A Causal Inference Perspective for Estimating the Influence of the Romanian Competitiveness Operational Programme on Researchers' Performance

Research and innovation systems are essential for enabling economic growth and empowering individuals to face global challenges. This study evaluates the impact of investments in research infrastructures and activities supported by the Romanian Competitiveness Operational Programme in the 2014-2020 programming period. Based on 2021 data, our evaluation employs a causal inference approach aiming to estimate the influence of investments on the improvement of scientific knowledge and capacities, focusing on the performance of researchers. The results of the estimation show that the support granted for developing the research infrastructures led to a better integration of researchers into international research teams and an increased number of co-publications with foreign researchers. In addition, as a result of the investments in infrastructures, researchers have extended and strengthened their collaborative relationships within their organisations and generated more new research projects. Our results indicate positive effects with respect to the production of scientific knowledge, while the wider economic and societal effects cannot yet be observed.