Branch of Romanian Academy to be set up in Chișinău

A branch of the Romanian Academy will be established in Chișinău, becoming the fourth branch of Romania’s scientific forum. The draft law on the matter is currently before Romanian senators, vice president of the Romanian Academy Mircea Dumitru said.

The new scientific institution that will operate in Chișinău will embody a common vision of scholars and researchers from the Romanian cultural space, President of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova Ion Tighineanu said. Moldova State University rector Igor Șarov welcomed this initiative, highlighting its symbolism.

The draft law of the Romanian Academy, currently under debate in the Romanian Senate, provides for the creation in Chișinău of a branch of the Romanian Academy, an initiative meant to integrate and develop the two academies, says academician Mircea Dumitru.

“We will be in a very fruitful, very productive alliance for scientists both from Chișinău and Bucharest. The draft law is under debate in the Romanian Senate, and one of its provisions is precisely this one. When it is adopted and approved – and I see no reason why it should be rejected, especially this article of the draft law – the Romanian Academy will be able to open a branch in Chișinău, just as it currently has branches only in three major historic cities of Romania: Iași, Cluj and Timișoara,” said the vice president of the Romanian Academy.

The Romanian academician emphasized that this project was set in motion by the presidents of the two scientific forums in Romania and the Republic of Moldova – Ioan-Aurel Pop and Ion Tighineanu.

“With a view to consolidating and deepening the relationship between the two sister academies, we support the draft law that provides for the creation, in Chișinău, of a branch of the Romanian Academy and we express our hope that it will be put up for debate in the Romanian Senate as soon as possible. At present, the efforts of the academic community on both banks of the Prut are directed towards building a common cultural, scientific and spiritual space, founded on authentic values, traditions and shared aspirations,” said Ion Tighineanu.

Tighineanu noted that this year marks 65 years since the founding of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova and 160 years since the establishment of the Romanian Academy.

“Among the founding members of the Romanian Academy in 1866 were three personalities originating from Bessarabia: Alexandru Hâșdeu, Constantin Stamati and Ioan Străjescu. They represented Bessarabia among the 21 founding members of the Romanian Literary Society, the institution that would later become the Romanian Academy. This year marks 160 years since the establishment of the Romanian Academy and 65 years since the founding of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova – two fundamental milestones for the development of culture and science in the Romanian cultural space,” Tighineanu said.

Igor Șarov stressed that the opening of the Romanian Academy’s branch in Chișinău will be an event laden with symbolism, as the capital of the Republic of Moldova will stand alongside the three poles of Romanian cities.

“I support it with both hands, because there is no rivalry between the academy and the universities. Each has its own role, and when we speak about the role of the academy of sciences or of the universities we want the same thing; we are talking about the humanities, language, Institute of History. I believe that the opening of this branch is the sending of a message. Chișinău appears among the three poles of Romanian cities. The Republic of Moldova is not seen as something separate. Chișinău is the second Romanian city after Bucharest in terms of population, and considering that we are talking about the three component parts that united after 1859, as well as the union of Transylvania after 1918 and of Bessarabia, the opening of this branch will be a symbolic event, it is a fantastic idea,” Șarov said.

“The future of the Republic of Moldova lies alongside Romania, first and foremost within the European Union,” and the country’s European project and path are “already certain facts.” The coming years must bring full compatibility of the institutions in Chișinău with European ones, Mircea Dumitru told an exclusive interview for MOLDPRES.

On December 30, 2025, the president of the Romanian Academy, Ioan-Aurel Pop, and the president of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Ion Tighineanu, signed a joint declaration reconfirming the fundamental role of academic institutions in consolidating national identity.

“Today, despite the vicissitudes linked to harmful propaganda, it is known everywhere in the world that the identity of the people on both banks of the Prut is Romanian, and the two sister Academies have had and continue to have a fundamental role in defending this truth,” the Declaration reads.

The joint declaration of the Romanian Academy and the Academy of Sciences of Moldova was followed by an Appeal addressed to the scientific and cultural communities on January 15, 2026.