National Pact for the Environment: Universities and relevant authorities join forces for research-based public policies

The Faculty of Land Improvement and Environmental Engineering of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest (USAMV) and the National Environmental Guard announced the conclusion of the National Pact for the Environment, a strategic document that aims to bring academia closer to the process of developing and implementing public environmental policies. According to a press release from USAMV Bucharest, the pact brings together the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, the institutions under its coordination or authority, and five universities in the capital that train specialists in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development.

• Academic research, connected to the needs of the administration

The initiators of the project claim that the document creates a permanent mechanism through which university expertise and research activity will be able to directly contribute to the substantiation of public decisions in the field of the environment. In this context, students, master's and doctoral students will be encouraged to direct their research work towards topics relevant to national strategies and policies on the environment, natural resource management and climate change adaptation. The Ministry of Environment and subordinate institutions will also conclude individual collaboration protocols with each partner university, in order to develop joint research, education and innovation programs.

• Objectives: from public policies to training future specialists

Among the objectives assumed by the National Pact for the Environment are the valorization of scientific research in the decision-making process, the integration of academic skills in the implementation of public policies and European environmental standards, as well as the promotion of education for sustainable development and climate resilience. The document also provides for the creation of a stable framework for professional internships within the Ministry of Environment and subordinate institutions, as well as the development of a national portfolio of priority research topics, periodically updated according to the needs of the public administration. Another important objective is to reduce the gap between university research and the administrative decision-making process, by creating a permanent circuit for the transfer of knowledge and scientific results to the institutions responsible for environmental protection.

• Partnership between key institutions of the environmental sector and the academic environment

Signatories to the pact are the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests, the National Environmental Guard, the National Agency for Environment and Protected Areas, the Environmental Fund Administration, the National Meteorological Administration, the National Forest Guard, the National Forestry Administration - Romsilva and the National Administration "Romanian Waters”. From the academic environment, the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest, the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest, the University of Bucharest, the Academy of Economic Studies of Bucharest and the Technical University of Construction of Bucharest participate. According to the organizers, the pact remains open to other universities in the country that carry out relevant activities in the field of environmental protection, sustainable development and adaptation to climate change.