The Research Institute of Phytobiology, founded in 2008, will be divided into the Institute for Field Crops Research “Selectia” and the Institute of Phytobiology “Porumbeni”. Both will be public institutions, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Valeriu Cosarciuc, Government’s decision to merge the 2 institutes in 2008 was meant to improve the research efficiency and to reduce administrative expenditure. However, none of these goals were achieved. There is a distance of 130 kilometers between the institutes so that their efficient common administration is impossible. The common Scientific Council can’t meet promptly because of the distance. Besides, there are some financial issues “Selectia” inherited from the former departments of “Porumbeni” Institute. Thereby, the Minister considers it’s reasonable the institutes return to independent research. “Selectia” Institute was created 65 years ago and has 45 researchers, while “Porumbeni” was founded 36 years ago and has 32 scientists. Financially, each of them can work independently as they have contracts with farmers and agricultural companies, whom they provide with new plant varieties. The Minister will act as the founder of state enterprises (technological-experimental stations Balti and Pascani) subordinated to the 2 institutes.