ICT Regional Cluster

The Association “Regional Cluster for Information and Communication Technology – West Region Romania” was established on July 1st 2011, following the initiative of 26 founding members, public and private organizations in the regional ICT sector, namely: county councils and city halls, universities, enterprises of different sizes, Romanian and multinational, business support structures.
VISION: The Regional ICT Cluster - West Region Romania was setup with the aim of promoting and supporting the regional ICT enterprises in becoming global market players, with their own products, under a strong regional brand.
This vision is supported by the following specific objectives of the cluster:
· Dynamic evolution of the ICT regional industry from trade and services to the development of own products and consultancy
· Consolidating the ICT regional industry by developing research centers and stimulating the increase of the products' added value
· An integrated education offer with real time update from the needs of regional ICT business environment
· Maintain the ICT human resources in West Region Romania
· Create a favorable regional context for ICT business, prioritize the public investments in the sector and attract new resources and investments in the region
This initiative of West Regional Development Agency is a result of the Regional Innovation Strategy 2009-2013 and is part of the activities and projects through which West RDA supports the strategic sectors of West Region.
ICT Regional Cluster - four clover structure
Public Authorities and Organisations
Local Public
Authorities
· Arad County Council
· Caraş-Severin County Council
· Timiş Judeţul
· Arad City Hall
· Timişoara City Hall
· Deva City Hall
Support
Organisations
· Regional Development Agency for West Region
· Tehimpuls Regional Center for Innovation and Technology Transfer Association
· Modatim Business Facility
Universities and Research entities
· Politehnica University from Timişoara
· West University from Timişoara
· Aurel Vlaicu University from Arad
· „Vasile Goldiş” West University from Arad
· E-Austria Institute Timişoara
Businesses
Telecom
Companies
· Alcatel Lucent
· Kathrein
IT Production Companies
· SSI Schaefer
· Flextronics
Software, Hardware & Consulting
· ACI Worldwide, Lasting System, HTSS
· VoxFilemakersSolutions, Genisoft, ETA 2U
· IntuitiveSoftware, Oce Software, Digital Geek
· Haufe Lexware, UnifiedPost, IBM România
Through its members, the ICT Regional Cluster integrate the whole set of competences for institutional consolidation – public sector investments, highly qualified human resources development, research&development capabilities, institutional framework for cooperation and technological expertise within the company members - multinationals with tradition, SMEs in continous growth, as well as new-born companies, with tendencies for highly specialised services based on cutting-edge technologies.
With a cumulated turnover of 4 billion Euros, în 2012, the companies within ICT Cluster account foro ver 75 % of the overall turnover of the ICT sector in West Region
History
An ample procees of consultations with regional stakeholders between 2007 and 2010 paved the way towards formalizing cooperation platform in ICT field. This dyanimc was facilitated by West Regional Development Agency, as part of the implementation of Regional Innovation Strategy 2005 – 2008 and 2009 – 2013, aiming to capitalize on the added value characterizing strategic economic sectors within West Region. The strategic relevance of ICT in West Region is substantiated by positive growth trand, significant contribution to regional economy, high added value, innovation opportunities and major role in increasing competitiveness wide range of economic and social areas.
No announcements found
A common vision for IT&C in West Region
Stakeholders’ readiness to associate in boosting regional IT&C realm lay in acknowledging joint action as means to stir up and amplify growth and to adapt rapidly to change and trends in IT&C. Furthermore, interest in making new investments, aquire new competences and put in resources to generate innovative products, services and solutions to boost Region’s economy as a whole and incraese quality of llife is rapidly evolving. Combining all these elements underlie the importance of paradigm shift in West Region’s IT&C community.
The steps undertook towards shaping a common vision materialized on November 24th 2010 when regional IT&C stakeholders (local public authorities, academic, academic and reasearch organizations, business support entities) gathered to discuss the opportunity to creat an IT&C Cluster in West Region. Propensity to adhere to the new structure, to develop colaborative projects and to share resources and knowledge marked this event as milestone in the process of building West Region’s IT&C Cluster.
Regional ICT Cluster was established on Aprili 21st 2011 when 26 founding members signed the Artciles of Association şi Statues of Articles, and voted organizational structure and representaives in the Board of Directors and Board of Advisors.




Management

Board of Directors
President – Sorin Maxim, General Director West RDA
Secretar – Ovidiu Şandor, CEO Modatim Business Facility
Coordinators of Thematic Committees:
Public administration – Adrian Ţolea, Arad County Council
Education – Training – Dana Petcu, Director of Institutul E-Austria
Research-Development-Innovation– Delia Golcea, CEO OCE Software
ICT Business developement – Horaţiu Moldovan, President of Lasting System
Internationalization – Sabin Totorean, Sales Director Strategic Industries Alcatel Lucent
Advisory Board
President - Varujan Pambuccian, member of the IT Committee assisting the Romanian Parliament Deputy Chamber, Professor at Politehnica University Bucharest
Dan Bedros – Member, former President and General Director at Alcatel Romania, former Vice-President of Alcatel-Lucent for South-East Europe, President of Strategic Board of Thales Romania
Virgil Marton – Member, former Strategic Unit Coordinator at HP, former telecommunications responsible for Europe at Lucent
Radu Georgescu – Member, Chairman of the Board of Axigen/GECAD Technologies, Avangate, GECAD NET and Director of the Board for GECAD ePayment
Silviu Hotăran – Member, former General Manager at Microsoft Romania, former General Manager at Microsoft South-East Europe and former General Manager at CIEL Romania
President of the Regional Development Board of West Region
The Mayor of Timisoara
Strategy
ICT Cluster elaborated its Development Strategy for 2012 – 2020 horizon with the overall objective to turn West Region’s ICT sector into an ICT Competitiveness Pole by capitalizing and consolidating the existing capacities and generate innovative projects and products through which the ICT potential is exploited towards increasing overall productivity of business and improving public sector processes.
Specific Objectives
Specific Objective 1
Strengthen the innovation capacity through the creation of adequate state of the art infrastructure:
· Regional Data Centre
· ICT Business School
Specific Objective 2
Generate innovative products and servixces, competitive on international markets and which contribute to the development of other economic sectors
Specific Objective 3
Increase the visbility of the ICT sector and attain a strategic position on international level.
