Ciprian ALUPULUI | Researcher | ORCID

Ciprian Alupului works at the Centre for European Studies (CES), Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, Romania, where he also serves as Coordinator of the European Documentation Centre. He holds a PhD in Human Geography (2012, UAIC), with a thesis on territorial governance. His research interests include European policies, local and regional development, territorial governance, and cross-border cooperation. He has participated in over 20 national and international research programmes, contributed to multiple research projects, and is actively involved in academic dissemination and editorial activities in European Studies.

Ion MUȘCHEI | Researcher | ORCID

Ion Mușchei is a researcher and policy professional working in the fields of European studies, EU integration, and democratic governance. He holds a PhD in Economics and International Affairs, and his professional activity combines academic research, university teaching, and applied policy work related to European integration. He currently works as a Principal Consultant within the State Chancellery – Bureau for European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, where he provides methodological and technical support to public authorities involved in EU accession and negotiation processes. He has participated in national and international research projects and contributes to academic and policy-oriented dissemination through publications, conferences, and expert events.

HOST INSTITUTION

The project is implemented in the Centre for European Studies of (CES), within Faculty of Law, with a solid expertise on the EU’s eastern neighbourhood and EU’s cross-border cooperation. Centre for European Studies of (CES), is an interdisciplinary department within Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi which focuses on developing new academic and research programmes mainly in the field of regional studies.

Loredana SIMIONOV | PROJECT COORDINATOR | ORCID

Dr. Loredana Maria Simionov is a researcher at the Centre for European Studies, Faculty of Law, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, and holds a PhD in Economics and International Affairs. Her research focuses on the post-Soviet space and the EU’s relations with its Eastern European neighbours, including Russia, using interdisciplinary approaches that integrate international relations, international economics, governance, and European integration studies. Her work examines democratic resilience in the context of the global democratic crisis, with particular attention to the EU and its eastern neighbourhood. Moreover,  Dr. Simionov has contributed to major European research initiatives, including the frontier research project ReGrowEU, where she coordinated the Democracy and Politics workgroup and developed an innovative conceptual and methodological framework for assessing democratic resilience across EU countries. Her research highlights the links between governance, digitalisation, and economic performance, as well as persistent East–West divides within the EU. She has authored and co-authored numerous publications on EU resilience strategies, governance transformation, and democratic development in Eastern.

Irina CLIPCA | PhD student | ORCID

Irina Clipca is a PhD student in Economics and International Affairs and holds a Master’s degree from the Centre for European Studies. Her research interests focus on digital participatory governance, digital transformation processes within public institutions, energy efficiency, and the impact of European funds. She has participated in numerous international conferences and forums on digitalisation and governance and is a member of the organising board of several editions of the international EURINT Conference. During her PhD and Master’s studies, Irina actively contributed to research projects such as CITY-FOCUS and ReGrowEU. Her professional experience in the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova and as a project manager for European-funded projects has provided her with applied insights into local governance, territorial development, and public policy implementation.

Cristi NITOIU | Chair | ORCID

Cristian Nitoiu is Lecturer in Diplomacy and International Governance at Loughborough University, UK. Cristian’s teaching and research interest focus on the foreign policy of Russia and the EU, the international relations of the BRICS countries, EU-Russia relations, Eastern Europe, international relations, the European public sphere and international political communication. Cristian's research has been guided by an interdisciplinary ethos, with insights from various disciplines (international relations, policy studies, media studies, or communication), with the long-term goal to uncover the links between the nature of political systems and foreign policy, with a focus on Europe, Russia, Eurasia and the BRICS countries.

Neculai-Cristian SURUBARU | main expert on Governance | ORCID

Cristian is a Lecturer in Public Administration and Management in the Business School at Edinburgh Napier University. He is a Senior Research Associate in the Unity Lab (Urban Innovation Policy Lab). He holds a PhD in Political Science and European Studies from Loughborough University and has received a Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy (Advance HE). He also acts an Associate Researcher of the European Policies Research Centre (EPRC) at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow.

Ana-Maria Nikolas | expert and practitioner on Civil Society

Ana-Maria Nikolas is a doctoral researcher focusing on European cross-movement cooperation and transnational solidarity at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany. She previously worked as a research associate at the German Center for Integration and Migration Research (DeZIM) in Berlin, where she led the project “Engagement and Belonging – Muslim Youth Associations and Their Civil Society Networks.” Earlier, she coordinated a study on German civil society during the COVID-19 pandemic at the Institute for Protest and Movement Research and was a member of an early-career research group on transnational alliances between social movements and trade unions in Europe. She holds a degree in social science, with a focus on globalization, transnationalization, and governance.

Ștefan BEJAN  | Researcher | ORCID

Ștefan Bejan is a journalist and historian from the Republic of Moldova, specializing in contemporary history and the analysis of identity and geopolitical processes in the Eastern European region. Between 2022 and 2025, he worked as an investigative reporter at TV8, where he produced journalistic materials on corruption, foreign influence, security, and the functioning of state institutions. He previously gained experience in the field of education and print journalism. He is currently an expert within the advocacy community WatchDog.MD, where he conducts analyses, studies, and commentary on disinformation, information security, historical memory, and geopolitical risks for the Republic of Moldova. His work combines historical research, investigative journalism, and strategic analysis, with a focus on dismantling propagandistic narratives and strengthening democratic resilience.