IASI UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND PHARMACY

The project concerns the construction and refurbishment of a number of facilities on the university campus of the Grigore T. Popa Medicine and Pharmacy University of Iasi.

The project will finance the construction, extension, renovation and rehabilitation of university premises in Romania. The main objective is to provide better learning conditions for students, as well as improved working and research conditions for university staff, by creating additional capacity in academic and research buildings and by renovating existing spaces that are no longer fit for purpose. These investments are also aimed at adapting infrastructures to new technologies, providing additional or modernised student accommodation, improving accessibility for people with disabilities, and also improving the energy efficiency of buildings. All building construction and renovation projects will be energy efficient and will follow energy efficiency standards. The final beneficiaries for this project are current and future students, as well as university staff.

The Project addresses a sub-optimal situation with regard to investments in higher education infrastructure in Romania. Public higher education has the nature of a public good for which the operator cannot capture sufficient financial benefits, justifying public intervention. The Project also addresses a market failure with regard to the financing of infrastructure for early-stage R&D activities performed in public higher education institutions. The markets fail to provide adequate funds for early-stage R&D because of the uncertainty inherent in these activities and because of knowledge spillovers, which reduce the appropriability of economic returns. The Project will create new space for teaching and research, will invest in modern educational equipment, and will provide modern accommodation and support infrastructure for students at University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Grigore T. Popa". These measures can be expected to increase the quality and relevance of higher education and research in Romania's North-East region and contribute to increasing the region's capacity to innovate. The Project also addresses the need for energy efficiency upgrades of several faculty buildings. EIB involvement is expected to crowd in further funding for University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Grigore T. Popa". The University benefitted from the support of the InvestEU Advisory for Social Infrastructure and Service (technical and financial advisory from internal experts and external consultants).

The Directive 2011/92/EU amended by 2014/52/EU does not specifically mention the need for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for buildings relating to education, but it may be that some sub-projects can be regarded as urban renewal projects (Annex II of the European Directive). This will be verified for each sub-operation during the appraisal. Directive 2010/31/EU amended in 2018 by Directive (EU) 2018/844 on the Energy Performance of Buildings will be checked during appraisal for each component on a case-by-case basis.

The Bank will require the Promoter to ensure that contracts for the implementation of the project shall be tendered in accordance with the relevant applicable EU procurement legislation, Directive 2014/24/EU as well as Directive 89/665/EEC as interpreted by the Court of Justice of the EU, with publication of tender notices in the EU Official Journal, as and where required.