After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the research in the Republic of Moldova faced and continues to face problems related to insufficient financing. Drastic reduction of public expenditures on research and development (R&D), lack of clear normative regulations and motivation for non-public R&D funding have resulted in massive brain-drain, partial destruction of R&D infrastructure, considerable decline of the status of researchers, engineers and of interest of students in scientific studies. The association in 2011 of the Republic of Moldova to FP7 and in 2014 to H2020 framework programme of EU opened new opportunities and perspectives for researchers from the Republic of Moldova. Nevertheless, in Moldova the status of researchers and engineers remains very low, and the necessity to develop science and technology in the country has been discussed by public for almost three decades. Therefore, the objectives of the MODERNight-2020 project are the following: • Promote communication between scientists and public through project event; • Run an awareness raising campaign of research and innovation activities taking place in the Republic of Moldova; • Support the public recognition of EU funded researchers, especially beneficiaries of MSCA; • Emphasize the impact of research and innovation on daily life and social welfare; • Bring young people into the world of science, innovation and entrepreneurship and encourage them to pursue a scientific career.

The GreenSCI project aims to increase the public recognition of science, promote young researchers and researchers with sustainable innovations, and show the impact that research and innovation have on daily life and social welfare. In this context, the 2022 and 2023 editions of European Researchers Night aim to increase the public recognition of science, promote young researchers and experienced scientists with sustainable innovations, and show the opportunities in research and STEAM for young people and pupils. The main idea of GreenSCI project is to bring together researchers, innovators, children, young people, adults from different regions of Moldova who have and who do not have a background in research in order to show the impact of RDI and STEAM disciplines on everyday life. The specific objectives of the GreenSCI project are: • Contribute to increased visibility and promotion of research and researchers among the general public; • Enhance communication between researchers and the general public, mainly young people, by encouraging citizens’ engagement; • Increase the public recognition of EU programmes and opportunities, including EU funded researchers from Moldova, as well as Moldovan scientific diaspora. • Promote innovations with social and business applicability via Open Science practices. • Emphasize the impact of research and innovation on daily life and social welfare.

The overall aim of the SPIN-TECH project is to boost the scientific excellence and innovation capacity in the field of spintronics – especially in the development of advanced technology for design and production of superconducting spin-valves – of the D. GHITU Institute of Electronic Engineering and Nanotechnologies of the Academy of Science of Moldova and its high-experienced Twinning partners: Stockholm University (Sweden) and University of Twente (The Netherlands). To achieve this aim during the 3 years of the project,, the partners will implement a research and innovation strategy with the following objectives: • Objective 1: Strengthen D. GHITU IE’s research excellence in spintronics • Objective 2: Enhance the research and innovation capacity of D. GHITU IE and the Twinning partners • Objective 3: Raise the research profile of D. GHITU IE and the Twinning Partners • Objective 4: Contribute to the research and innovation priorities of Moldova • Objective 5: Support research and innovation on a European level In order to achieve these objectives, the consortium partners will put into practice a comprehensive set of measures via the project’s work packages, which will include (i) short term staff exchanges (WP1); (ii) training workshops, conferences and summer schools (WP2); and (iii) dissemination and outreach activities (WP3)

The main objective of the project is to promote the Smart Specialization Strategy in Moldova through developing the field of nanomaterials for biomedical applications by enhancing the scientific excellence of the National Center for Materials Study and Testing (NCMST) of the Technical University of Moldova via a collaborative strategic partnership program with European leading centres. This will be achieved through: • Promoting links between the NANO and BioMedicine fields. (WP2) • Training of a new generation of highly-skilled researchers capable of developing these fields and creating a leading national infrastructure at NCMST. (WP3, WP5) • Developing a strategic research program focusing on nanomaterials for biomedical applications at NCMST including aspects related to technology transfer. (WP4) • Extending collaborative networking and creation of capacities for broader participation of NCMST in Horizon-2020 and FP9 Programs. (WP6) The promotion of links between the fields of nanomaterials and biomedicine will be performed through an intense exchange of knowledge and experience with partners on both bilateral and multilateral levels, accomplished by expert staff and student visits. The training of a new generation of researchers will be performed through establishment of a nano-biomedicine training program to integrate the principles of nanotechnology, nanomaterials and biomedicine in research and coursework, and will be implemented by actions such as: (i) Moldavian students attending specific modules of Master programs at the partner institutions; (ii) two summer schools; (iii) theoretical and practical courses at NCMST for Ph.D. students and young researchers. The project will also target the development of skills for management of innovation activities from the laboratory discovery phase to the point of technology transfer to medical institutions. This will be accomplished by means of transfer of practices and policies from the partner institutions to NCMST.