A delegation from East African University Rwanda (EAUR) was impressed by efforts to strengthen the research, practical and innovation skills of students and lecturers during a visit to the Research Institute of Transilvania University of Brasov on November 10, 202610, 2026.
Accompanied by Professor Florin Nechita, the delegation included Professor Callixte Kabera, Vice Chancellor of EAUR, and Jean Baptiste Hategekimana, Consultant Lecturer.
The delegation toured the institute’s facilities and praised how it connects students and lecturers with industry, with some companies operating within the institute.
The delegation was particularly interested in the activities of V!z!b!l and Brasov Metopolitane, which produce films and other audiovisual content for commercial purposes.
Professor Florin Nechita told the delegation that the Research and Development Institute of Transilvania University of Brașov emerged from a structural funds project aimed primarily at increasing the university’s competitiveness in national and international research.
The institute’s development also aimed to anchor the university in the region’s business environment through technology transfer and applied research closely linked to local and regional research, development and innovation needs.
Nechita added that establishing the institute as a space for research, experimentation and testing outside the university buildings and campus was a strategic decision to stimulate performance in fundamental and applied research.
The decision was based on several considerations, including creating an optimal environment for study, research, testing and experimentation, and concentrating a large amount of technological equipment close to study spaces.
It also sought to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration by bringing research centres from different fields into the Research and Development building, while providing ample, dedicated research space for collaborative research, development and innovation partnerships with local companies through joint research teams.
Transilvania University of Brașov is the only university in Romania that has built its own multidisciplinary research institute. When completed in 2013, the university’s Research and Development (R&D) institute was the largest investment in research infrastructure undertaken by a Romanian university using European funds.
