Romania is firmly committed to contributing to the prestigious Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) nuclear physics project, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (www.eli-np.ro). As a director of university research grants — hence one of the many possible competitors of ELI for government funding — I support this commitment.

Started in 2013 and due to go live in 2018, ELI is already competing in budget size with the more than US$100 million that represents the annual total offered by the country's open-competition national grant schemes (see go.nature.com/raad8w).

Romania's national research budget has been notably stable over the past five years — and yet individual grants have been shrinking. Explanations have included the relative priorities of different fields or grant types, the international financial crisis, and ethical issues (see, for example, go.nature.com/j8slvh).

With the economic problems fading away and ELI advancing rapidly, an increase in the national research budget would seem logical — and would in fact have precedents. Alternatively, Romania's research ministry may wish to seek support from other ministries, such as those that specialize in infrastructure.