Adrian Curaj

Former minister of education, science and innovation. He is the head of the UNESCO Chair on Science and Innovation Policies at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, and a professor at the “Politehnica” University of Bucharest. He had been working as a consultant for the World Bank, UNESCO, UNIDO, ETF and EC for studies in Tertiary Education, Science and Innovation, and Foresight. Adrian CURAJ is a member of the Board of Directors of the U.S. Fulbright Commission in Romania and fellow of the World Academy of Art & Science (WAAS). He has been at the forefront of developments in Smart Specialization as Europe’s contribution to the new industrial innovation policy, in policy advising for higher education as a host and chair of the Bologna Process Researcher Conferences and of the main initiatives supporting progress towards Open Science in Romania. Professor Curaj is the artisan of the smart territorial development project, Laser Valley-Land of Lights.