Through Wallachia eHub, the development regions in southern Romania will benefit from advanced support services for innovation and digital transformation
Between January 26-27, the Spiru Haret University, as the Coordinator of a European project “Digital Innovation Hub” (EDIH), organized the official launch event (kick-off), which took place in a hybrid format and was attended by representatives of partner organizations from the project consortium.
The WALLACHIA eHUB – DIGITAL INNOVATION HUB (WEH), ID 101083410, Call DIGITAL-2021-EDIH-01 project is a European project that runs from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2025, with the European Commission as the grant authority. The total value of the project is €3,172,282.50, of which the EU contribution is €1,586,131.28.
The consortium brings together 16 partners, as follows: Spiru Haret University, Danube Engineering Hub Association, Petroleum and Gas University of Ploiești, HEVECO SRL, UNBOX MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS SRL, AUDIT SRL, Technology Enabled Construction (TEC) Cluster Association, GREENTRONICS SRL, Association for the Promotion of Electronic Technology (APTE), BEIA CONSULT INTERNATIONAL SRL, BUCHAREST PROMO ROBOTS SRL, OMEGA TRUST SRL, INTEGRISOFT SOLUTIONS SRL, KOGNITIVE MANUFACTURING TECH SRL, PETAL SA, and INPULSE PARTNERS SRL.
The consortium aims to harmonize the reciprocal capacities to offer specialized services in the form of digital solutions and interoperability, applying advanced technologies such as AI, cybersecurity, robotics, mobility, location-based technologies (GIS), digital modeling in construction (BIM), blockchain, etc. The WEH project will offer a range of high-tech services that focus on logistics engineering, precision agriculture, Smart City, dual-use services, urbanism and training programs on key digitalization concepts, etc.
The industries planned to be supported through the WEH project in the next three years are: production (furniture, textiles, metal and plastic structures, industry 4.0); agri food industry; tourism and heritage (hotels, restaurants, heritage goods such as museums, old buildings, entrepreneurs involved in rural tourism and niche markets, including tourism with organic food from local producers); construction industry; energy, oil, and gas; health; transport means and public authorities.
The objectives of the project include: supporting regional digitalization needs and contributing to the creation and consolidation of a network of DIHs at the European level; coordinating and stimulating the digital transformation process through innovative integrated services and solutions, with a multiplier effect in the South Muntenia region as well as in the Bucharest-Ilfov region, and strengthening the WeH capacity as a provider of digitalization services.
“The European project WeH is based on a history of inter-cluster regional cooperation. The Wallachia Hub cluster consortium, the initiator of the project, was founded in 2019 and has been focused on regional digital transformation since its formation, becoming a regional center with this objective. The consortium, made up of Danube Engineering Hub Ploiești, Bio Concept Valea Prahovei Ploiești, Danube Furniture Cluster, CERMAND Târgoviște, USH ProBusiness Entrepreneurial Center, and ACEX, since March 2020, has had its objective set for digital transformation through support services at the European level. With this occasion, the WeH project (Wallachia eHub) was established to engage the cluster consortium in the development of a European Digital Innovation Hub (EDIH). The following year, on January 21, 2021, the Council of Founding Members of the cluster consortium, taking note of the progress made in recognizing the center as an active network for regional transformation, with concrete events and activities, agreed to advance the Wallachia eHub project as a regional EDIH by submitting its candidacy at the national level and then at the level of the European Commission. The history continued during the period 2021-2022 when the project gained support from 70 entities in the regional ecosystem of the consortium, and some of them, 16 in number, accepted the challenge of jointly submitting a project to the European Commission to obtain funding for such a Digital Innovation Center (EDIH). Thus, we have committed to expanding the ecosystem previously created,” said Prof. Dr. Costin Lianu, the project coordinator.
After the meeting on January 26-27 of the entities involved in the project, on February 9 we will have other meetings with the extended group of supporters, preceded by the meeting of the Founding Members Council of the cluster consortium at the University of Oil and Gas in Ploiești. We will discuss the European strategy for digital transformation, the European context of the WeH project, WeH in a regional and national context, and last but not least, we will present the services and action plans for potential beneficiaries and the ways in which they can engage in the project. We attach the event agenda for those interested.
Contact information:
Costin Lianu, Project Coordinator
SPIRU HARET UNIVERSITY
Address: 13 Ion Ghica Street, 2nd Floor, Sector 3, Bucharest, Romania
Email: weh@spiruharet.ro
Website: https://wallachiaehub.ro/
Useful contacts for the launch conference in Ploiești:
Costin Lianu, Project Coordinator
Email: weh@spiruharet.ro
Irina Rădulescu, Dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences
Email: iradulescu@upg-ploiesti.ro
