On October 18, 2024, UTM hosted the Round Table on “Innovative education for a sustainable and competitive Moldovan agri-business e-AgriMBA” organized within the framework of the project Electronic Pan-European Learning System for Sustainable Agribusiness MBA Education (e-AgriMBA).
The event focused its discussions on the benefits created by the unique Agribusiness Management MBA program in the Republic of Moldova. It highlighted the vital role of skills and knowledge in creating a competitive agricultural sector, especially in the context of the (pre)accession process to the European Union. Topics of interest included the importance of English language education and lifelong learning in the MBA program, which bring long-term benefits for business and academia.
Another important point is the integration of UTM in the international AgriMBA network of the Association of European Universities of Life Sciences (ICA), which will facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experience, thus contributing to the development of a modern agribusiness sector oriented towards the European market requirements.
The Round Table was attended by international partners from Poland, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia, together with representatives from various institutions from the Republic of Moldova: Liliana Martin – Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry; Domnina Calancea and Tudor Morari – Agency for Development and Modernization of Agriculture (ADMA); Iurie Ușurelu – UCIP-IFAD; Ana Tibuleac and Stela Stratin – OPTIM Project; Svetlana Petrașcu – Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova (CCIRM); Cristina Filip – AIPA; Rafael Ciloci – Dean FIEB; Rina Turcan – Head of Department, FIEB.
The event was opened by Ms. Daniela Pojar, vice-rector for financial issues and international relations at the Technical University of Moldova (UTM), who mentioned the beneficial aspects and international collaboration of the AgriMBA program.
Ms. Aurelia Litvin, local coordinator of the e-AgriMBA project, said that the initiation of this ambitious project initially generated many challenges. In solving them, together with the UTM team, there were remarkable personalities, including the ADMA team in the person of Mr. Popov Maxim and Mr. Codreanu Vadim, thanks to whom the opening of the program was possible.
At the same time, Mrs. Aurelia Litvin emphasized that, “The OPTIM project partners showed great interest in this MBA program and, thanks to them, it was possible to successfully achieve the objectives of the MBA Management in Agribusiness program and, thus, we thank them.”
Mr. Łukasz Wojdyga – Director of the Center for Strategic Studies, Institute of Entrepreneurship in Warsaw, Poland emphasized that “The European Union really wants the UTM AgriMBA program to have an impact and create real added value for Moldovan agribusiness.” Mrs. Prof. Dr. Agata Malak-Rawlikowska – Head of the Polish AgriMBA network said “This is also the ambition of our e-AgriMBA project: we really want to have impact.” Prof. Dr. Rico Ihle – Secretary General of the AgriMBA network from the Netherlands presented the achievements and future directions of the project and Prof. Dr. Wim Heijman – Former Secretary General of the network from the Czech Republic gave a retrospective on the development of AgriMBA and its impact on European agriculture.
Mr. KORDIK Hans – Team Leader, German-Moldovan Agricultural Policy Dialogue (APD) said that “This event highlighted the crucial role of modern education and international collaboration to bring innovation to the agribusiness sector in the Republic of Moldova, facilitating its progress towards a sustainable and competitive future in the European context.”
The MBA in Agribusiness Management program at the Technical University of Moldova has formal support from the Ministry of Agriculture of Moldova.
