Context and description of the assignment

The Republic of Moldova is committed to aligning its national legislation with the EU acquis and best practices, including in the field of innovation infrastructure and science and technology parks.

Agrotek Park, established under Government Decision No. 528/2025 on the premises of UTM, is Moldova's first agro-innovation industrial park of Category B under Law No. 182/2010. The park is currently being operationalised; however, the existing regulatory framework, designed primarily for industrial production, is not sufficiently adapted to the specific objectives and functioning of science and technology parks. The relevant framework includes Law No. 182/2010, Government Decisions No. 652/2011, No. 528/2025 and No. 493/2025, as well as Agrotek Park's internal governance and operational documentation.

Two complementary Senior Legal Experts will therefore support: (1) assessment and adaptation of the legislative and regulatory framework, including drafting legislative amendments; and (2) review and development of Agrotek Park's internal governance, resident selection, contractual and operational documentation, in line with Moldovan legislation and relevant EU standards and practices.

The present assignment concerns the Senior Legal Expert – Institutional & Operational Framework, who will lead the second workstream in close coordination with the complementary Senior Legal & Regulatory Reform Expert.

Objectives

The assignment aims to support the development of a coherent and practically implementable internal legal and operational framework for Agrotek Park. Specifically, the expert shall:

·       assess Agrotek Park's internal governance and operational framework and identify priority legal and implementation gaps;

·       review, revise or draft the internal regulations, procedures and resident selection documentation required for the park's operation;

·       review, revise or draft model agreements, contractual documentation and related legal instruments;

·       strengthen governance, monitoring, accountability and conflict-of-interest arrangements; and

·       ensure consistency with applicable legislation and the legislative and regulatory framework developed under the complementary assignment.

Tasks

The expert shall perform, inter alia, the following tasks:

Phase 1 – Inception, operational legal mapping and stakeholder engagement. The expert shall establish the methodology and work plan, review Agrotek Park's internal governance, contractual and operational documentation and identify priority practical and institutional legal issues.

Phase 2 – Institutional and operational legal gap assessment. The expert shall assess the coherence and practical applicability of Agrotek Park's internal framework, including institutional responsibilities, resident selection, use of assets, monitoring, accountability and conflict-of-interest arrangements, and identify priority improvements.

Phase 3 – Resident selection and competition framework. The expert shall review, revise or draft resident selection documentation, including competition rules, eligibility requirements, evaluation criteria, scoring methodology and conflict-of-interest safeguards, ensuring consistency with the applicable and proposed regulatory framework.

Phase 4 – Internal governance and operational documentation. The expert shall review, revise or draft the internal regulations, governance arrangements and operational procedures required for the effective functioning of Agrotek Park, ensuring coherence among these instruments and with the applicable legal framework.

Phase 5 – Contracts, model agreements and related legal documentation. The expert shall review, revise or draft model agreements and related legal documentation governing the relationship between the park administrator and residents, including, but not limited to, provisions on duration and termination, investment obligations, use of assets and premises, reporting and monitoring, confidentiality, intellectual property, liability, dispute resolution, non-compliance and remedies, amendment and renewal.

Phase 6 – Consultation, implementation support, finalisation and capacity building. The expert shall support consultation and validation of the revised internal framework, finalise the relevant documents, ensure consistency with the complementary regulatory workstream, and provide recommendations for implementation and follow-up.

Expected deliverables and indicative delivery plan

The assignment will be implemented in close coordination with the Senior Legal & Regulatory Reform Expert. The expert shall submit concise, output-based bi-monthly progress reports summarising work completed, key outputs and consultations, issues or risks, and priorities for the following period. Joint reporting may be used where appropriate, with each expert's contribution and level of effort clearly identified.