Danube Delta National Institute for Research & Development (INCDDD) is an autonomous, legal research-entity and a non-profit organisation located in Romania. Its main objectives include the development of fundamental and applied research to provide scientific background for the management of Romanian wetlands of national and international importance, aiming at biodiversity conservation and sustainable development of these areas. At present, the total number of permanent employees is 101, out of which 40 researchers working in several departments and laboratories, such as the Department for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development, the Department for Ecological Reconstruction and the Department of Laboratories (Chemistry and Hydrobiology). INCDDD’s current activities include inventorying wild species and natural habitats, managing biodiversity-related data (data-bases), conducting environmental impact assessments, assessing natural resources, and monitoring environmental factors and biological quality elements.
In AQUACROSS, the main role of INCDDD is to implement, on local level, specific activities related to the case study on the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. These include facilitating stakeholder engagement; eliciting end-user needs to fulfil data and information systems policy requirements for the implementation of the EC Biodiversity Strategy; assessing drivers, pressures and causalities in the Danube case study; and contributing to the AQUACROSS Data Management Plan.