Romania completes OECD assessment in science and research

The Ministry of Education and Research and the National Research Authority announced the completion of Romania's assessment process within the OECD Committee on Science and Technology Policy (CSTP), an essential step in the country's accession to the international organization.

• Formal Opinion: confirmation and recommendations

Following the assessment, the CSTP adopted the Formal Opinion, a document that attests: Romania's capacity to implement OECD legal instruments in the field of science and technology; the alignment of national policies and practices with international standards.

The conclusions of specialized working groups, such as NESTI (science and technology indicators) and BNCT (biotechnology, nanotechnology and convergent technologies), confirmed compliance with OECD norms and formulated recommendations for the medium and long-term development of the national research and innovation system.

The Minister of Education and Research, Daniel David, stressed the importance of this step in strengthening Romania's international profile: "After education, I am glad that we have also closed the process of accession to the OECD, Romania's new country project, after NATO, the EU and the PNRR, on the research side."

The President of the National Research Authority, Andrei Alexandru, appreciated that the adoption of the Formal Opinion represents "a recognition of institutional maturity" and promised to continue efforts to strengthen the national research and innovation framework.

For his part, the national coordinator of the OECD accession process, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Luca Niculescu, recalled that this is the 15th formal opinion received by Romania since the beginning of the discussions and stressed the mobilization necessary to continue the good pace of the negotiations.

• Benefits for Romanian research

The Formal Opinion of the CSTP has several positive consequences for Romania: strengthening the credibility of the academic community and the private environment; full integration into international science and technology networks; access to OECD expertise and good practices; underpinning evidence-based public policies.

Romania's participation in European and international research infrastructures is seen as a catalyst for international visibility and support for the modernization of the economy through innovation and technology.

• A step forward on the path to OECD

The completion of the assessment within the CSTP marks a decisive stage in Romania's accession process to the OECD, considered the new "country project". After the successful integration into NATO and the European Union, Romania is now consolidating its status as an active partner in global research, science and innovation policies.