CONSORTIUM STRUCTURE
The partnership established between the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași, the Romanian Academy – Iași branch, and the company SC Arheo Management SRL, is a new consortium, which seeks to develop a program of interdisciplinary archaeological research in order to offer a model of integrated research of the archaeological heritage, both for the scientific entities, with research purposes, but particularly for local authorities and line companies that wish to promote high-standard cultural tourism.
The partnership includes two distinct research units unique in the academic landscape of Iași, a major economic, namely, on the one side, the ―Alexandru Ioan Cuza‖ University of Iași (the coordinating institution), which through the ARHEOINVEST Platform developed a powerful unit of interdisciplinary research in the field of archaeology, and, on the other side, the Iași chapter of the Romanian Academy, through the Institute of Archaeology (partner P1), a prestigious scholarly unit in Romanian archaeological research, and then again a newly- established private entity, SC Arheo Management SRL (partner P2), likewise from Iași, which through its activity aims to develop in the private system a program of interdisciplinary research in the field of cultural heritage (particularly the archaeological one).
The “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University of Iași represents one of the most established higher-education institutions in Romanian research, with remarkable results both in what concerns the number of international and national research projects implemented throughout time, but also with respect to the dissemination of the results via participations at international scientific gatherings, and particularly through the publication of substantive monographs published at prestigious international printing houses and of studies in ISI-ranked, high-profile journals. We must stress the fact that in the field of archaeology, a research domain to which our proposal is ascribed, the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University excels through the research unit it developed (the ARHEOINVEST Platform, with its five laboratories of interdisciplinary research, furnished with specific equipment and machinery worth over 2 million euros), which conducted research campaigns both inside Romania and abroad, and, more noteworthy, published substantial volumes and studies at foreign printing houses (Springer, Brill, Archaeopress, etc.) or in ISI journals (Journal of Archaeological Science, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, The Holocene, Mankind Quarterly, Quaternary International, etc.). Moreover, the ARHEOINVEST Platform was the host, during the last few years, of several international scientific gatherings that are now recognised at an international level and indexed in several databases.
As the partnership‘s coordinating entity, it is implicit that the “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University (UAIC) will have both scientific, as well as managerial tasks. Thus, UAIC will produce a part of the documentation associated with the project proposal, will contribute to the elaboration of the database, will be the main performer of the geophysical measurements, and will focus on the monitoring of the risk factors (anthropic or natural) and on the activities of touristic capitalisation of the archaeological heritage. Obviously, the institution will contribute to the elaboration of the main criteria for producing the functional model of research. With respect to the project management facet, UAIC will coordinate the entire research activity of the partners, ensuring that the partners will achieve the assumed objectives, and intervening, if necessary, in situations where, for objective reasons, the project stalls.
The Iași chapter of the Romanian Academy – the Institute of Archaeology, the first project partner, is one of the largest archaeological research institutes in Romania, with a activity of over 50 years in the field and with outstanding results. Through its specialists (a part of which are members of the project), internationally recognised, the partner will offer the possibility to achieve several of the project objectives: documentation work, producing and processing air photographs, identifying and charting the hydro-geomorphological processes, etc.
As mentioned, SC Arheo Management SRL from Iași constitutes, a new private research unit, which seeks to become involved in the development of new research directions. Even if it is newly founded, the private partner has already provided services of archaeological management, by taking over a niche that was not serviced by state institutions.
As a partner in the project hereby proposed, SC Arheo Management SRL will develop the Web-GIS platform, will contribute, through its qualified personnel, to the tourism-related activities, and to the capturing of the natural landscape of the study areas using archaeological topographic approaches. From the managerial point of view, the company will organise trainings and internal workshops.