12. The Capabilities of Romanian Universities to Attract EU Funds: A Case Study

Universities remain major contributors to regional knowledge-based economies since they undertake relevant research in areas defined by smart specialization strategies, and they also have the capacity to improve the human capital through education and training. During the period 2007–2013, Romanian universities attracted significant funding under European Social Fund (ESF) to support human resource development projects as part of the sectoral and regional development strategies that were influenced by the absorption capacity of ESF. This paper is based on the assumptions that (a) the absorption rate measures the extent to which an organization is able to fully spend EU funds in an effective and efficient way and (b) the “demand side” absorption capacity is largely dependent on the administrative capacity, namely, the ability of applicants and project beneficiaries to prepare and implement good eligible projects and to properly manage the projects in order to reduce the incidence of irregularities. The research aims to analyze the administrative capacity of selected Romanian universities, as eligible project beneficiaries, to attract and make effective use of ESF funding during the 2007–2013 period and to identify transformations that motivate university management; we will also make recommendations for universities to further build their capacity in the 2014–2020 programming period.