This strategic development plan was developed in accordance with the national, European and international strategic development documents for the second half of this decade but also in the longer term.
In defining the strategic directions, important roles are:
- the National Strategy for Research, Development and Innovation 2022-2027,
- the National Programme IV for Research and Innovation,
as well as the major strategic programmes of the European Union in the field:
- the Mission for Oceans, Seas,
- Coastal and Inland Waters of the HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme of the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission (2021-2027),
- the new European strategies adopted in June 2025:
- European Strategy for Resilience Water (European Water Resilience Strategy) and
- One Ocean Pact (plan to achieve the goals of the UN World Ocean Decade 2020-2030 but also for the period after 2030).
In defining the Development Plan, a major role is played by the Strategic Agenda for Research and Innovation in the Black Sea and the Common Maritime Agenda of the Black Sea, documents also adopted at national level during the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU (2019). The plan has been updated to include the opportunities offered by the new European SAFE Programme, given the strategic role of the Black Sea in this context.
The Strategic Development Plan was developed taking into account the major problems of the current period. These include the very low level of national funding allocated to research, development and innovation, the difficulties generated by the consequences of the war in Ukraine in the Black Sea, in the Danube Delta and in the Danube River border, as well as the limitations related to the employment bans in the period 2025-2026. Another important element to consider is the efficient management of the transition periods between the European Commission’s framework programmes (Horizon Europe continues to 2027, followed by Framework Programme 10 in 2028, with the first projects to be funded in 2029) and from the current National Strategy and Plan IV (which ends in 2027) to the next National RDI Plan.