EIT Community Hub in Romania
Building a Dynamic and Competitive Innovation Ecosystem in Romania
Building a strong innovation ecosystem in Romania is key to driving economic growth, fostering entrepreneurship, and enhancing the country’s global competitiveness. Romania has a growing tech sector, a skilled workforce, and a vibrant startup scene, particularly in cities like Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, and Timișoara.
Investing in research, digital transformation, and support programs for startups and SMEs can attract both local and foreign investors, boosting job creation and industrial development. Romania’s innovation ecosystem is supported by universities, research institutes, and tech hubs, which play a crucial role in knowledge transfer and technological advancements. However, to fully unlock its potential, stronger collaboration between the private sector, government, and academia is needed.
The EIT Community Hub is playing a key role in fostering these collaborations, link them to potential international partners and funding opportunity and promoting success stories within the ecosystem.
A driver of innovation in the country can be the Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3), which focuses on leveraging Romania’s strengths in priority sectors such as ICT, energy, bioeconomy, advanced manufacturing, and health. By aligning research and innovation efforts with regional economic strengths, the strategy helps maximize investment impact, foster collaboration between industries and academia, and enhance competitiveness at both national and international levels.
By fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, Romania can address local and global challenges. Strengthening this ecosystem will not only accelerate economic progress but also position Romania as a key player in the European and global innovation landscape.
About the EIT Community Hub
The EIT Community Hub in Romania serves as a key driver of innovation, connecting local stakeholders with European opportunities. Based in a dynamic innovation ecosystem, the Hub fosters collaboration between startups, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders to accelerate technological advancements and economic growth.
The Hub acts as a catalyst for local innovators by offering vital support, resources, and access to European networks, enhancing their global competitiveness and attracting international investments.
By fostering collaboration between startups, research institutions, and industry leaders, the Hub bridges new ideas with the broader innovation ecosystem. This approach not only accelerates the growth of Romania’s entrepreneurial landscape but also contributes to the country’s socio-economic development, reinforcing its position as a dynamic player in the European and global innovation landscape.
“Coordinating EIT Manufacturing activities in Romania and, now, the EIT Community Hub has shown me both the strength of our innovation ecosystem and the gaps that still hold it back.
As EIT Community Officer, I want to turn nearly a decade of working with the private, public and academic sectors into results: more Romanian organisations connected to European partners, funding and opportunities.”
RALUCA GÎRBACEA , EIT COMMUNITY OFFICER ROMANIA
EIT Funding & Impact
The EIT supports the development of dynamic, long-term thematic partnerships, so-called Knowledge and Innovation Communities. These unique partnerships are formed among companies, research organisations and higher education institutions as well as other key innovation players. They each tackle a specific global challenge.
In 2021 and 2022, a total EIT funding of EUR 649.87 million was channeled to the 27 EU Member States.
Romania received a total of EUR 3.41 million in EIT grants in 2022. This amount is EUR 2.09 million higher than the funding received in 2021 and it was directed to Romanian organisations via eight EIT Knowledge and Innovation Communities in 2022. The largest share (EUR 1.51 million each) was dedicated to business and higher education related activities. The funding included EUR 1.03 million to support Romanian SMEs, mainly under EIT Climate-KIC.
About the EIT Community Officer
Raluca Gîrbacea
EIT Community Officer Romania
Raluca Gîrbacea is a consultant and project manager with experience writing and implementing projects funded through European, national and regional programmes. She has been part of the Iceberg+ team for nearly nine years, and her work has evolved from regional funding calls to complex projects run within European consortia, where she coordinates teams and manages relationships between partners.
She has coordinated EIT Manufacturing activities in Romania and currently coordinates the EIT Community Hub Romania. She is also president of the Cluster for Innovation and Technology, a role in which she contributes to closer collaboration between the private, public and academic sectors.
Raluca holds a Bachelor’s degree in Philology, with a double major in Chinese and English, and is certified in project management and project evaluation. For her, consultancy and European project writing are ways to support good ideas and help the people behind them achieve concrete results.
Contact Details
- Email: romania@eitcommunity.eu
- Address: Mihail Sadoveanu nr 6, 500030, Brașov Romania
- LinkedIn: EIT Community Hub Romania
Upcoming Opportunities
Stay updated with the latest opportunities related to Romania's innovation ecosystem and the activities of the EIT Community Hub.
