Knowledge Hub
The Knowledge Hub brings together essential resources, practical guides, and useful tools to support the growth and innovation of startups.

Northern Transylvania (North-West Romania) is one of the most dynamic and attractive regions for investment and business development. Comprising the counties of Cluj, Bihor, Bistrița-Năsăud, Maramureș, Satu Mare, and Sălaj, the region benefits from a unique mix of developed infrastructure, a skilled workforce, and a rapidly expanding business ecosystem. Northern Transylvania is a strategic region for investment and business development, combining economic advantages, modern infrastructure, and a culture of innovation. With the support of European programs and a well-connected business ecosystem, this area is increasingly attractive to both local and international entrepreneurs and investors.

Investment and Business Advantages

 

Strong Economic Hub – Cities like Cluj-Napoca and Oradea are innovation and technology hubs, attracting companies in sectors such as IT, automotive, manufacturing, and research & development.

Modern Infrastructure – International airports in Cluj-Napoca and Oradea, the developing highway network, and proximity to the borders with Hungary and Ukraine facilitate trade and mobility.

Access to European Funds and Support for Entrepreneurs – Non-repayable funding programs and the support provided by the local ecosystem help startups and SMEs across various industries.

Skilled Workforce – Prestigious universities in Cluj-Napoca and other cities ensure a steady stream of specialists in key fields like IT, engineering, and medicine.

Sectoral Diversity – From manufacturing and tourism to agribusiness and renewable energy, the region offers numerous opportunities for entrepreneurs.

High-Growth Potential Sectors 

 

Technology and IT&C – Cluj-Napoca is dubbed "Romania’s Silicon Valley," serving as a hub for digital innovation.

Industry and Manufacturing – Industrial parks in Oradea, Bihor, and Satu Mare attract significant investments.

Agrobusiness and Bioeconomy – Natural resources and agricultural traditions foster the growth of organic production and the food industry.

Tourism and Hospitality – Maramureศ™, the Apuseni Mountains, and the Bฤƒile Felix area offer immense potential for sustainable tourism and the development of hospitality infrastructure.

We curate relevant information and provide you with reports, useful links, and analyses, as well as materials from our partners that can be helpful to you.

Regional Focus

The North-West Region of Romania is strategically developing through the implementation of the smart specialization concept, focusing on economic sectors with high growth potential, innovation, and international competitiveness.

The current Smart Specialization Strategy includes 6 priority sectors: Agro-food, Health, Cosmetics and Dietary Supplements, New Materials, Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, and Information and Communication Technology.

In addition to the priority sectors, the strategy also includes a Smart Specialization Project Portfolio for the region.

Discover below the sectors that are the focus of the region.

Regional case studies

The Regional Operational Program (ROP) is a European funding program that supports the economic and social development of regions in Romania. Over the years, ROP has funded hundreds of companies in the North-West region, helping them grow their businesses and increase their competitiveness. We visited the headquarters of 12 companies funded through ROP to discover the secrets of their success. Watch the interviews and learn how you can adapt their best practices to your project.

Studii de caz
Intellectual Property
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INNO ADR NV
The program concluded with Demo Day on February 27 in Cluj-Napoca, where teams pitched their solutions to a panel of judges, including investors, private clinic representatives, doctors, and business experts. The audience also had a say, voting for the most promising solution.
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INNO ADR NV
Demo Day will take place on February 27, starting at 4:00 PM, at Hub UTCN in Cluj-Napoca. The finalist teams will present innovative solutions addressing needs in areas such as nutrition, psychiatry, surgery, telemedicine, and administrative support for doctors.
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INNO ADR NV
Smart Specialization Parks are hubs of economic development and innovation created to foster collaboration between companies, universities, research institutes, and public authorities. From health and life sciences to green energy and digital technologies, PSIs are designed to boost economic growth in future-oriented sectors.
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INNO ADR NV
Initiated by the European Union, smart specialization is a process through which regions identify and develop their unique competitive advantages, focusing on economic sectors where they have the potential to excel in the global market.
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INNO ADR NV
A new edition of the LevelUP Health & Life Sciences Accelerator is about to start. If you have an early-stage startup in the life sciences, apply now!
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INNO ADR NV
Cluj-Napoca hosted a major event for Romanian SMEs in the digital, health and green technology sectors. The event marked the launch in Romania of the EU Business Hub - Japan and South Korea program, financed by the European Union.
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INNO ADR NV
Eurochambres and Danis Foundation invite regional companies with internationalization ambitions to the national launch event of the EU Business Hub - Japan and South Korea program in Romania!
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INNO ADR NV
The recent UK economic mission to our region left a clear impression on the guests: our region is a competent and reliable partner!
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INNO ADR NV
Cluj Innovation Days is a major annual event dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. This year's edition focused on two major themes: green digital innovations and cybersecurity.
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INNO ADR NV
INNO participated last week in the Berlin Playground event, an annual gathering organized by Connect & Experience for its alumni.
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INNO ADR NV
Two Romanian startup hubs secured positions within the first half of the Financial Times rankings.
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INNO ADR NV
INNO, represented by Laviniu Chis, actively participated in a recent business delegation to Liverpool, fostering connections and exploring collaborative opportunities between Romanian and UK businesses.
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INNO ADR NV
On November 10, the Museum of Ethnography in Budapest hosted the CEEcosystem Summit, drawing together 50 speakers and 40 companies from 12 countries. INNO was also invited to this event to showcase how our accelerator and initiatives support regional startups.
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INNO ADR NV
LevelUP x iScale is an intensive 3-day bootcamp scheduled for September 6th through 8th, in Cluj-Napoca. It is part of the LevelUP Health & Life Sciences Accelerator program, the first accelerator dedicated to health and life sciences startups in Romania, funded by EIT Health and North-West RDA.
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INNO ADR NV
Startup Heatmap Report 2023 is Europe’s most comprehensive study on the development of startup ecosystems and founder mobility.
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INNO ADR NV
Cristina Bogățeanu will host an intensive training session on the sixth session of LevelUP Accelerator for our start-up founders. The „Agile Project Management for Startups in Life Sciences and Health Tech” workshop help you better understand how the customer's behavior and needs actually determine the development or adjustment of the products and consequently what is your role in this whole process and how you can adapt to this process.
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INNO ADR NV
Meet Montse Daban Marín, a true trailblazer in the European health space. She's coming to our acceleration meeting this Thursday, exclusively for our LevelUP Accelerator start-ups.
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INNO ADR NV
Thursday, June 22nd, INNO organized a practical workshop for the participating start-ups in the LevelUP Accelerator program on how to legally establish their company.
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INNO ADR NV
Techsylvania is an annual technology conference held in Cluj-Napoca, that brings together professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, and tech enthusiasts from various fields and industries.
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INNO ADR NV
Cluj Innovation Days is a major annual event dedicated to encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship and to forging cross-industry and cross-sector collaborations for the emergence of new business models with societal impact.
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INNO ADR NV
The IDENTICOM4 Industry and Technology Fair took place in Cluj-Napoca on May 24-26, at the Regional Center of Excellence for Creative Industries. The concept of IDENTICOM4 revolves around the relationship between innovation-oriented companies, digitalization in the Industry 4.0 era, quality vision, and their customers.
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INNO ADR NV
Organized by Organizația Tinerilor Medici – OTM (Young Doctors Organization) in partnership with Centrul de Cultură Urbană, HealthFEST aimed to make health fun and accessible to everyone.
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INNO ADR NV
Have you wondered what sets apart 10% of start-ups that make it to market? Our Techsylvania satellite workshop will help you discover the lean start-up and learn best practices for developing defensible business models in biotech and medtech.
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INNO ADR NV
The LevelUP Health & Life Sciences Program has officially begun, with a successful introductory boot camp and first acceleration meeting for the 14 participating start-ups.
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INNO ADR NV
The selection period for the first accelerator in Romania dedicated exclusively to health and life sciences startups, LevelUP Health & Life Sciences Accelerator, has ended.
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INNO ADR NV
Applications open for LevelUP – First Health & Life Sciences Accelerator in Romania!
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INNO ADR NV
From the highs to the lows, this year has been a journey, and it's one that we're proud to have taken together. So, let's dive in and take a closer look at our 2022 year in review.
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INNO ADR NV
Over the course of 15 weeks, the EIT Health Drive initiative facilitated collaboration between nine innovative regions spanning Romania, Lithuania, Portugal, Croatia, Italy, and the Netherlands. Their goal was to exchange knowledge on their best practices and identify the most effective strategies for fostering regional innovation in the medical and life sciences fields.
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INNO ADR NV
Press Glass Production SRL, one of the largest producers of insulating glass in Europe, is coming to Romania, to the Eurobusiness IV Industrial Park in Oradea.
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INNO ADR NV
In November 2022, the North-West Regional Development Agency held its first physical training course in Zalau as part of the project "Strengthening the Dialogue between Local Public Administration and Ecosystems in the North-West Region," with code SIPOCA 927/MySMIS2014 - 150753.
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INNO ADR NV
Our colleagues, Laviniu Chiș and Ștefan Rusu, together with Anca Roman from the Smart Specialization Department, participated in the EIT Health Drive training program.
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INNO ADR NV
Level 1: Entrepreneur Mindset, the first level of the StartUP LevelUP entrepreneurial program organized by INNO, has come to an end after two intense weeks of introspection, discovery of the entrepreneurial mindset, and self-discovery.
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INNO ADR NV
Our department head shares insider knowledge on how we help foreign investors acclimate to the North West region of Romania.
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