September 6, 2005

This afternoon, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Mark Taplin welcomed 17 young Romanian scholarship winners to a reception held at the Ambassador’s Residence in Bucharest. The students will participate in tailored fellowship programs known as the Young Scientist Program (YSP) and the Young Business Professionals (YBP) program.

Since 2002, the Young Scientist Program (YSP), funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in collaboration with World Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture, has provided academic scholarships to more than 40 young Romanian scientists.

The program, hosted by Iowa State University (ISU) and University of Wisconsin - River Falls (UW-RF), provides hands-on learning to agricultural scientists from localities throughout Romania.

Students in the month-long training program gain exposure to the latest scientific developments in various areas of agriculture, including food safety, biotechnology, livestock genetics, dairy feed and forage, resource management, agriculture marketing, and international trade and policy. ISU and UW-RF faculty and staff provide expert guidance and advice to fellowship recipients with preparation of study plans and post-fellowship workshops. Upon return to Romania, each participant is required to present a workshop at his or her home academy or institution.

The YSP program has been so successful that USDA has expanded it from a strictly Romanian initiative into the world-wide Norman Borlaug International Fellowship program. Its success also led to the creation of the new Young Business Professionals (YBP) program, which provides training and orientation on U.S. business practices and resources in the areas of agricultural credit and finance and business development and management.

Through the USG partnership with Iowa State University’s Center for International Agricultural Finance, participants in the YBP program will study the theory and practice of agribusiness with top organizations involved in farm management and consulting, agribusiness development, and credit and finance.

The knowledge gained is intended to prepare the participants to respond promptly to the challenges faced by Romanian agriculture and to equip them with the tools they need to become leaders in their professions.

The YSP and YBP programs encourage increased collaboration and networking between Romanian and U.S. agricultural professionals, and are providing Romanian policy makers with a high-quality agriculturist community which they can call upon in order to make sound, science-based policy decisions.

For more information, please contact:

Constantin Deaconescu
Technical Coordinator
USDA /ADAPS
(021) 316-6462

Carmen Podani
Project Management Specialist / Agriculture, Agribusiness
USAID/Romania
(021) 316 1222

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6 Septembrie 2005

Insarcinatul cu Afaceri al Ambasadei Statelor Unite la Bucuresti, Mark Taplin, a fost astazi gazda unei receptii la Resedinta Ambasadorului SUA, in onoarea a 17 bursieri romani. Studentii vor face parte din programe special concepute, cunoscute sub numele de Programul pentru Tinerii Cercetatori (YSP) si, respectiv, Programul pentru Tinerii Intreprinzatori (YBP) si care se adreseaza celor din domeniul agricol.

Inca din 2002, Programul pentru Tinerii Cercetatori (YSP), finantat de Agentia Statelor Unite pentru Dezvoltare Internationala (USAID) si de Departamentul de Agricultura al Statelor Unite (USDA), in colaborare cu Banca Mondiala si Ministerul Agriculturii, a oferit burse academice unui numar de peste 40 de tineri cercetatori si intreprinzatori romani din domeniul agriculturii.

Organizat de Iowa State University (ISU) si University of Wisconsin - River Falls (UW-RF), programul ofera specialistilor in agricultura din Romania posibilitatea de a acumula cunostinte practice.

Studentii care vor participa la programul de pregatire, cu durata de o luna, se vor familiariza cu ultimele noutati stiintifice din diferite domenii agricole, printre care siguranta alimentara, biotehnologie, genetica animala, managementul resurselor, marketing-ul in agricultura si comert si politici internationale. Cadrele didactice si personalul ISU si UW-RF vor sprijini bursierii in pregatirea planurilor de studiu si a activitatilor care vor avea loc dupa terminarea stagiului. La intoarcerea in Romania, fiecare participant va trebui sa prezinte un proiect in cadrul academiei sau institutiei pe care o reprezinta.

Programul pentru Tinerii Cercetatori a avut un succes peste asteptari, astfel incat USDA l-a dezvoltat; in acest fel, initiativa elaborata initial numai pentru Romania USDA a devenit Programul International Norman Borlaug, pe care USDA il va promova in toate tarile in care are programe de colaborare in cercetare. In acelasi timp, succesul acestui program a condus la crearea unui nou Program pentru Tinerii Intreprinzatori (YBP), care ofera pregatire si informatii privind practicile si resursele de afaceri in domeniul creditelor agricole si al managementului si dezvoltarii finantelor si afacerilor.

Prin intermediul parteneriatului intre Guvernul Statelor Unite si Centrul pentru Finante Agricole Internationale al ISU, participantii la programul Tinerii Intreprinzatori vor studia teoria si practica afacerilor in domeniul agricol, impreuna cu organizatii de varf implicate in management si consultanta pentru fermele agricole, in dezvoltarea afacerilor din domeniul agricol si in operatiuni de creditare si finantare.

Cunostintele acumulate de participantii celor doua programe de burse au drept scop pregatirea acestora pentru a reactiona prompt la provocarile carora agricultura din Romania trebuie sa le faca fata, oferindu-le instrumentele de care au nevoie pentru a deveni lideri in domeniul lor.

Programele YSP si YBP incurajeaza intensificarea colaborarii si a schimburilor dintre specialistii agricoli romani si americani si ofera factorilor de decizie politica o comunitate agricola de calitate, la care pot apela pentru a lua decizii solide, bazate pe informatii stiintifice.

Pentru informatii suplimentare, persoanele de contact sunt :

Constantin Deaconescu
Coordonator tehnic
USDA /ADAPS
(021) 316-6462

Carmen Podani
Manager de proiect/Politici agricole
USAID/Romania
(021) 316 1222

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