Romanian authorities sign contracts worth over 300 mln euros for EU-funded research projects
The Romanian authorities on Thursday signed contracts worth over 300 million euros for EU-funded research projects, with the main beneficiaries being the Romanian universities.
'Today we are signing contracts worth more than 300 million euros and this amount, its large part, comes from European funds. 35 projects (devoted to researchers - editor's note) will be signed today, for a period of 18 months, with the value of the financial assistance standing at nearly 93 million euros. Over 3,700 PhD students and over 1,900 post-PhD scholars, who carry out research in the priority domains set up according to the National Research-Development Strategy, will get support. The monthly value of the scholarship is 1,800 lei for each PhD student and 3,700 lei for each post-PhD scholar. Over 250 million euros have been spent so far to support the activity of 7,235 PhD students and 644 post-PhD scholars,' Minister-delegate for Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technological Development, Mihnea Costoiu said.
According to the minister, the scientific production of these young people has amounted so far to over 30,000 scientific papers, with over 7,000 papers being published in international magazines.
Mihnea Costoiu on Thursday attended the signing of contracts with the beneficiaries of the research projects financed by the Human Resources Development Sectoral Operational Programme and the Increased Economic Competitiveness Sectoral Operational Programme, the Operation - Development of Infrastructure C-D (research-development).
Attending the event were Prime Minister Victor Ponta and European Funds Minister Eugen Teodorovici.
Ponta: 250 M euros going to research is best investment
Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta said on Thursday that the allotment of the EU funds for research and for supporting the activity of the young PhD and post-PhD students represents the best investment for the future.
'If we have managed to allot 150 million euros for the school infrastructure - absolutely necessary, in fact - at the beginning of this year, from the European funds too, the more so the fact that today more than 250 million euros goes to human investment, to people who must continue a positive path for our society, I think represents the best investment by far', Ponta said on signing the contracts with the beneficiaries of the research projects financed by the Human Resources Development Sectoral Operational Programme and the Increased Economic Competitiveness Sectoral Operational Programme.
The prime minister thanked the academic circles for having had patience in 2012, when those programmes had been blocked and managed to not give in, in spite of the financial difficulties.
'Thank goodness the two programmes have been cleared, the money has been repaid and many of those who deserve it clearly benefit from these programmes from now on', he added.
Ponta praised all the beneficiaries of the funding aimed at research, particularly 15 young Olympic contest winners who get the Young Researcher Scholarship.
'I am glad another 14 young researchers benefit from a scholarship that in all righteousness is named after Ionut (Budisteanu, an Olympic contest winner - editor's note), but I think of all those PhD- and post-PhD students who deserve to be supported,' he stressed.
Attending the event were Minister-delegate for Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technological Development Mihnea Costoiu and European Funds Minister Eugen Teodorovici.