One of the first established Digital Innovation Hubs
The Digital Innovation Hub for a Smarter, Safer and more Sustainable Society (DIH4Society) is a digital transformation and innovation enabler located in the North-West Region of Romania, established in 2015 and recognized as fully operational by the European Commission.
Services worth almost 4 million Euros will be delivered between 2024- 2025 in the North-West Region, free for eligible beneficiaries
DIH4Society has been selected by the European Commission as a recognized official node of the European Digital Innovation Hubs Network edihnetwork.eu.
A total public funding of almost 4 million EUR has been secured through the direct grant from the EC under the Digital Europe Programme (grant n. 101083952 — DIH4Society) and the co-funding received from the Romanian state under POCIDIF (Project DIH4Society SMIS 161824 – POCIDIF/1147/2/1/Action 2.4 EDIH). This gives SMEs, public authorities and healthcare organizations the opportunity to receive for free specialized services to support innovation and digital transformation (eligibility requirements apply).
For detailed information on other programmes co-financed by the European Union, please visit www.fonduri-ue.ro
A consistent ecosystem
DIH4Society brings together and coordinates a complex ecosystem led by 4 consortium partners (Cluj IT Cluster, Technical University Cluj-Napoca, University Oradea and Chamber of Commerce and Industry Bistrita-Nasaud).
Over 50 relevant actors participate the associated network ( technology solution providers, universities, research centres, cluster initiatives, chambers of commerce and industry, EEN members, SME associations, education and business development services, banks and financing actors. We maintain active collaborations with public administrations and the NW Regional Development Agency.
A well-developed territorial coverage
We are headquartered in the regional academic and business hub Cluj-Napoca. The hub has a local presence with offices in the all major cities of the counties of the Northern Transylvania Region (Oradea, Bistrita, Baia-Mare, Satu-Mare, Zalau), as well as contact points in several counties of the Transylvania macro-region of Romania ( in Sf. Gheorghe, Brasov, Sibiu, Alba-Iulia, Petrosani), with additional cooperation partners in other regions of Romania, in the cities of Suceava, Iasi, Craiova, and Bucharest.
An active member of European initiatives
Since 2015, our hub has been deeply involved in digitalization policies and initiatives at EU level. We established collaboration agreements with 26 DIHs from Europe, and we contributed to the foundation of 3 thematic corridors (The Next Generation Public Corridor, North-South Cooperation Logistic Corridor, SE_SmartHEALTH EDIH Network). Through our lead members, we are also involved in organizations such as the European Digital SME Alliance , Balkan, Black Sea and Baltic ICT Clusters Network, CyberSec4Europe.
A team developed around professional excellence
The DIH coordination is realized by Prof. Dr. Stelian Brad (PhD in engineering/robotics and in economics; 22+ years of complex expertise in the software industry, prof. with tenure at Technical University Cluj-Napoca). Executive management is carried out by Andrei Kelemen (Head of Operations and Internationalization, also CEO at Cluj IT Cluster). Our strategic outlook is shaped by an advisory board composed of recognized international innovation experts, chaired by Florin Paun, member of the EIC Jury, innovation expert with more than 20 years in technology transfer in the aerospace industry. Members of the SAB include:
- Dr. Dominique Foray, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, author of smart specialization theory, the base for all RIS3 in the EU;
- Tanya Suarez, CEO of IoT Tribe, entrepreneur and manager of a network of venture funds with locations in London, Madrid, and Singapore;
- Margareta Mucibabici (Chesaru), Public Affairs Manager at UiPath, global leader in Robotic Process Automation.
The governance structure is composed of representatives of the 4 leading partners (Cluj IT Cluster – coordinating partner, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, University of Oradea and Chamber of Commerce of Bistrita-Nasaud).
> See more details abour our team