Higher Education Project

active

The proposed Additional Financing would be implemented over a period of four years, from January 2026 to December 2029, and financed by an International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) credit of EUR 30 million (US$31.12 million equivalent) and concessional co-financing from the Global Concessional Financing Facility (GCFF) in the amount of US$2.0 million. The aim of the AF is to support the Government of Moldova (GoM) in its efforts to transform and capacitate the higher education system to (a) meet the needs of the labor market, (b) become a stronger member of the European and international research and innovation community, (c) support businesses with relevant technology infusion, and (d) become an attractive destination for international students and improve hosting conditions for Ukrainian refugee students, while continuing to deepen the reforms being implemented under the ongoing Project. The AF retains and expands the technical scope of all four components of the parent project to widen and deepen the reforms through the addition of new sub-components under each component. Component 1: Improving the Quality Assurance Mechanism and Strategic Policy Initiatives. Sub-Component 1.4 – Strategic Policy Initiatives. This new sub-component will support key strategic policy initiatives aimed at enhancing capacity of the university administrative leadership in institutional governance, including but not limited to improved planning, budgeting and financial management with a focus on additional revenue generation, systematizing data sharing, including for refugee students, between HEIs and MoER using digital tools, strengthening academic integrity, delivery of high-quality research and academic programs, internationalization and targeted activities to attract and host Ukrainian refugee students.Component 2: Improving Labor Market Orientation, Research and Innovation. The additional financing aims to strengthen research and innovation capacity at universities, enhance capacity for management of research and facilitation of inter-university collaboration for research, and strengthen university-industry collaboration. Sub-Component 2.3: Improving Research and Innovation. The objective of this new sub-component is to improve the capacity of research and innovation by (i) improving institutional capacity of the NARD for management of research and innovation in the higher education sector; (ii) strengthening capacity of Moldovan researchers in writing research proposal to access competitive research grants from Horizon Europe and other sources; (iii) establishing and/or upgrading research infrastructure in priority sectors, including areas of Smart Specialization to enable cutting-edge research; and (iv) promoting research among young researchers. Activity 2.3.1: Improving Capacity for Management of Research and Innovation. This activity will aim to (i) improve the institutional capacity of the NARD for management and financing of research and technology transfer at the national level; and (ii) improve the capacity of the Moldovan researchers to successfully access international and national competitive research funding. Activity 2.3.2: Establishing Research Infrastructure and Promoting Culture of Research. The activity will aim to (i) create/upgrade to state-of the-art research infrastructure in targeted priority areas that would enable researchers to carry out high quality research, and (ii) promote research and mobility among young researchers through small grants.Sub-Component 2.4: Agriculture Innovation Center. The objective of this new sub-component is to support the establishment of an innovation center focusing on climate resilient agriculture and food technology with the aim to strengthen collaboration and partnership between university (including students and faculty) and businesses for technology transfer, to offer high quality training to the agriculture students and entrepreneurs, create business incubation and acceleration for start-ups, conduct applied research directly relevant to Moldovan agriculture sector, and industry outreach. By focusing on climate-resilient agricultural technologies, this initiative will contribute to both climate adaptation, by helping farmers and agribusiness cope with changing climatic conditions and risks, and climate mitigation, by promoting sustainable farming practices that reduces greenhouse gas emission.Component 3: Project Management and Monitoring and Evaluation. The Project Management Team (PMT) will be maintained with the staff, functions, role and responsibilities as described as required for implementation of the on-going activities under the parent project and the additional financing. The staff needs are elaborated in the in the revised Project Operation Manual (PoM). The PMT will be responsible for day-to-day management and monitoring of the Project activities, conduct of baseline, mid-term and end-line evaluation studies, and communication on and dissemination of the Project achievements to the wider public. The PMT will recruit a third-party verification agency (TPVA) with a Terms of Reference satisfactory to the Bank. The TPVA will be responsible for verification of results reported against the achievement of PBCs in accordance with the agreed verification protocol. The PMT will be responsible for preparing six-monthly implementation progress reports for the joint implementation support missions and other reports and briefs as required by the MoER and the Bank from time to time.Component 4: Internationalization of Higher Education. This component scales up the existing project component added through the first restructuring of the Project. The objective of this component is to increase in the number of international students studying in selected study programs in Moldova.Sub-Component 4.1 Internationalization of Higher Education programs. The objective of this sub-component is to incentivize Moldovan universities to undertake a set of time-bound activities that would make the current higher education system more attractive for international and refugee students, teachers and researchers. This component will also support institutions to better respond to the refugee crisis by offering cultural induction programs and support services.Sub-Component 4.2 Enhancing Students’ on-campus Living Experience. The objective of this subcomponent is the renovation and refurbishment of student dormitories in selected universities, critical for providing decent housing facilities to students. Dormitories also play an important role in addressing the refugee crisis, by providing accommodation to refugee students and vulnerable refugee families. This will include updating the designs using climate-resilient and universal design standards to renovate and refurbish existing dormitories.