Prysmian Group at the Technical University of Cluj Napoca

The Technical University of Cluj-Napoca (UTCN) hosted one of the most important academic events of the year during the week of 6-10 March: the meeting of the representatives of the 8 partner universities in the European University of Technology /European University of Technology EUt+ alliance.

During this event, the StartUp Village project was presented at the Rural Urban Hub, with the participation of the rectors and representatives of the 8 universities. The event was coordinated by the Prorector Prof.dr.eng. Daniela Popescu, and the presentations were held by Mrs. Emilia Botezan, Director of International Relations, from the Cluj-Napoca City Hall and Mr. Cristian Gheorghe, Sales Manager Telecom Solutions Danubian Countries at Prysmian Group.

ÎThe meeting shed light on insights into the many characteristics of rural innovation ecosystems, as well as obstacles and opportunities for the formation and growth of startups in rural regions. In this respect, the Rural/Urban Cluj Hub (RUHub) was born in Cluj as an initiative of three local administrations (Cluj-Napoca municipality, Ciurila and Petreștii de Jos town halls), the Cluj - Napoca metropolitan area and the C-EDU Educational Cluster in Romania.

In an increasingly connected world, the mission of the project is to bring normality to the urban and rural environment by providing access to sustainable digital services. The adoption of new technologies, not least fibre optics, is leading us into a new era of digital demands. But even if we all have to adapt to these new circumstances, more than 20% (or 66 million) of EU citizens living in rural areas do not have broadband coverage. This digital divide between urban and rural areas creates huge disadvantages for the latter in terms of social, financial, educational and health issues. Thus, proposing a relevant action plan, adapted to the local needs of the communities around Cluj, with a long-term sustainable impact, through co-design and linked to the European Commission's Rural Action Plan and the strategic directions of the Cluj Metropolitan Area on Human Resources Development, increasing employment and combating social exclusion, and increasing knowledge-based economic competitiveness are just some of the objectives of this project.

The EUt+ alliance supports this project through which EUt+ alliance members propose a series of concrete actions regarding equipment and facilities, training and mentoring, cooperation and connection with local ecosystems, the business environment, regional and local authorities - all aimed at supporting startups rural.

More details about the Rural Urban Hub project here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vwzNERs1hc