North Carolina as a state has a long history of working closely with her sister state- Moldova. Following that tradition, CALS has actively engaged in forming strong partnership with universities and government institutes in Moldova. Partnership with Moldova, and especially Technical University of Moldova (TUM) and their Ministry of Agriculture has been strengthened by reciprocal visits Raleigh and Chisinau.

For the past few years, through a program funded by the US government, teams from Moldova have been able to visit NC State University in Raleigh, meet with researchers, administrators at the college and the university level, visit research and extension facilities around the state. Similarly, groups of CALS faculty have traveled to Moldova to meet TUM faculty and staff in person, visit various facilities of the university, and meet with industry stakeholders and relevant government authorities. In 2023, a memorandum of understanding was signed between NC State and TUM to expand the partnership to include agriculture. By formalizing the partnership, both NC State and TUM were able to facilitate workshops in both Moldova and Raleigh where experts from both sides came together to identify specific needs in Moldovan agriculture where CALS faculty can lend their expertise. In the process, they were also able to identify relevant stakeholders who should to involved in the planning and implementation of various projects targeted at rural development in Moldova.

In addition to collaborating with experts from TUM, NC State has also hosted high level government official and administrator from the Alecu Russo Bălți State University. Through these visits, the visitors were able to learn about the interconnected nature of academics, research and extension functions of CALS as part of a land-grant university. They also visited research stations and county extension centers to gain insight into the extension system of North Carolina. Our goal is for these visits is to identify areas of collaboration that can be pursued collaboratively by NC State and TUM and other relevant Moldovan
stakeholders.

List of Collaborators in Moldova

Viorel Bostan, PhD, Rector, Technical University of Moldova (TUM)
Daniela Pojar, PhD., Vice-Rector for Finance and International Relation, Technical University of Moldova
Natalia Gasitoi, PhD., Rector, Alecu Russo Bălți State University
Radu Melnic, Director of the TUM Technical College, Head of the Center for Counseling and Career Guidance & Head of the Admission Committee
Dinu Turcanu, Vice-rector, TUM
Larisa Caisin, Professor, TUM
Liliana Cepoi, Director of Research Institute in Microbiology and Biotechnology, TUM
Nina Putuntean, Head of International Relations Office, TUM
Sergiu Popa, Dean of Faculty of Agriculture, Horticulture, Forestry and Environmental Sciences, TUM
Vladislav Resitca, Vice-Rector, TUM
Ion Ribintev, Dr., Associate Professor, Head of Department of Horticulture and Forestry, Faculty of Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Sciences, TUM
Victor Sfecla, Lecturer, Vice-Dean, Department of Horticulture and Forestry, Faculty of Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Sciences, TUM
Grigorii Batiru, Dr., Associate Professor, Department of Agronomy and Environment, Faculty of Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Sciences, TUM
Mihail Moroz, Dr., Lecturer, Department of Fundamental and Clinical Sciences, Head of the University Veterinary Medical Center, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, President of the College of Veterinarians of the Republic of Moldova
Sergiu Gherciu, Secretary General at Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, Republic of Moldova
Ina Butucel, Business Enabling Environment Director, Moldova Rural Competitiveness and Resilience Activity, Implemented by Chemonics International

List of NC State Collaborators 

Chadi Sayde, Associate Professor, Biological & Agricultural Engineering

Peter Ojiambo, Professor & University Faculty Scholar, Entomology and Plant Pathology

Liz Driscoll, 4-H Youth Specialist, Departments of Crop and Soil Sciences, Entomology and Plant Pathology, and Horticultural Science

Jason Ward, Associate Professor and Extension Specialist, Biological and Agricultural Engineering

Rick Brandenburg, William. Neal Reynolds Distinguished Professor, Departmental Extension Leader
Entomology and Plant Pathology

Sung Woo Kim, Professor and University Faculty Scholar, Animal Science

Carla Barbieri, Professor & Fulbright Scholar, Agritourism and Societal Well-being Lab, Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management