UNITATEA EXECUTIVA PENTRU FINANTAREA INVATAMANTULUI SUPERIOR A CERCETARII DEZVOLTARII SI INOVARII

Their core work

UEFISCDI is Romania's national executive agency responsible for funding higher education research, development, and innovation. Rather than performing research itself, it acts as a national funding body that co-finances transnational research calls through ERA-NET Cofund mechanisms — pooling Romanian national funds with European partners to launch joint calls in areas like energy, materials, environment, and health. It also coordinates Romania's participation in EU-wide research policy initiatives, from open science infrastructure to researcher mobility programs. In H2020, it served as Romania's gateway for aligning national R&D funding with European research priorities across virtually every thematic area.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

In the early H2020 period (2014–2017), UEFISCDI focused on energy technologies, smart grids, resource efficiency, and building bilateral cooperation links with neighboring regions (Black Sea, Ukraine). By the later period (2018–2021), the agency shifted markedly toward open science infrastructure, FET flagships, quantum technologies, and circular economy — reflecting both EU policy priorities and Romania's growing engagement with frontier research areas. The transition from purely thematic co-funding to also championing open science and emerging tech signals institutional maturation.

UEFISCDI is increasingly investing in frontier technologies (quantum, FET) and open science frameworks, positioning Romania as a more active player in Europe's emerging research agendas beyond traditional thematic co-funding.

How they like to work

UEFISCDI almost exclusively participates as a partner (66 of 68 projects), which is typical for a national funding agency — its role is to commit national funds to joint calls rather than to lead research. With 546 unique consortium partners across 80 countries, it operates as a high-connectivity hub linking Romania into virtually every major European research network. Working with UEFISCDI means gaining access to Romanian national co-funding for transnational calls and a direct channel into Romania's research community.

One of the most broadly connected organizations in H2020, with 546 unique partners across 80 countries — spanning nearly every EU member state plus associated countries and third-country partners. Geographic reach extends well beyond Europe through international cooperation projects targeting Black Sea, Mediterranean, and Ukrainian research communities.

What sets them apart

UEFISCDI is not a research performer but a national funding agency — one of the few such bodies in Romania with deep, systematic involvement across the entire ERA-NET landscape. For consortium builders, including UEFISCDI means securing Romanian national co-funding commitment and an institutional partner experienced in managing transnational calls across any thematic area. Their cross-sector breadth (environment, energy, manufacturing, health, quantum) makes them a uniquely versatile funding-side partner for multi-domain projects.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MANUNET III
  Largest single EC contribution at EUR 1.3M — ERA-NET on advanced manufacturing technologies supporting SME competitiveness across Europe.
• QuantERA
  ERA-NET Cofund in Quantum Technologies representing UEFISCDI's push into frontier science funding, with EUR 296K contribution.
• BiodivERsA3
  Long-running (2015–2022) flagship ERA-NET consolidating European biodiversity and ecosystem services research, showing sustained environmental commitment.