Education Minister: One Billion Euros Allocated for Research Projects

Almost one billion euros are allocated to the Ministry of Investments and European Projects for research projects, declared the interim Minister of Education, Mihai Dimian. He presented, in a press conference, the main investments made in education and research, as well as the status of payments related to projects financed through the PNRR.

According to the minister, investments in research and education must be viewed together with other programs that have an impact on students' participation in school and on their performance. "There is almost a billion euros at the Ministry of Investments and European Projects in research projects, we are talking about the Romanian Academy, also, which has excellent research institutes, financed separately by the ministry, we are talking about the programs of local authorities, if we can remember the "Healthy Meal" program, which (...) has a value of almost 1.5 billion and which, here, represents an important tool for approximately 600,000 students to reduce school dropout, to motivate them perhaps better to come to school, to get out of that paradigm of the student who learns hungry in Romania", said Mihai Dimian.

• Payments through PNRR

The interim Minister of Education showed that, in recent years, several tools have been used to improve student performance. Regarding the PNRR projects, Dimian stated that during the period 2021-2025, approximately 7 billion lei were absorbed or paid to beneficiaries, while another 5.7-5.9 billion lei were to be paid this year. "During the six months I spent here, there was a very high concentration on the PNRR projects, considering that during the period 2021-2025, approximately 7 billion lei were absorbed or paid to beneficiaries, and the remaining 5.7-5.9 billion were to be paid this year. A little over half was paid in the first five years of the PNRR project, there were a few months available to recover and I am glad to see that through the efforts of all those involved, both within the ministry and on the part of the beneficiaries, payments of over 4 billion lei have already been made and, through the invoices that will come to the ministry, in the following period, we will probably reach 5 billion," explained Mihai Dimian. According to him, the payment situation does not mean that the funds intended for education will not be fully absorbed, as part of the amounts were associated with the PNRR milestones that had to be met during this period.

• Almost 2 billion euros for milestones in education and research

Dimian specified that, during this period, milestones worth almost 2 billion euros were completed, both in the area of education and research. "We are talking about milestones in both the education and research areas of almost 2 billion euros that were completed during this period. Whether we are talking about the law on the digitalization of research, or about the competition methodologies for directors and inspectors, or about the action plans that have been implemented, but certainly the investments that have been made are most visible in the system. In conclusion, we can see over 90,000 classrooms that have been modernized, furnished, and equipped through PNRR projects, we are talking about thousands of laboratory rooms, science laboratory equipment. And one of the elements verified by the PISA tests is precisely the students' competence to apply this theoretical knowledge, and I believe that the development of these science laboratories offers the opportunity for students in Romania to practice more", said the interim Minister of Education.

• Investments in green schools and dual education

Mihai Dimian also mentioned investments in green schools, the construction and modernization of educational units, as well as the development of integrated campuses for vocational education, including in the dual system. According to the minister, the investments targeted both school infrastructure and university infrastructure and spaces for students.

"Also moving to the university area, you will notice thousands of accommodation places, thousands of places in reading rooms or in social spaces. There has been a significant modernization of both educational and social infrastructure, as well as a digitalization process, 60 projects, the digitalization of universities, 60 digitalized universities with investments totaling one billion lei,” he specified.

• Research, educational infrastructure and digitalization at the heart of investments

The minister's statements indicate a concentration of investments on several components of the educational system: research, school infrastructure, science laboratories, student accommodation and the digitalization of universities. In the case of pre-university education, Dimian emphasized investments in infrastructure and laboratory equipment, while for universities it highlighted digitalization projects and the development of educational and social spaces. At the same time, the execution of PNRR projects remains an important component of the next period, given the volume of funds that had to be paid this year and the milestones assumed in the field of education and research.