Cluj-Napoca is stepping up as a technology hub nicknamed the "Silicon Valley of Eastern Europe"

Romania’s second city is creating the Transylvania Industries Cluster

The Romania’s fourth-most populous city is the economic hub of the region, home to a half-million inhabitants in the metropolitan area, as well as 12 universities and 80,000 students. In an effort to solve public problems and promote sustainable development, Cluj-Napoca is boosting “economic engines” in the creative industries and university sector. As a technology hub, the ultimate goal for Cluj-Napoca is to improve the quality of life for citizens by focusing on 5 main areas:  

• transport and mobility
• citizen engagement
• energy
• infrastructure
• Internet access

More than 15,000 people work in the local IT sector, and the city is home to nearly 1,300 IT businesses, which mostly focus on outsourcing and process optimization. The city is now looking to give the IT industry a boost of creativity to help strengthen innovation and the development of new products, creating the Transylvania Industries Cluster. It will be the first in Romania that works alongside local universities. The city wants to create a cluster effect that allows competitiveness growth through information exchange, business partnerships, and economies by using shared resources.

Source: Smart Cities Council