacturers. Romania also
participates in the Joint Technology Initiative for Aeronautics.
Romania acknowledged her interest to participate as direct investor in the
establishment of some pan-European research infrastructures and started the legal
procedures to allow such investments in 9 priority projects funded through FP7. The
country is a founding member in the FAIR project ( FAcility for Ion and
© European Communities, 2009.
Reproduction of ERAWATCH © is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
http://cordis.europa.eu/erawatch/
Antiproton Research) , conducted in Germany, and in ELI (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 the European Technological Platforms was provided through the Research of
Excellence (CEEX) programme, which supported the development of S&T partnerships
among teams, institutions and research networks in Romania and similar structures in the
European space until 2008. At present, the Capacities programme (module III) of
the 2007-2013 National RDI Plan provides funding for national participation in FP6, FP7,
FP7 Euroatom and CERN.
- Improving the market functioning - refers mainly to the energy and the communications
markets, including investments for the interconnection with European networks.
- Fostering employment and participation in the labour market - involves the adoption of
measures conducive to jobs creation, improvement of the adaptability of enterprises and
workers, fostering employment and improvement of the quality of human resources.
Impact of EU instruments
Impact of Structural Funds on Research Funding
A. The main channel for the distribution of Structural Funds to RTDI activities is
Priority Axis Two "Research, Technological Development and Innovation for
Competitiveness" of the 2007-2013 Sectoral Operational Programme "Increasing
Economic Competitiveness" (SOP-IEC), which supports the innovation-based
development of Romania with a high degree of compatibility with and convergence
to the EU.
The total funding allocated to Priority Axis Two for the programming period
2007-2013 is €646,259,176, of which the community funding is€536,395,116 and
the national funding (from public sources only, no private funding) is €109,864,060.
This represents a co-financing rate of 83%, provided by the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF). The main areas of intervention for Priority Axis Two
funding are:
1. R&D partnerships between universities/research institutes, and enterprises
for generating results directly applicable in the economy, through joint R&D
projects and complex research projects fostering the participation of high-level
international experts;
2. Investments in RDI infrastructure and related administrative capacity,
including the development of the existing R&D infrastructure and the creation of
new infrastructures(laboratories, research centres), poles of excellence, networks of
R&D centres, nationally coordinated and linked with European and international
networks (GRID, GEANT), strengthening administrative capacity;
3. RDI support for enterprises, including support for high-tech start-ups and
spin-offs; development of R&D infrastructure in enterprises, and creation of new
R&D jobs, promoting innovation in enterprises.
So far, eight of the nine operations included in priority Axis Two have been
launched, of which six are already closed (see status below). For these six
operations, 269 projects have been submitted and 85 have been selected for funding.
The current status of Priority Axis Two operations is as follows:
Operation 2.1.1: R&D projects in partnership between universities/ research
institutes and enterprises: competition launched in March 2009, closed in June
2009.
Operation 2.1.2: R&D Projects with foreign participation: competition launched
in March 2009, closed in June 2009.
Operation 2.2.1: Development of existing R&D infrastructures and creation of
new ones: competition launched in July 2009, to be closed in October 2009
(competition still open)
Operation 2.2.2: Development of excellence poles: competition not open yet, to be
launched in 2010.
Operation 2.2.3: Development of national R&D networks linked to European
and international networks (GRID, GEANT): competition launched in June 2008,
closed in August 2008.
© European Communities, 2009.
Reproduction of ERAWATCH © is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
http://cordis.europa.eu/erawatch/
The financial support for the participation in the European Framework programmes,
as well as other forms of international cooperation is channeled through the
Capacities Programme of the 2007-2013 National RDI Plan (modules III and IV)
(see http://www.mct.ro/index.php?action=view&idcat =228 for details) as follows:
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). The
co-financing is made according to the state aid rules.
· Bilateral co-operation programmes, NATO and CERN
The most visible impact of the European FPs on the national research policy-making
and activities was the effort of Romanian RDI policy-makers to ensure the synergy
of national R&D programmes with the thematic areas and S&T domains specific to
ERA. A good example in this respect is the "Research of Excellence" Programme
(CEEX), launched in 2005 as a specific instrument for the preparation of
participation in FP7, discussed in section 4.2.
Overview of structure
Organogram
1. In Parliament, the two Commissions for Education, Science, Youth and Sport of
the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies debate and approve draft laws and other
legislative documents related to science, education, sport and youth.
2. At the government level one can mention:
The National Council for Science and Technology Policy is the
government's high-level policy coordination body. It is chaired by the prime
minister, and includes: the Minister of Education, Research and Innovation and
the Chairman of the National Authority for Scientific Research, the Ministers
of Economy; Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development; Communications
and Information Society, and the President of the Romanian Academy. The
main mission of the Council is to establish the priorities and legislative
8. R&D personnel: The total number of R&D personnel in 2006 was 42,220, of
which 30,122 were researchers, including 10,339 PhDs (National Institute of
Statistics, 2009) .
R&D institutes, active in specific industry branches, account for the largest share of
the R&D system and are predominantly oriented on applied research. The 65 R&D
institutes co-ordinated by the Romanian Academy, are predominantly oriented on
basic research and the humanities. In the 1990s, all R&D institutes faced serious
difficulties arising from the drastic decline in public funding for R&D, the lack of
demand for R&D in the radically new setting of a market economy, and the necessity
to reorganise their activities according to the new reality of the market. The impact
of such hardships was extremely negative, resulting in fragmentation, loss of
personnel, especially young researchers and obsolescence of R&D equipment. Some
institutes continued to operate as remainders of public institutions affiliated to
different ministries, while others became private companies, often associated with
certain ministries. They derive their income from both public and private sector
sources.
In the current structure of the R&D system there are over 700 research organisations,
including 34 National R&D Institutes and a further 65 institutes under the auspices
of the Romanian Academy; 270 state or privately owned companies which have
R&D as their primary activity; and 74 universities which undertake only a modest
amount of research. In addition, it is estimated that as few as 5% of firms in the
Romanian manufacturing sector undertake R&D activities. In contrast to many other
The weak R&D base of the industry makes that science-industry links are still very
weak, although several programmes oriented in this direction have been adopted by
NASR in recent years (such as the National Technological Platforms, the
INFRATECH Programme, the 'Partners for Excellence' Programme or the TransIno
Programme).
Last update date: 07/02/2008
Name of correspondent: Liana Marina Ranga
Public Private Collaboration
Relation between public and private actors
Public-private partnerships (PPPs) in Romania are a recent development, as the legal
framework in this repect was created only in 2002 by Government Ordinance
16/24.01.2002. The implementation of the concept, however, has been very slow
because of several factors, such as the lack of interest of public structures to
collaborate with private structures, the legislative instability and delays in updating
the Application Norms of the GO 16/2002 regarding the PPPs, the political
influences exerted on PPPs and the lack of experience in the collaboration between
public and private structures, which has determined considerable delays in key
public utility projects, such as the Fourth European Corridor.
Efforts to promote PPPs have been initiated by the Chamber of Commerce and
Industry of Romania, which holds a central position within the business community.
A recent project of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the creation
of Excellence Centres for PPPs which should function within the regional Chambers
of Commerce and Industry. It is envisaged that such Excellence Centres for PPPs
offer free consultancy for SMEs to help them overcome the financial difficulties.
1. The National Council for Science and Technology Policy, which is the
government high-level policy coordination body chaired by the prime minister. It
includes the Minister of Education, Research and Innovation, and the Chairman of
the National Authority for Scientific Research, the Ministers of Economy and Public
Finance, Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development, Communications and
Information Society, and the President of the Romanian Academy. The main mission
of the Council is to establish the priorities and legislative framework for the
implementation of the National Strategy for R&D and Innovation , in line with the
objectives and sectoral strategies of the government programme and in consultation
with key stakeholders (local and central public administration bodies, Romanian
Academy, higher education organisations, R&D institutes, economic agents,
employers' federations and labour unions, etc).
2. The Ministry of Education, Research and Innovation (MERI) has the main
responsibility in the design and implementation of RDI policies through its
specialised structure, the National Authority for Scientific Research (NASR). For the
development of government policies in the RDI area, MERI collaborates with
other ministries and seven government-subordinated agencies described in section
6.2. It is also advised by a number of its own consultative bodies, also described in
section 6.2.
The historical evolution of MERI includes several stages: after the political changes
of 1989-90, the public administration of R&D in Romania was coordinated by three
main organisations, subject to the type of activities performed: (i) the Ministry of
Research and Technology (MCT, 1993-1998) for the general R&D activity; (ii) the
Ministry of National Education (1990- 2001), for research in the higher education
system, and (iii) the Romanian Academy, for its own network of basic and applied
research institutes. In 1998 MCT turned into the National Agency for Science ,
Technology and Innovation (NASTI). In 2001, NASTI was included in the Ministry
of National Education, in order to unify R&D and education activities, and the new
structure was renamed the Ministry of Education and Research (MER). NASTI
became thus the Research Department of MER (MER-Research) and was led by a
delegate minister for research. In 2005, MER-Research was re-organised as the
National Authority for Scientific Research (NASR), an independent structure still
under MER, taking over MER-Research functions to design, implement and monitor
RDI policies, and coordinate the state budget for R&D. The secretary of state for
research within MER became the chairman of NASR. In April 2007, after a
government reshuffle, MER became the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth
(MERY), but the change did not affect NASR. In January 2009, after general
elections, MERY was renamed as the Ministry of Education, Research and
Innovation (MERI) without any changes in the structure and functioning of NASR.
3. Other national institutions involved in the formulation of R&D policies
and strategic policy-making are the Romanian Academy with its branch academies:
the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Academy of Agriculture and Forestry
© European Communities, 2009.
Reproduction of ERAWATCH © is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
http://cordis.europa.eu/erawatch/
Sciences; the Academy of Technical Sciences (AST) and several NGOs with an
active role in R&D policy design, e.g. the Romanian Economic Society (SAR), the
Romanian Centre for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (CRIMM), the
Romanian Centre for Economic Policies (CEROPE). In addition, one can also
mention some coordinating national agencies specialising in strategic areas, such as
the Romanian Standards Association (ASRO), Romanian Association for
Accreditation (RENAR), the Nuclear Agency and the Romanian Space Agency
(ROSA) (described in section 6.2).
Last update date: 02/08/2009
Name of correspondent: Liana Marina Ranga
Policy making and coordination
Science Policy Advice
The most significant recent event related to the provision of scientific advice in the
elaboration of R&D policy was the elaboration of the 2007-2013 National RDI
Strategy, which was initiated in 2005 by NASR within its Sectoral R&D Plan. The
project had an 18-month duration, and had the objective to elaborate the 2007-2013
National RDI Strategy and the 2007-2013 National RDI Plan based on specialised
foresight systems and instruments (group consultation, strategic planning) to
determine the main directions of evolution of the RDI system. The project was
performed by a consortium including 26 higher education institutions, research
institutes of the Romanian Academy, national R&D institutes, public and private
research institutions, coordinated by the National Council for Higher Education
Research (CNCSIS) – the Executive Unit for the Funding of Higher Education and
Academic Research (UEFISCSU). The consortium was supported by the European
Commission, and was assisted by an international group of foresight experts. The
project launch in September 2005 was followed by a series of public events to debate
the intermediate results. In February 2006, a broad Delphi survey was initiated, in
which over 3,500 persons identified in the first part of the project were consulted
online in two rounds that ended in May 2006.
Another example of scientific advice is the activity of the consultative bodies to the
Ministry of Education, Research and Innovation discussed in section 6.2: the
Consultative Board for Research, Development and Innovation, the National
Council for Research in Higher Education Institutions (CNCSIS), the
Commission for Social Dialogue and the National Council for Ethics. They
provide advice to the ministry on a permanent basis.
Last update date: 02/08/2009
Name of correspondent: Liana Marina Ranga
Policy making and coordination
Actors in policy implementation
The following bodies operate under the coordination of the National Authority for
Scientific Research, as agencies for the implementation and financing of national
R&D and innovation programmes:
The National Centre for Programme Management (CNMP), which
ensures the management of a part of the R&D programmes coordinated by
Programme 2. Capacities
Support for research capacities and the opening of the RDI system to the national
socio-economic environment and the international scientific community, acquisition
of high technology equipment, scientific management.
Programme 3. Ideas
Support for increasing the visibility and international recognition of Romanian
research, especially basic research and scientific excellence, through complex
research in frontier fields, interdisciplinarity and participation in international
networks of excellence research.
Programme 5. Innovation
Support for innovation, technological development and implementation of research
results in industry, in order to improve the competitiveness of the national economy
and increase the quality of life. Finances technological development and innovation
projects initiated and led by the economic units, as well as technology transfer and
innovation infrastructure.
The implementation of the 2nd National Plan is coordinated by the NASR and
carried out in collaboration with four other institutions:
- The National Council for University Research
- The RDI Consultative College (RDICC);
- The Management Agency for Scientific Research, Innovation and Technologic
Transfer and the Innovation Council,
The public funding of the 2007-2013 National RDI Plan is made in accordance with
the European regulations on the state aid for research-development and innovation
(CE Regulation 323/2006 on the RDI state aid).
Another example is the funding provided through the 'Support for high-tech start-ups
and spin-offs' operation of the SOP-IEC. The operation supports the innovation
activities of high-tech or high added value start-ups and spin-offs (based on R&D
results obtained in universities or research institutes) in order to ensure the transfer
of knowledge and technology and to assist the respective enterprises in marketing the
products and services derived from research. The enterprises to be assisted are
selected based on a careful analysis of their business plans. The operation is
complementary to SOP Human Resources Development, priority axis "Increasing
the adaptability of workers and enterprises”, which is promoting training
programmes for the development of entrepreneurial and managerial skills, as well as
support services for initiating new businesses.
Start
Title of support measure Organisation responsible
Date
National Agency for Partnership between Universities and
the Economic-Social Environment (APART), currently known
UNISO - University for Society
2002 as the National Agency for Qualifications in Higher Education
Programme
and Partnership with the Economic and Social Environment
(ACPART).
INFRATECH National
Programme for the
development of the innovation 2004
and technology transfer (ITT)
infrastructure
1999-2006 National R&D and Ministry of Education and Research - National Authority for
1997
Innovation Plan Scientific Research
Minsitry of Education and Research - National Authority for
Core R&D Programmes 2003
Scientific Research
'Research of Excellence' Ministry of Education and Research - National Authority for
2005
Programme' Scientific Research
2007-2013 National RDI Plan 2007 National Authority for Scientific Research
Research performers
Higher Education Institutions
The higher education system includes a total number of 125 institutions, including
state universities (49), state military higher education institutions (seven)
and accredited private universities (20) (Source: http://www.universitati.ro). Among
the most important universities of the country, one can mention: the University of
Bucharest and 'Politehnica' University of Bucharest, 'Alexandru Iona Cuza'
University of Iasi, 'Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, West University of
Timisoara, etc.
HERD and the business share of HERD figures have increased continuously since
2000 as shown in the tables below, with significant relative changes from one year to
another, particularly in 2004 and 2005:
Higher Education Research and Development expenditure, 2000-2005 period
(million EUR, EUR/RON exchange rate = 1/3.33)
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
7,158 9,849 14,476 12,821 23,075 36,591
Research performance is also generally very low, given the relatively low rates of
funding, and the outdated research infrastructure. The top of Romanian universities
© European Communities, 2009.
Reproduction of ERAWATCH © is authorised provided the source is acknowledged.
http://cordis.europa.eu/erawatch/
ranked by the ratio of ISI articles per 100 teaching staff ("White Book of Romanian
Research", http://www.ad-astra.ro/universitati/universities. php) includes, for
example, in the first three positions, the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University of Iasi
(with 31.87 articles per 100 staff), "Babes-Bolyai" University of Cluj-Napoca
(24.01) and the University of Bucharest (21.26) (2007 figures). In spite of
continuously improving results (e.g. the relative increase in the number of scientific
articles published in 2007 compared to 2006 by the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza"
University of Iasi and "Babes-Bolyai" University of Cluj-Napoca was of 24% and
13% respectively), none of the Romanian universities is included in the Shanghai
top 500 of world universities. This suggests a poor research productivity, even in
relation to other Central and Eastern Europe universities, many of which are
included in the Shanghai top 500 (e.g. Poland has three universities, Hungary has
two, and Czech Republic one) ( http://www.ad-astra.ro/journal/8/florian
_shanghai_romania.pdf).
According to the Decemebr 2007 study of the Romanian Agency for Quality in
Higher Education (ARACIS) presented to the Parliament Commissions on
Education, Science, Youth and Sport, Romanian universities keep the pace with
European universities in terms of curricula and scientific research, but are lagging
behind in terms of student scholarships and correlation of academic specialisations
with labour-market demand. Students are not adequately motivated through
attractive scholarships, they are poorly informed and do not have optimal conditions
for practice. In addition, the universities have a multitude of specialisations which do
not provide relevant qualifications for the labour market: they have minimal
requirements on admission, and neglect the didactic processes.
Academic research programmes are coordinated by the National Council for
Research in Higher Education Institutions (CNCSIS), which includes representatives
from the academic research community. They are organised in seven commissions
with different S&T specialisations. The Council is the main Romanian funding
organisation for university and postgraduate research programmes. It was created in
late 1994 as a key component of the ongoing reform of the higher education system.
The Council is also a consultative body of the Ministry of Education, Research and
Innovation, as well as a representative of the Romanian scientific community on
research policy-making issues. The Council plays a major role in the allocation of
funding for university research and the evaluation of scientific research performance.
There is a significant degree of interaction and cooperation between the activities of
the Council and those of the NHEFC (the National Higher Education Funding
Council). The funds granted on a competition basis are part of higher education and
research extra-funding. The project-oriented system of committing funds for R&D
ensures that funding for higher education and research is dynamic and promotes
excellence in scientific research.
Last update date: 02/08/2009
Name of correspondent: Liana Marina Ranga
Research performers
Public research organisations
Most R&D organisations are active in technical and engineering sciences, with
specialisation profiles corresponding to various branches of processing industries.
Other R&D institutions are active in agricultural sciences, natural and exact sciences,
medical sciences, social sciences and humanities (NASR, 2005). The most
significant R&D performers are the National R&D institutes, which, in the vast
majority of their activities (approx. 90%) undertake programmes/projects in national
R&D programmes. National R&D institutes also develop their own R&D
programmes, oriented towards long-term strategic objectives , specific to their own
sectors. These are the so-called "Core R&D Programmes", the only financial
instrument which works in institutional regime (not on a competition basis). The
Core R&D Programmes are validated by the ministries which coordinate the
respective institutes, and are approved and financed by NASR. At present NASR
provides funding for 46 Core Programmes initiated by National R&D institutes. The
projects developed by National R&D institutes as part of national programmes and as
part of Core R&D programmes are non-profit, and the results are largely
disseminated. From the point of view of state aid regulations, according to Law
143/1999, National R&D institutes are also considered as commercial units due to
the additional commercial activities of micro-production they develop. This involves
the production of prototypes that are tested in the institutes' own laboratories before
being supplied to industry, or the small-scale (or unique series) production of some
products or product components that are required by industry to meet some specific
needs, or are used to advance the institutes' own research, avoiding the importation
of similar products from abroad. In order to define more clearly the functional status
of the National R&D institutes, in accordance with the provisions of EU state aid
regulations, Government Ordinance no. 58/2006 was adopted in 2006. It stipulates
that the two types of activities, research and micro-production, will be registered in
distinct accounts, to avoid any possibility of confusion.
The main public R&D performers include:
a. 263 public R&D institutions
45 national National R&D Institutes, ccordinated by seevral ministries, as
follows: Ministry of Education, Research and Innovation, through NASR (18),
Ministry of Economy (8), Ministry of Environment (3), Ministry of
Communications and Information Technology (2), Ministry of Transport and
Infrastructure (3), Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Protection (2),
Ministry of Health (3), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (6);
56 accredited public universities,
66 institutes and research centres of the Romanian Academy (52 institutes,
14 research centres);
96 R&D institutes, centres or stations organised as public institutions;
There are no calls for competition: the procedures are open for submission
throughout the year.
Public R&D organisations are the most active R&D performers, while the private
sector and the higher education institutions are only marginally involved in R&D
activities. The highest share of R&D activities is conducted in applied areas.
Last update date: 02/08/2009
Name of correspondent: Liana Marina Ranga
Research performers
Private research performers
The national R&D network includes 310 joint-stock public or private companies that
can be:
R&D institutions organised as business companies;
business companies and subsidiaries that perform R&D activities as part of a
broader range of activities;
accredited private higher education institutions and affiliated structures;
NGOs.
There is no available data on the R&D expenditure of private firms, or on the top
private R&D spenders. Some major private R&D players include, for instance,
Oracle, which in 2006 decided to create in Romania an R&D centre for South-East
Europe, or Renault, which made a similar decision, and aimed to employ over 2,000
Romanian specialists.
Last update date: 02/08/2009
Name of correspondent: Liana Marina Ranga
Private research performers
Private Research and Technology Organisations
There is no clear evidence on the number of private research and technology
organisations, mainly because many of the public R&D institutions mentioned above
have an independent status, which allows them to be funded from both public and
private funds. In addition, the number of entirely private R&D performers has not
been precisely determined.
Last update date: 02/08/2009
Name of correspondent: Liana Marina Ranga
of which:
Land exploration and exploitation 122890 63740 94644
Research from general funds for Higher education 134560 489648 138634
GERD, by performing sectors and by main scientific domains
Higher education
83674 154767 348591 519691 893895 718187
sector
Scientific fields
Natural sciences 6038 85844 18489 66155 259571 41400
Engineering and
50003 44298 209344 325514 446890 443030
technology
Medical sciences 4916 14429 14956 95036 120134 124009
Agricultural sciences 2930 3428 5996 10744 9176 19733
Social sciences 9694 2301 96613 17429 49446 39323
Humanities 10093 4467 3193 4813 8768 50692
Private non-profit
... ... ... ... ... 22075
sector
Scientific fields
Natural sciences ... ... ... ... ... 88
Last update date: 02/08/2009
Associated countries
GERD: 2004 for hr, is, ch. 2002 for tr
BERD: Reference year is 2002 for tr. 2004 instead of 2005 for the other
countries.
GBAORD: EU25 instead of EU27
Other countries
GERD: 2004 for us, jp. 2003 for cn
BERD: 2003 for cn, jp
Download the data in Excel format
Associated countries
Researchers: 2002 for tr; 2003 for is, no
Other countries
Researchers: 2003 for jp
Download the data in Excel format
Associated countries: GERD: 2004 for hr, is, ch. 2002 for tr
Publications: EU25 instead of EU27; Source: DG Research
Other countries
Publications: EU25 instead of EU27; Source: DG Research
Download the data in Excel format
Romania - Information source
Name Date
National Institute of Statistics 2007-07-25