The conference served as a high-level forum dedicated to stimulating performance in research, development, and innovation. The primary goal was to enhance the research skills of academic staff, PhD candidates, and students, while facilitating partnerships between the academic environment and public or private institutions. The event placed a major emphasis on increasing the international visibility of Romanian research in architecture and urban planning.

Period: October 4–8, 2021 | Format: Online (Zoom)

Funding: Project CNFIS-FDI-2021-0508

Thematic Program Structure

The event was organized as a 5-day \”marathon,\” with each day dedicated to a strategic direction of sustainability:

• Day 1: Green Transition. Official opening and presentation of international partnerships (e.g., the Dutch-Romanian partnership for greener cities).
• Day 2: Climate Change and Urbanism. Debates on Smart Cities, eco-development, and nature-based solutions.
• Day 3: Sustainable Architecture. Focus on integrated design, disaster risk reduction for buildings, and sustainable habitat technology.
• Day 4: Innovative Materials. Exploration of technical textiles, biophilic, and bionic design in interior architecture.
• Day 5: Energy Efficiency. Analysis of the nZEB (nearly Zero-Energy Buildings) concept, sustainable research networks, and energy efficiency software tools.

Expertise and Partnerships

The event featured prestigious speakers from the UAUIM academic community and international guests from top universities in the Netherlands (Van Hall Larenstein), Portugal (University of Algarve), Spain (University of Alcalá), and Austria (TU Wien). Strategic partners included the Order of Architects of Romania (OAR), the Romanian Union of Architects (UAR), and the pROnZEB Cluster.

Participant Testimonials and Feedback

Key Strengths Noted:

• Quality and Diversity: Participants praised the \”complexity of approaches\” and the \”relevance of concepts,\” specifically highlighting the value of international speakers.
• Immersive Format: The event was described as \”captivating,\” offering practical solutions for current challenges such as nZEB and sustainable urban planning.
• Organization: Users noted the logical structure of thematic days and the helpfulness of daily communication (reminders).

Suggestions for the Future:

• Interactivity: Suggestions included creating roundtables, debate sessions, or \”working groups\” to maintain professional connections after the event.
• Time Management: While the content was rich, some participants suggested adding short breaks (5–10 minutes) to maintain focus during the 4-hour online sessions.
• Specific Content: Proposals were made to address Romanian traditional materials in more detail, including testing and certification.

Go to the conference webpage

CULTADISER (Institutional Capacity Development of UAUIM for Research in Architecture and Urbanism through the Creation of a Culture of Results Dissemination) was a strategic project funded by CNFIS-FDI-2022-0450. Implemented over nine months in 2022, the project aimed to strengthen the research framework of the \”Ion Mincu\” University of Architecture and Urbanism (UAUIM) by bridging the gap between academic investigation and public visibility.

Strategic Objectives and the Interdisciplinary Lab

At the heart of the project was the creation of the Interdisciplinary Doctoral Research Laboratory (LCDI). This laboratory serves as an organized environment designed to attract innovative research projects and develop collaborative systems. To support this, three specialized working groups were established: Inter-ACT, which focuses on transdisciplinary strategies; Dunărea (Danube), dedicated to the sustainability of regional development projects; and Smart Research, which examines the impact of digital transition and new technologies on architectural research.

Scientific Events and International Cooperation

The project successfully organized two major conferences to stimulate academic performance and international networking. The International Conference of Doctoral Schools of Architecture and Urbanism (CiSDAU) provided a platform for doctoral students to present their work and attend scientific writing workshops. Simultaneously, the INNOMINCU conference (Sustainability and Research Days at UAUIM) focused on innovation and sustainability, bringing together over 200 participants and numerous speakers to discuss the importance of academic involvement in modern research.

CiSDAU 2022: Conference Overview

Theme: Developing institutional research capacity through a culture of dissemination.

Dates: July 4–7, 2022

Locations: Bucharest (University HQ) and Dealu Frumos (Vernacular Architecture Study Center).

1. Purpose and Objectives

The conference served as the 8th edition of the Scientific Communications Session for the Doctoral Schools of UAUIM. Its primary goals were:

• Dialogue: Facilitating debate between doctoral students and professionals to improve the quality of theses.
• Team Building: Encouraging the formation of interdisciplinary research teams.
• Skill Development: Providing academic workshops to improve the research and writing skills of PhD candidates.

2. Event Structure

The event was divided into two distinct phases to balance formal presentation with deep academic debate:

• Presentations (July 4-5): Held in Bucharest. The first day was conducted online, and the second day was on-site. Each participant had 15 minutes for their presentation and Q&A.
• Debates & Workshops (July 6-7): Held in Dealu Frumos. This phase focused on in-depth discussions of the presented papers and workshops led by academic staff.

3. Scientific Leadership

The conference featured a robust international Scientific Committee with experts from:

• Romania: UAUIM (Prof. Dr. Marian Moiceanu, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Alex-Ionuț Petrișor).
• International Partners: Experts from Poland (Adam Mickiewicz University), Greece (University of Macedonia), Portugal (University of Algarve), Serbia (University of Belgrade), Kosovo (University of Prishtina), and Algeria (University of Tlemcen and Biskra).

4. Publication Opportunities

Accepted papers were given the opportunity to be published in prestigious academic journals, provided they passed the peer-review process:

• Urban Planning focus: Journal of the Doctoral School of Urban Planning (RSDU) and Journal of Landscape and Urban Planning (JLUP).
• Architecture/Theory focus: sITA (Studies in History and Theory of Architecture) and Argument Journal.

5. Participation Details

• Fee: No participation fee was required for registered PhD students and guests.
• Logistics: UAUIM provided transportation to the Dealu Frumos session, with accommodation prioritized by registration date.
• Requirements: Abstracts were limited to 3,000 characters and required a clear definition of theoretical context, methods, and results.

Open Science and Editorial Achievements

A primary focus of CULTADISER was the implementation of Open Science practices. By transposing research results into an open-access online format, the project facilitated information exchange prior to peer review. Furthermore, the initiative included a robust editorial component, resulting in the selection and publication of representative doctoral theses, articles, and faculty contributions. These were distributed both in print and digital formats, ensuring that the high-level scientific output of UAUIM reaches a global audience.

Long-term Impact and Digital Presence

The project concluded with the launch of a dedicated project website and the LCDI platform, which serve as permanent communication hubs for the academic community. By centralizing research databases, bibliographies, and best practices, CULTADISER has laid the groundwork for future international partnerships and sustained institutional growth, ensuring that the \”culture of dissemination\” continues to thrive beyond the project\’s official duration.

This informal, in-person workshop served as a \”warm-up\” for the WCEF2024, designed to showcase how the European Union translates circular economy policy into tangible action. The session focused on the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP), a joint initiative that bridges the gap between high-level policy and on-the-ground implementation through multi-stakeholder cooperation.

Event: World Circular Economy Forum (WCEF) 2024

Track: European Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference (ECESC)

Session: The European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform: a success story Organisers: European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)

Key Objectives

• Demonstrate Success: Illustrate how the ECESP has evolved since 2017 to become a hub for best practices.
• Facilitate Cooperation: Move beyond simple dialogue to foster active collaboration between policy makers, industry, academia, and civil society.
• Highlight Deliverables: Showcase the platform\’s role in implementing the EU Circular Economy Action Plans (2015 and 2020).

Featured Speakers & Experts

The workshop was led by the key figures driving the platform\’s secretariat and coordination:

• Leadership & Vision: * Ladeja Godina Kosir (Circular Change): Emphasized the importance of circular roadmaps and global leadership.
  • Freek van Eijk (Holland Circular Hotspot): Focused on bringing together knowledge institutes and businesses to scale international transitions.
• Policy & Implementation:
  • Paola Migliorini (European Commission): Detailed the evolution of EU circular policies, specifically focusing on textiles, plastics, and the EU Ecolabel.
  • María Rincón Liévana (European Commission): Discussed the practicalities of the Circular Economy Action Plan and new business models for secondary raw materials.
• Platform Management:
  • Alice Senga & Anna Cameron (EESC Secretariat): Provided insights into managing the \”triangular relationship\” between EU institutions and stakeholders to drive grassroots circularity.

Workshop Structure: From Dialogue to Action

The session moved from historical context to interactive engagement:

1. The Journey (2017–Present): A retrospective on the ECESP’s growth and its impact on European circularity.
2. Interactive Group Work (Town Hall): Participants engaged in a collaborative \”Town Hall\” format. This allowed for direct feedback from the 150 attendees on challenges such as:
   • Overcoming regulatory barriers.
   • Scaling eco-innovative business models.
   • Improving sustainable consumption through better communication.
3. Closing & Reporting: A synthesis of the group\’s findings, feeding directly into the broader WCEF2024 discussions.

Impact & Contribution

The workshop reinforced the ECESP\’s role as a \”network of networks,\” essential for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). By focusing on cross-sectoral cooperation, the platform continues to provide a blueprint for how regional governance can effectively support a global transition to a circular economy.

Key Takeaway: The success of the ECESP lies in its ability to \”explain, listen, and make it happen\”—turning stakeholder dialogue into actionable policy and business practices.

Go to the conference webpage

The latest series of doctoral events I attended was the workshop and conferences: “Context for Humanity – Bionics as a Solution for Sustainable Living,” coordinated by Prof. Dr. Arch. Rosa Cervera, University of Alcala de Henares, Spain – in Bucharest (May 27-28, UAUIM) and Tulcea (May 29-31, Vernacular Center), organized by UAUIM through the Doctoral School of Architecture and the Faculty of Interior Design, together with the Tulcea City Hall and the Context for Humanity Association (Tulcea).

During the conferences, I gave the following presentations in English: “Linking Bionic Architectural Interfaces with Ecosystem Services,” a summary of the report no. 3 and chapter III of the dissertation – Biomimetic and bionic ecosystem interfaces, at the Bucharest conference “Bionics, a Solution for Sustainable Living” and “Methods of Ecosystemic Research in Architectural, Landscape and Urban Design.”.

I also drafted the event poster and applicant poster layout and was part of the organizing team.

This paper, presented at an international conference, marked the beginning of my second year of doctoral studies (November 4, 2016) and was written in English. The work explores the perspective of reinterpreting architectural elements in an ecosystemic manner, adapting buildings to the surrounding natural environment, or rather, enhancing it, increasing its value through multifunctional interfaces, with functions similar to biological systems (like ecosystem services), or simply carriers of intentional, premeditated, cultivated, designed natural capital.

The article synthesizes a series of observations from the early stages of doctoral research, developed in chapters I and II of the thesis. It addresses the transition to the Anthropocene geological epoch (due to the practically irreversible impact of humanity on geological layers and all natural habitats, soil, water, air, and the entire biodiversity) and the potential of architecture (through a wide range of tools such as policies, mechanisms, procedures, processes, technologies, objects, subsystems) to mitigate conflicts and disasters between the built environment and human habitats, versus the natural environment and its ecosystems. This is achieved through the integration of components that provide nature-typical benefits around buildings/settlements.

These new values and strengths of architecture overlay and enrich both systems, with the potential for symbiosis, where desired.

The conference was organized by UAUIM (coordinated by Professor Cristina Olga Gociman, UrbanRisk Manager) and INCD URBAN INCERC (Director ECBR, Dr. Eng. Emil-Sever Georgescu), under the theme “Risk reduction of multi-hazard in protected urban areas through strategies of architecture, engineering, and urban planning to ensure urban resilience.” The paper was presented at UAUIM, and the abstract was published in the conference volume, which was published the same year in printed and DVD formats.

The article primarily addressed the topic of \”Ecological and environmental risks: natural hazards, climate change, perspectives on ecosystems, green (ecological) economy,\” but also indirectly those of technical, urban, social, and cultural risks. During documentation for the article, following the model of the NWRM.eu project (Natural Water Retention Measures), I observed that presenting synergies between multifunctional architectural interfaces and ecosystem services is the most effective approach to exemplify the theoretical concepts of this research: “In an age of multifunctionality, our large volume of walls, floors, and roofs should be more than just tools of isolation (shelter), but rather a canvas for a new type of infrastructure that purifies our soil, air, and water, increases our food and plants, nourishes us and our animals, prints our objects, and even serves as our workplaces, communication, and education platforms.”

As a PhD student in the first year, I participated in organizing the symposium, preparing materials and assisting guests; also, the new information assimilated from the conferences was of real use for the preparation of the first paper and the introductory part on sustainability in the field.