
Who We Are
Sustainable Procurement in Railway Industry on the Right Track (SPRINT) is a bilateral cooperation initiative between Romania and Norway, focused on advancing Green Public Procurement (GPP) in the railway sector. Through research, policy development, and stakeholder collaboration, we aim to create sustainable, circular, and low-emission railway systems aligned with European climate goals.
Our Partnership
SPRINT is a joint effort between:
· Project Promoter: Universitatea Babeș-Bolyai (Romania)
· Project Partner: University of South-Eastern Norway (Norway)
Together, we collaborate with industry experts (Sporveien AS from Norway and Alstom from Romania), policymakers and businesses to enhance railway procurement practices, foster innovation, and support the green transition.
Funding Authority:
The project is funded under the EEA and Norway Grants 2014-2021, managed by Innovation Norway. The total grant awarded is EUR 84,547.
We invite researchers, businesses, and policymakers to collaborate and support the transition to a greener, more efficient railway system. Stay updated on our progress and get involved in upcoming events and initiatives.
Our Mission
🚆 Develop practical solutions for implementing sustainable procurement in railway infrastructure.
🌍 Promote knowledge exchange between Romania and Norway.
♻ Encourage the adoption of circular economy principles in the transport sector.
🔬 Contribute to research and policy improvements in sustainable mobility.
Meet the Team
-
Daniela Cimpean
PhD – Project Manager – Law and Procurement Expert
Daniela is a Lecturer at Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Faculty of Business, where she teaches business law. She is also a highly skilled law practitioner (as a licensed attorney) and actively works within the branch. Her research interests are closely connected to the scope of the current research project, proven by her successful defense of the PhD thesis on public procurement. Daniela is the acting leader of the Romanian team. -
Tudor Oprisor
PhD – Sustainability Reporting and Procurement Expert
Tudor is a Teaching Assistant at Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Faculty of Business, where he teaches financial and managerial accounting seminars. He has a great amount of expertise in business development (as a consultant) and is actively involved in several entrepreneurial projects. His research interests include sustainability and integrated reporting (having successfully defended his PhD thesis on implementation perspectives for integrated reporting in public sector entities). -
George Cordos
PhD – Sustainability Reporting Expert
George is a Lecturer at Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Faculty of Business, where he teaches basic accounting and forecasting. He is a highly skilled financial accounting practitioner, accumulating his experience as a senior financial officer for a well-known automotive company in Cluj-Napoca. His research interests are framed within the scope of audit reporting (the main scope of his successfully defended PhD thesis), as well as sustainability reporting. George also has previous experience in implementing EEA grants projects. -
Ionut Luca
PhD – Statistics and Data Analysis Expert
Ionut is a Lecturer at Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Faculty of Business, where he teaches applied statistics and econometrics. He has a great amount of expertise in green development, with practical insights as a business consultant in the field of green energy. His research interests include endeavors in data analysis and statistics (mainly focused on regression modelling and forecasting). Ionut also has previous experience in implementing EEA grants projects. -
Cristian Chifu
PhD – Statistics and Data Analysis Expert
Cristian is a Full Professor and the acting Head of the Department of Business at Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania), Faculty of Business. He teaches forecasting and econometrics at both Bachelor and Master’s levels. Cristian has a vast amount of experience in academia, with a high degree of expertise in project implementation. His research interests are focused on mathematics, fixed point theory and applied statistics (actively contributing to the project on the data analysis side). -
Valentin Toader
PhD – Economics Expert
Valentin is an Associate Professor and the current Dean of the Faculty of Business from Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca (Romania). He teaches lectures and seminars at both Bachelor and Master’s levels concerning general economics topics. His contribution to the project is mainly framed in providing insights on green economics (one of his research interests), as well as administrative and managerial support within the implementation process of the current project. -
Timea Bartok
BSc
Timea is an alumna of the Faculty of Business (from Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca) and a current Business Administration Master student within our ranks. During her spell at Bachelor level, she was one of the top students, with remarkable academic records. She also has a law degree and is currently a skilled law practitioner within a Big 4 company. She is actively involved in the research endeavors of the project on the data collection, legislation analysis and interpretation sides.
-
Estera Tudose
BSc
Estera is an alumna of the Faculty of Business (from Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca) and a current Business Administration Master student within our ranks. She has previous practical experience in procurement processes, providing insights into the architecture of the procurement systems. She is actively involved in the research endeavors of the project on the data collection, situation analysis and organizational sides.