Bucharest University of Economic Studies – 2021

• Developing projects in collaboration with ministries, such as:
  • Research on the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2020 on establishing a framework to facilitate sustainable investment in climate change on the evolution of the financial-banking system.
  • Stimulating local entrepreneurship in the perspective of an increasing digitalization of the European economy post-2020, in the context of the industrial revolution Industry 4.0.
  • Corporate governance in state-owned companies and good managerial and administrative practices appropriate to economic and social challenges.
  • Diversification and modernization of existing business support structures in the Romanian economy.
  • Analysis of the current situation of Romanian research and the ways to achieve the transfer of new technologies in the productive sector, in the effort to develop the knowledge-based economy.
• ASE provided solutions for the Covid-19 crisis. ASE initiated the research project “ReStartEconomia. Measures to combat the economic and social effect of COVID 19 in Romania”. The main objective of the project is to find solutions for Romanian companies and public entities to help them survive in the context shaped by COVID-19 and to support public authorities and companies with recommendations for limiting the economic and social effects of COVID-19 and avoiding a deep economic crisis. Following an integrated analysis of economic experts, recommendations were made in the form of government measures to develop improved public policies for the economic situation, to support the business environment and the population affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, so that the number of insolvent companies and jobs lost to be kept to a minimum
• ASE launched the first Romanian study on the implementation of the guarantee-deposit system for returnable packaging. The study aims at a series of analyzes of the systems used in other European countries, as well as the analysis of the social, environmental and economic-financial impact for the guarantee system in Romania. The study can be consulted on the website of the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests and is an important benchmark on how collaboration between central authorities, the private sector and academia should take place.
• RoEcoServ is the collaborative applied research project entitled Viable Eco-Economic Tools for Quantifying Ecosystem Services in Romania, developed by the ASE in partnership with IVECO Romania, and funded from the state budget. The aim of the project is subordinated to the European Union’s policy which states that by 2050, EU’s biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides are adequately protected, valued and restored for the intrinsic value of biodiversity and their essential contributions to human well-being and economic prosperity.
• Prediction of the evolution of cases of SARS-CoV2 virus infection in Romania using clustering techniques, neural networks and ARIMA models. A team from the Department of Statistics and Econometrics, consisting of teachers, master students and students, used a battery of econometric models to make predictions about the evolution of cases of SARS-CoV2 virus infection and the number of deaths in Romania, using data available at national and international level. It is a useful research exercise, with program code and databases being made available to stakeholders to ensure full reproducibility of results.
• ASE is developing the project “Approaches to public health management in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic”. The project is implemented in partnership with the National Institute of Public Health and the Center for Health Outcomes & Evaluation S.R.L. The aim of the project is to support the authorities involved in the fight against COVID-19 virus by carrying out the technical project of an integrated open source platform for public health management, functional prototype of the platform, preparation of installation documentation, administration, use and technical support of the portal and specific modules.
• Contributions to the realization of the Strategic Research Agenda of Romania
• ASE conducted the study “Health status of management in Romania in 2019“, under the auspices of the Faculty of Management within ASE and the Romanian Academic Management Society (SAMRO).
• ASE has obtained European funding for the implementation of the project “Flexibility and Resilience in Digital Transformation and Intelligent Automation – Advanced Skills and Tools for Academia and Entrepreneurs”.
• The development of Study on the relationship of local authorities with tourism activity in Romania by the Cactus Centre in ASE
• The launch of the Tourism development and promotion strategy of Dâmbovița county, developed by the Cactus Centre in ASE
• Direct involvement of ASE members in designing policies, on different topics: social protection policies and policies on the adoption of the euro (professor Armeanu Daniel Stefan); public policies designed to support sustainable development by involving the state in supporting the financing of objectives of interest, public policies of indebtedness through green bond issues and fiscal issues (associate professor (Gyorgy Attila).

• Representatives of the Faculty of Public Administration and Management participated in the debate “Romania’s role in redefining European foreign policy“, organized by the European Affairs Committee of the Romanian Senate, the Center for Foreign Policy and Security Studies (CFPSS) in partnership with EURISC Foundation and Middle East Political and Economic Institute (MEPEI).
• The management of the Faculty of Agrifood and Environmental Economics was involved in different meetings with the Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and other representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, while at regional level, discussions were conducted with the officials of the Giurgiu county.
• Events such as „Creathonul Energaz” and „Beyond generations” were developed based on the partnership with the Employers Federation of Oil and Gas.
• ASE hosted a debate, together with Team Romania, organized by the Aspen Romania Institute and the Bucharest Office of the German Marshall Fund of the US (GMF). The event was attended by the Romanian Prime Minister, the Minister of Economy, Energy and Business Environment, the Acting ASPEN President, the Director of GMF, along with representatives from academia and the economic and social environment. Priority economic issues for the Romanian executive and society and topics about the potential for capitalizing on Romania’s energy resources and becoming a regional energy hub, with Romania’s position in the negotiations on the European Ecological Pact, were discussed. The meeting also analyzed the development opportunities of the research, development, innovation sector in Romania, taking into account both European trends and Romania’s ability to invest in the growth of this field. The event emphasized the importance of involving universities in the economic and social environment, and the need for public and private sector representatives to dialogue and cooperate with major universities in trying to identify concrete public policy solutions.
• The 3rd International Conference on Economics and Social Sciences Innovative Models to Revive the Global Economy
• Conference “The Future of Europe”, 11th edition, which gathered guests and keynote speakers: Florin Cîțu, Minister of Finance, Siegfried Mureșan, Rapporteur of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, Dragoș Pîslaru, Member of the European Parliament, in the Committee on Labor and Social Affairs, prestigious foreign guests. The topics discussed referred to the challenges and opportunities for Romania generated by the European Green Deal, consumer protection in financial services, entrepreneurship and pandemic, education during and after the COVID 19 pandemic etc.

Participation in the Conference “Educated Romania – public policies and coordination of funding sources”, at the invitation of the President of Romania, Mr. Klaus Iohannis. Representatives of the Presidential Administration, members of the Romanian Government, of pre-university and university educational institutions, specialists in the field of education were present. The event marked the launch of four public policy documents, with the following themes: professionalization of teaching career, improving educational management, increasing equity in education and improving access to early education. At the end of the conference, an inter-institutional dialogue took place on the future of financing education in Romania, in the context of the priorities agreed within the “Educated Romania” Project.

Participation at the presentation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, an event attended by the President of Romania, representatives of the Government and the European Commission. In his speech, ASE rector prof. Univ. Dr. Nicolae Istudor spoke about the structuring of this program and the very good forecasting capacity of the measures contributing to the development and modernization of the country, starting from the development potential of each region and taking into account the funding allocated by the European Union. Referring to the agri-food sector, the Rector of ASE stressed the importance of investments aimed at promoting high-performance technologies, increasing the quality of agricultural raw materials and modernizing the product distribution process, all with the potential to generate a strong market that meets the requirements of European consumers.

Participation in the Conference of the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences, where the financing possibilities for agri-food producers were presented and analyzed, in order to increase the competitiveness of local agri-food products and ensure the food security and safety of Romania. The conference discussed the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy budget, which resulted in a number of proposals on directions for financing the agri-food and rural sectors in the financial year 2021-2027.

Participation in the International Scientific Conference “Competitiveness and Innovation in the Knowledge Economy”.

Participation in the BucharestFood Summit event within the online Conference “How do we accelerate the integration of production and sales in agribusiness? Efficient production technologies. Own store chains or supermarkets? Accelerated sales”.

Participation in the Conference “Sustainable agriculture and rural development“, organized by the Institute of Agrarian Economics in Belgrade. The conference addressed and discussed current issues on the development of agriculture and the food industry, agricultural policy measures, programs for socio-economic revitalization of rural areas, issues related to climate change and their impact on the agri-food sector, etc.

Participation in the Circular Economy Forum – The Effects of the European Green Deal for Romania, on the revision of the policy review in relevant areas such as food,  biodiversity, circular economy, zero pollution. The event gathered public authorities, companies providing equipment and solutions for environmental protection, analysts and consultants specialized in eco and environmental protection.

ASE, through the Faculty of Accounting and Management Information Systems, is part of a regional network dedicated to SDGs. The Faculty is a member of CEEPUS (Central European Network for Sustainable and Innovative Economy) project, which offers the possibility for students and professors to carry out mobility at partner universities in the region.

Involvement in organizing European Statistics Day (as an ESAC member)

Participation of ASE professors in the team for the development of the VEKTOR index, founded by an association between BVB and ARIR. This index refers to the relationship with investors, corporate governance, including ESG standards.

Participation of ASE professor at debates on global competitiveness in the “Tatra Summit: EU competitiveness in the midst of global ‘crossfire’”.

The ASE team of the ReGrowEU project “Advancing ground-breaking research in regional growth and development theories, through a resilience approach: towards a convergent, balanced and sustainable European Union”, organized a workshop on “Current Trends in Regional / Urban Resilience and Sustainable Development”, in collaboration with The Regional Science Academy.

ASE is part of the research project “MIMY” (“Towards a better understanding of the integration process of young migrants”), launched in 2020 in Luxembourg. The project aims to improve the situation of young migrants in Europe through a multi-level analysis of the various integration processes. Research will focus on the dynamic process of integration, on multiple levels: at macro level (EU migration policies), at mesolevel (regional economic and social systems) and at micro level (individual practices). 

The collaboration between ASE and the Republic of Korea continues under the Knowledge Sharing Program, through which the Republic of Korea transfers its development experience to partner countries. The cooperation is focused on consolidating and developing the Research Center for Productivity Studies.

The online roundtable, organized in partnership with the Turkmen State Institute of Economics and Management in Ashgabat, Republic of Turkmenistan, generated a series of discussions on topics such as “Globalization: towards a new type of international stability – state neutrality and economic involvement” and “Strengthening EU-Turkmenistan relations. EU-Turkmenistan relations”.  

The 14th International Management Conference “Managing Sustainable Organizations” brought together professors and consultants from Globis University – Tokyo, Nagaoka University of Technology and Urban Society Design Consultancy – Shanghai, and attracted over 120 papers from participants from the country and abroad.

CAFEE 2020 international conference brought together experts, decision-makers and professionals in agribusiness and was dedicated to the analysis and evaluation of agri-food developments and challenges and environmental policies in the context of globalization and European integration. The discussions included new ideas and research results on the strategy to address competitiveness in the agri-food and environmental economy. During the sessions, topics on agriculture and agricultural policy, rural development, farm management, sustainable agriculture, food security and environmental policy and management were addressed.

The 5th International Conference on Digital Economy 2020 was organized by Bucharest Business School, Beirut International University and the Digital Economy Association of Tunisia.

BASIQ 2020 International Conference – New Trends in Sustainable Business and Consumption, organized by the Bucharest University of Economic Studies (Faculty of Business and Tourism), BASIQ Association, University of Messina, University of Bucharest and Economic Amphitheater.

• The book Best Practices of Circular Activities in the Agri-food Sector from the Netherlands and Romania, launched at Editura ASE, aims to present best practices from the Netherlands and Romania regarding circular economy projects and activities from the agri-food industry. 
• Assessing EU’s Progress and Performance with Regard to SDG-12 Targets and Indicators is a collaborative work for developing a synoptic quantitative analysis on EU-27’s progress and performance with regard to the targets and indicators of SDG 12.
• The Working paper collection of the Faculty of Agri-Food and Environmental Economics gathers both studies on sustainability and climate change, incipient research in these topics or good practices that could be further developed in Romania.

Developing projects in collaboration with companies

The Partnership between ASE and the Science & Technology Association for the development and implementation of joint scientific projects and research, applied dialogues with university students and professors in order to create synergies and the right context for personal and professional development of the university community, as well as for the presentation of studies, research and positions, which should be the basis for the improvement of Romanian legislation and economic development.

The creation of the Green Digital Innovation Hub (Bucharest-Ilfov).

The partnership agreement between ASE and the Concordia Confederation aims to develop joint projects and initiatives in the area of business and entrepreneurship in order to develop the skills and competencies of university students.

ASE and Penny launched the study on the trade balance with Romania’s agri-food products. In an attempt to understand the preferences of Romanians, ASE and PENNY have started a study, which reconfirms a situation for which it is important to find solutions – Romania imports more than exports and most of the raw materials are not processed in the country.

Events within the project “The future of leadership in a sustainable and tech savvy business”. Against the background of the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic, of a changing society and the need to train and develop a new type of leader, ASE and Mrs. Mariana Gheorghe, former CEO of Petrom, current Non-Executive Director, member of ASE advisory board, developed a series of events for students, masters, doctoral students, in order to minimize the negative effects (online courses, lack of social interaction) and to find various ways and practical actions of interaction with students. The online events had the role of determining students to interact with representatives of the business environment, with teachers, to communicate and develop new skills. The topics covered a wide range of subjects, addressing the main challenges of leadership in a changing world, where technology and sustainability will become mainstream elements for business success, such as: Leadership, technology and sustainability. Tripple bottom line development – the impact of Covid-19, Sustainability and Climate Change; Being “human” leader in artificial intelligence era.

ASE students can be involved in volunteer actions carried out by the ASE Foundation.

The Faculty of Public Administration and Management has developed partnerships with NGOs that address SDGs through their volunteer programs with the students, such as the Association Padurea Copiilor, the Association PACHAMAMA Romania, the Association ECOTIC etc.

The master’s programs in Accounting, Auditing and Management Informatics and Accounting, Auditing and Management Informatics (English) have a discipline aimed at studying the impact of the SDG on corporate reporting.  

The Faculty Agrifood and Environmental Economics have both bachelor and master programmes studying SDG topics.

The Faculty of Public Administration and Management organizes courses that present SDGs or bring into discussion specific elements of SDGs, such as Environmental Management, European Policies – Environmental Policy, European Governance – Green Deal, Ecological Policies, European Models of Spatial Planning, Integrated Sustainable Development, Organization, arrangement and development of Romania’s space.

ASE has approved, during 2020, curricula for different postgraduate study program, such as Smart City postgraduate program – the new legal paradigm in the context of digitalization and for the postgraduate program Social Economy and agreed on the establishment of the postgraduate program of training and continuous professional development: Management of smart cities.

The Faculty Agrifood and Environmental Economics held a meeting with the Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment, during which the master’s degree program in Ecological Economics was presented. (Rector, p.314)

ASE participated in the “European Researchers’ Night 2020“. This edition was organized exclusively online and involved communities from 18 cities in Romania. The program offered by ASE included the workshop “What can we eat from the balcony?”, intended for all persons interested in a healthy diet, with fresh fruits and vegetables, grown in their own balcony.

Students created a blog for presenting their own projects on topics related to SDGs, registered to Agrifood and Environmental Economics Club-AEEC.

The working papers collection of the Faculty of Agrifood and Environmental Economics ensures the dissemination of research results undertaken by students under the coordination of teachers, on topics related to environment and sustainable development.

A group of master’s students from the Faculty of Agrifood and Environmental Economics took the initiative to advance a series of problems concerning the resource-intensive consumption and to propose solutions for sustainable consumption. Awareness projects include:

• “Does plastic recycling depend on each of us? Yes /No?”
• “No battery in the garbage!”
• Replacing the existing mobile phone with the “modular phone”