This page contains information regarding the institutional evaluation procedures required for Romanian research units or institutions to gain access to public institutional research funds.
As the procedure unfolds, the pages accessible from the menu on the left side of this page will provide access to the document submission platform (for institutions) and the evaluation report submission platform (for the expert evaluators) as well as all necessary details regarding the evaluation process.
Background information
The Romanian system is composed of several main types of research institutions: National Institutes, Universities, Institutes of the Romanian Academy and of the branch academies, other public research institutions, private non-profit research institutions and private for-profit research institutions. Of these categories, all but the last (for-profit institutions) are eligible to receive institutional research funds. However, in order to gain access to the funds, the institutions must first be evaluated and classified. There are 5 classification levels: A+, A, A-, B and C and only the top 3 open access to funding. Moreover, in the case of National Institutes, classification on the bottom levels, B or C, incurs the loss of National Institute status, leading to the reorganization of the institute (merger, takeover, privatization, liquidation, etc.).
The evaluation process
The evaluation process is coordinated by the Advisory Council for Research, Development and Innovation. The Advisory Council has several workgroups tasked with the oversight and coordination of the evaluation process, for each scientific field:
1. Natural Sciences (mathematics, physics, chemistry, materials science)
2. Life science (biology, ecology, biotechnology)
3. Medicine
4. Computer science and communications
5. Engineering sciences
6. Earth sciences
7. Agriculture and food science
8. Social sciences and humanities
You may consult the member list of the Advisory Council and its regulation.
For each institution being evaluated the corresponding workgroup proposes and the Advisory Council approves a team of at least 5 expert evaluators, of which more than half must be affiliated to institutions outside of Romania. Each team is accompanied by a representative of the Advisory Council, who assists them during the evaluation process and the visit. After the visit the team of evaluators will grade the institution on 5 criteria, and will elaborate a report containing the main findings and recommended actions. A detailed presentation of the evaluation procedure, in English, is available on the Evaluators’ page accessible from the menu on the left side. This information will also be presented to the experts by the representative of the Advisory Council, upon arrival for the visit, but it is recommended that experts familiarize themselves with the procedure before the date of the visit.
Mandatory versus on-demand evaluations
According to Government Ordinance nr. 57/2002, with the subsequent modifications, institutions that are evaluated fall into two categories:
A research center without a legal personality may be considered a "research unit" and may be evaluated if it satisfies the following conditions:
Timeline
For the first wave of institutional evaluations, due to logistical constraints, the evaluations will happen in two phases: within the first phase will be evaluated the national research institutes (INCD) starting in November 2011, while all other mandatory evaluations, as well as the on-demand evaluations will begin in February 2012.
Each classification is accorded for a period of time which may be 5 years for A+ entities, 4 years for A entities, and 2 or 3 years for A- entities. All recipients remain eligible for the corresponding institutional funding mechanisms only for the period of validity of the classification.
Institutional funding mechanisms
Two types of institutional funding mechanisms hinge on the process of evaluation and classification: