UMF Iași becomes the first medical university in Romania to join the global „Nature Positive Universities Alliance”

In October 2025, the „Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Iași became an official member of the Nature Positive Universities Alliance (https://www.naturepositiveuniversities.net/), a global network initiated by the University of Oxford and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The alliance brings together higher education institutions worldwide that are committed to protecting and restoring biodiversity through research, education, and sustainable campus management. By joining the Alliance, UMF Iași has made a formal institutional commitment to integrate the principles of sustainability and environmental responsibility across all areas of university life – from research and education to campus operations and community engagement.

„Our membership in the «Nature Positive Universities Alliance» reaffirms our continuous concern for sustainability and for developing our university in harmony with nature. It is also an opportunity to collaborate with prestigious universities around the world and to contribute to global efforts for biodiversity conservation,” said Prof. Viorel Scripcariu, MD, PhD, Rector of UMF Iași.

The «Nature Positive Universities Alliance» is part of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030), which aims to reverse the decline of ecosystems worldwide. Member universities commit to assessing their impact on biodiversity, setting SMART objectives (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound) to reduce their ecological footprint, implementing concrete actions to restore natural environments, and reporting progress transparently each year.