The Doctoral Programme on Gender Equality in Science, set up in 2013 within the frame of the UAIC-STAGES project in cooperation with the UAIC Doctoral School / Doctoral School in Sociology, will continue in 2016 as well. This year the theme of the grant competition is Gender and Responsible Research and Innovation. The PhD research themes will be supervised by Prof. Dr. Doina Balahur, who initiated, as the coordinator of the UAIC-STAGES project, the thematic programme on Gender Equality in Science to be included as PhD advanced research in Sociology at the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University

The new Rector of the UAIC, Prof. Dr. Tudorel Toader, had recently a meeting with Mr. Fabien Flori, the Director of the Office for Centrale and Eastern Europe of Agence Universitaire de la Phrancophonie (AUF), to which our university is affiliated since 2002. Meantime, the UAIC's membership in the AUF stimulated collaboration in research and academic projects, funding grants programmes, and several scientific events have been organised in partnership. In present, the AUF joints more than 770 universities around the world, and operates as a promotor of francophony for higher education and research in 98 countries from 5 continents. The meeting had the aim of developing new academic and scientific collaborations between our university and AUF's affiliated institutions, as for example the setting up of a dual diploma programme offered by the Faculty of Law from University of Bordeaux and UAIC as well as joint organisation of new editions of prestigious scientific events at the UAIC as The XIII French-Romanian Colloquium on Applied Mathematics (planned on 25-29 August 2016) and the third edition of the International Francophone Conference for PhD students in Penal Law, that will take place this autumn, at the UAIC Faculty of Law.

Professor Luminița Bejenaru, from the Faculty of Biology, has an international scientific reputation based on valuable research in the interdisciplinary field of archaeobiology, the study of the biology of ancient times through archaeological materials. She frequently presented her research contributions at important international conferences and published numerous scientific articles in the prestigious journals, being highly appreciated by colleagues, especially by the specialists from her scientific community. A recent success of Professor Bejenaru is worth to be mentioned: she is co-author of a scientific article published in "Nature", one of the best/highly ranked scientific journal. Article is entitled "Genomic insights into the origin of farming in the ancient Near East", and has been published online on 25 July 2016/ Nature (2016) doi:10.1038/nature19310 (Professor Luminița Bejenaru, from the Faculty of Biology, has an international scientific reputation based on valuable research in the interdisciplinary field of archaeobiology, the study of the biology of ancient times through archaeological materials. She frequently presented her research contributions at important international conferences and published numerous scientific articles in the prestigious journals, being highly appreciated by colleagues, especially by the specialists from her scientific community. A recent success of Professor Bejenaru is worth to be mentioned: she is co-author of a scientific article published in “Nature”, one of the best/highly ranked scientific journal. Article is entitled “Genomic insights into the origin of farming in the ancient Near East”, and has been published online on 25 July 2016/ Nature (2016) doi:10.1038/nature19310 (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaap/ncurrent/full/nature19310.html?WT.feed_name=subjects_genetics). The study represents the result of an extensive and fruitful collaboration between scientists from USA, Canada, UK, Germany, China, Irland, Israel, Italy, Spain, France, Turkey, The Nederlands, Scotland, Romania, Armenia, Croatia, Hungary. The two co-authors from Romania are Professor Luminița Bejenaru and Dr. Gheorghe Ștefănescu, from the Institute for Biological Research (Iasi). ). The study represents the result of an extensive and fruitful collaboration between scientists from USA, Canada, UK, Germany, China, Irland, Israel, Italy, Spain, France, Turkey, The Nederlands, Scotland, Romania, Armenia, Croatia, Hungary. The two co-authors from Romania are Professor Luminița Bejenaru and Dr. Gheorghe Ștefănescu, from the Institute for Biological Research (Iasi).