SDG 16. Peace and Justice Strong Institutions

• Human Rights Centre, Faculty of Law
• Research Centre in Applied Ethics, Faculty of Philosophy
• Centre for the Prevention and Control of Drugs and Criminality, Faculty of Sociology and Social Work
• European Centre for Research, Analysis and Modelling of Political Culture – Faculty of Political Science
• Centre for Research in Contemporary History “Cont*texte”- Faculty of History

• Interdisciplinary Research on the Russian Geopolitics in the Black Sea and the Arctic Ocean
• Electoral rights: a rational approach (RO: Drepturi electorale: o abordare rațională)
• Analyzing how fake news are transmitted (RO: Analiza modului de transmitere a știrilor false)

According to the UB Charter (art. 72, point c), the governing structures at the university level are the Senate and the Board of Administration. As such, art. 116, paragraphs 1 and 2 establish the composition of the Board of Administration:

• Rector, Vice-Rectors, Deans, Director General, Administrative Director and the student’s representative are appointed by a majority of the student members in the Senate from among their members.
• The President of the Senate, the Director of the General Secretariat Department and the representatives of the employees’ union are invited to the meetings of the Board of Administration. The labour union representative attends as an observer.
• Other persons may be invited only with the favourable opinion of the majority of the members of the Board present.

Thus, this structure includes representatives of students, teaching and non-teaching staff, auxiliary teaching and non-teaching staff and the labour union.

Article 130, paragraph 1 of the Charter establishes the composition of the Senate, which comprises 75% teaching and research staff and 25% student representatives. All members of the Senate, without exception, are elected by universal, direct and secret ballot of all tenured teaching and research staff and of all students, respecting the representation quotas by faculty. Article 136(4) also establishes that the Senate meetings may be attended by (a) the Director of the General Secretarial Department of the University, (b) the Administrative General Director, and (c) individually, at the invitation of the Senate, depending on the agenda of the meeting, the CUDS Director, Deans and heads of the University’s functional structures and departments.

Students, teachers and labour unions are also represented in other bodies of the University of Bucharest:

• According to art. 4.1 of the regulations of the University of Bucharest’s Commission for Evaluation and Quality Assurance (CEAC), students, teachers and the trade union have representatives in the CEAC.
• The Regulation of Organisation and Functioning of the Ethics Commission of the University of Bucharest also stipulates that the members of the Commission include full professors, emeritus professors and students (art. 5, paras. 3 and 5).
• The Council for University Doctoral Studies also has in its composition elected PhD students.

The University of Bucharest recognises students’ unions.  According to the UB Charter (art. 29, para. 1), university community members have the right to establish or belong to student, labour, professional and cultural, national, and international associations and organisations and legally constituted political organisations. Article 11(1) of the Code of Students’ Rights and Obligations states that students can join student structures and organisations. Accordingly, 18 student associations are active at the University of Bucharest – 17 at the faculty level and one at the institutional level (ASUB). The student associations represent students’ interests, develop projects for students and get involved in actions that follow all dimensions of academic life.

The University of Bucharest has written policies and procedures to identify local stakeholders external to the university and engage with them.

• A central role in interacting with stakeholders, especially the labour market, high schools/colleges and potential candidates, is played by the Department of Career Counselling and Guidance (DCOC). Art. 11 of the DCOC’s Organisational and Functioning Regulation presents the main activities of the department, including those related to the interaction with various stakeholders: interaction with pre-university students, facilitating the relationship between students and graduates of the University of Bucharest and the labour market, so that they know the real opportunities and challenges of being employed from the time they graduate. Art. 12.2 presents the actions carried out by the DCOC related to increasing the employability of students and graduates by offering services such as: establishing partnerships with representatives of the private sector to place students in internships, traineeships; labour market mediation activities; relations with alumni and others.
• The labour market is an important stakeholder for the UB, so an administrative structure has been developed to create partnerships and maintain close relations with the labour market – the Labour Market Relations Office.
• In the same direction, we also mention the relationship with UB alumni for which the Alumni Association of the University of Bucharest was created.

Within the University of Bucharest, there is a Strategic Orientation and Analysis Council (COAS) whose mission is to assist in the elaboration and implementation of the University’s strategies through the elaboration of analyses and recommendations on the strategic development directions and objectives, as well as an evaluation of the University’s previous strategic documents and actions. COAS members include personalities from Romania and abroad with extensive national and international experience in the field of management, such as former UB rectors, members of the Romanian Academy, and representatives of private associations and organisations (EUA, UNICA, KPMG, BRD Romania).

The University of Bucharest is committed to fighting against organised crime, corruption & and bribery. In the Code of Ethics and Deontology of the University of Bucharest, art. 16, par. 1, lit. e, f and par. 2, lit. d, e, it is stated that professors and students have the responsibility “not to demand or accept favours in any form, including of a sexual nature; to refrain from any action contrary to the applicable regulations and to carry out any obligation arising from ensuring and respecting academic ethics and integrity”. The same document, art. 27, states that “the University shall sanction deviations from academic ethics and integrity, and its members shall act to prevent and combat corruption and related acts and any other intentional offences of a nature likely to harm academic prestige“.

The University of Bucharest has a policy of supporting academic freedom. Section II, art. 4-9, of the Code of Ethics and Deontology of the University of Bucharest presents the principle of academic freedom. Thus, “Freedom gives the University independence, from a moral and scientific point of view, from any political, economic or religious influence”. Details on academic freedom included in the Code of Ethics and Deontology can be found here.

The fundamental document of the University of Bucharest, the Charter, is described in Section III, art. 6-10, the principle of academic freedom. We present for example, art. 6, para. 3: “University community members may investigate any subject based on a scientific methodology. This implies the freedom to communicate research results, by any means, to students, to the national and international scientific community in compliance with the rules of law, ethics and academic conduct, as well as the principles of objectivity and tolerance. Teaching staff shall enjoy freedom of expression in teaching the subject assigned to them”.

The University annually publishes financial data on the institutional website and in various reports. Thus, financial data are found in the following documents: budget financial statements. The Rector’s Annual Report also includes an annex presenting the UB’s financial situation (Annex 1. Financial situation of the University for the year 2022, by funding sources and types of expenditure).

The University of Bucharest provides expert advice to local, regional, and national government, especially but not limited to, provision of evidence to fundament policy decisions.

• UB researchers and professors are actively involved in initiatives dedicated to the protection and sustainable management of ecosystems. A group of researchers affiliated to the Faculties of Geology and Geophysics and Biology have initiated a critical areas observatory in the Apuseni – Central Mures Valley, collaborating on the first assessment of risk factors in bear predation on domestic animals in Romania (together with Ohio University). At the same time, students and teachers from the Faculty of Geography have participated in actions related to managing invasive alien species in the Porțile de Fier Natural Park. Such applied research contributes significantly to biodiversity conservation and ecosystem protection.
• The Centre for Environmental Research and Impact Studies (CCMESI) of the University of Bucharest implements research projects in areas of interest and environmental impact which are relevant to decision-makers at local, regional, national and international levels. Among the fields in which the CCMESI team can provide consultancy we mention: environmental education; environmental conflicts; biodiversity conservation; environmental impact assessment. In addition, CCMESI aims to develop solutions to local, regional, and global environmental problems, promote sustainable development in Romania, and develop partnerships with universities, industry, and local and national authorities. The Centre provides local, regional, and national authorities expertise through partnership projects. For example, the LIFE ROsalia project – Conservation of saproxylic beetles in the Carpathians – is run in partnership with the Vrancea Environmental Protection Agency, Putna-Vrancea Natural Park and the Association for Biodiversity Conservation. Another example highlighting collaboration with a national public authority – the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests – is the project Appropriate Management of Invasive Species in Romania, in line with EU Regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. Similarly, they implemented the project „Benefits and constraints of joint decision making in Romania. From public participation to collaborative Environmental Impact Assessment”. Example of the scientific reports published by the Centre for Environmental Research and Impact Studies (CCMESI) include:
• 2022 scientific report of the project Contribution of small urban green infrastructure in achieving environmental justice – can be accessed here;
• the 2022 scientific report of the project Integrating food provision in urban policies in the context of land use transformation and displacement – can be accessed here;
• the 2022 scientific report of the project Evaluating the role of nature-based innovations for healthy cities – can be accessed here.
• The Research Centre in Systems Ecology and Sustainability (RCSES), of the University of Bucharest is implementing, together with other partners in Romania and abroad, several projects of interest for the SDGs that result in providing expert advice to local and central authorities:
  • RESTORE4LIFE (Restoration of Ecosystems) showcases the remarkable socio-economic benefits derived from a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to restoring freshwater and coastal wetlands in the Danube basin. By creating new blue-green infrastructure that bolsters regional climate change resilience and mitigation efforts, Restore4Life paves the way for a sustainable future.
  • SELINA – will guide evidence-based decision-making that supports the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of our environment. Through a collaboration of experts from 50 partner organisations from all 27 EU member states, Norway, Switzerland, Israel, and the United Kingdom, SELINA will set new standards for international cooperation to promote Ecosystem Services (ES) and Biodiversity (BD) conservation and enhance Ecosystem Conditions (EC).
  • RESTORE4Cs aims to assess the role of restoration action on wetlands climate change mitigation capacity and a wide range of ecosystem services using an integrative socio-ecological systems approach. The results will be integrated into a digital platform to serve as a Decision Support System (DSS) for stakeholders that will steer project efforts as part of a newly created Community of Practice around wetland restoration.
  • MARCO-BOLO (MARine Coastal BiOdiversity Long-term Observations) will structure and strengthen European coastal and marine biodiversity observation capabilities, linking them to global efforts to understand and restore ocean health.
  • BioAgora is a collaborative European project funded by the Horizon Europe programme. It aims to connect research results on biodiversity to the needs of decision-makingin a targeted dialogue between scientists, other knowledge holders and policy actors. BioAgora will develop a Science Service for Biodiversity (SSBD) that fully supports the ecological transition required by the European Green Deal and the European Union’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030.
  • IDES project aims to add water quality targets to this effort and improve water quality by developing an integrative floodplain management based on Ecosystem Services (ES). The IDES tool, an ecosystem service evaluation tool, will provide an ecosystem service assessment for floodplains that supports sustainable decision-making in water and flood-plain management. Existing ecosystem services evaluation methods will be harmonised with the IDES and adjusted based on data availability.
  • The IRENES project will implement an interregional knowledge and experience exchange process to identify gaps and barriers within current ERDF and energy policy instruments concerning the RES and ES co-relation, including environmental, social, economic, and governance concerns.
  • Advance_eLTER marks a crucial step in building the distributed European Research Infrastructure of Long-Term Ecosystem Research sites and socio-ecological research platforms (eLTER RI) to provide the highest quality data and services complementary to the European and global environmental RIs. The project will conduct important conceptual work and preparatory steps towards enabling European-scale investigation of the “Critical Zone”, major ecosystems and socioecological systems, to support knowledge-based decision-making at various levels concerning ecosystem services and biodiversity.
• The University of Bucharest has conducted the first substantial research on national resilience in Romania, using an innovative tool developed by its researchers. The research was conducted between September 14 and October 5, 2022, using a new tool created under a project funded by a CNCS-UEFISCDI grant and implemented by INSCOP Research. This tool is aligned to international standards and allows the annual collection of key statistical data on national resilience.
• Between 12-15 October 2022, the University of Bucharest hosted the BSUN-BUA International Congress “Dialogue and Cooperation in the Black Sea and Balkan Regions“. Organized in partnership with the Black Sea Universities Network (BSUN) and the Balkan Universities Association (BUA), the congress brought together in Bucharest more than 100 global experts on topics of strategic interest, representatives of the Romanian Government, ambassadors, rectors, representatives of academia and public and private institutions in the field, who participated in discussions on the challenges of cooperation in the Black Sea and Balkan Regions.
• Starting from the conclusions of the study “Trends in International Mathematical and Scientific Studies” – TIMSS 2019 for Romania, specialists in educational sciences and educational testing from the University of Bucharest formulated in 2022 a series of public policies. The proposed policies focus on Gender differences in learning mathematics and science and The relationship between bullying and the school performance of students in Romania. More details can be found here.

The University of Bucharest’s programmes, events and educational resources can be accessed by decision-makers for training, documentation and/or policy development. We mention UB’s lifelong learning offer here, which includes postgraduate programmes and professional conversion programmes. Below, we list some postgraduate programmes relevant to policymakers:

• Leadership and Management Skills;
• Applied Psychology in Diplomacy and International Relations;
• Theoretical analysis of regulations contained in the administrative code
• Educational leadership for sustainable transformation;
• E-government and public communication principles.

In its approach to developing the culture of ethics and academic integrity, but also following the new legislative regulations in the field of education and research, the University of Bucharest organized in 2022 both an “Autumn Training School for Ethics and Integrity Advisors in Pre-University Education” (3rd Edition) and a training module entitled “Academic Integrity. Ethical, legal and psycho-pedagogical aspects”, for ethics and integrity counsellors in pre-university education.

The University of Bucharest participates in policy-focused research in collaboration with government departments.

• Specialists from UB, together with the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests (partnership leader), the Institute of Biology Bucharest and the National Environmental Protection Agency, implement between December 2019 and July 2023 the project Strengthening the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Environment and its subordinated units for improving biodiversity The overall objective of the project, according to the project team, is to “strengthen the administrative/institutional capacity of the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests and its subordinated structures by developing systems and standards to optimize the public policy process in the field of biodiversity protection, by implementing the Nagoya Protocol and developing the necessary guidelines for the unitary development at the national level of the appropriate assessment procedure, in line with SCAP (Strategy for strengthening public administration 2014-2020).”
• The Research Center for System Ecology and Sustainability (CESSU) is implementing the IRENES project – Exchanging knowledge and experiences for Integrating RENewable energy and Ecosystem Services in territorial environmental and energy policies – from 2019-2023. The research project is being carried out in partnership with 9 other institutions from several European countries, including the Romanian Ministry of European Funds. According to the information published on the project website, “The overall objective is to exchange experience and best practices on the complementarity and synergy of renewable energy exploitation with multiple Ecosystem Services (ES) at territorial level and to introduce the results of these activities in the framework of programmes financed by structural funds and policy instruments, through action plans to be developed. Thus, IRENES aims to identify the dysfunctions in current policy instruments regarding the use of renewable energy sources with ecosystem services, including environmental, social, economic, and governance issues related to the provision of ES flows. Through the active engagement of the institutions involved in the management of the ERDF, in coalition with technical partners and with the involvement of relevant stakeholders, including economic actors and local communities, IRENES will promote a multi-stakeholder social co-learning process through coordinated action planning between EU regions and study areas.” More details on the IRENES project are available here and here.
• The Centre for Environmental Research and Impact Studies (CCMESI) of the University of Bucharest is implementing together with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests the project “Appropriate management of invasive species in Romania” (2018-2022), in compliance with EU Regulation 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species. One of the outcomes of the project involved the development of a strategy for the implementation of the pilot programme for public involvement in the eradication/control of invasive species (Ambrosia artemisiifolia), which is available here. Among the activities of this Centre, we recall the “LIFE ROsalia” project coordinated by the Vrancea Environmental Protection Agency.
• The Centre for Research and Advocacy of Equity in Education organised in June 2021 the conference “Inclusion and Equity. Reality or desideratum? Research results on the situation of children with disabilities and/or special educational needs (SEN)”. The event created the context for education professionals, who have assumed an important role in the inclusion process, to carry out an analysis on the school integration/inclusion of children with disabilities and/or SENs, identify services and resources for an inclusive development process and establish the needs of schools to provide access and participation to all students.

• The University of Bucharest, based on the University Charter, is outside party political activities, politics being an area of investigation ( Art. 8(2) ). Whenever the national or local context requires it and to strengthen critical thinking and civic involvement, the UB launches public invitations to debate, providing a neutral and objective framework for this type of dialogue.
• For example, in December 2022, the Office of the European Parliament in Romania, in partnership with the Faculty of Law of the University of Bucharest, organized the event “Together we are Europe“, a dialogue of young people with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
• Similarly, in November 2022, UB hosted the launch of the first results of the studies of the “Romania Agenda 2050” project. This project, which brings together experts from academia and the private sector, aims to kick-start a national conversation on critical public policies for Romania’s long-term future based on Romanians’ opinions gathered through a series of national opinion polls.