The Ministry of European Investments and Projects (MIPE) announces the signing of a new financing agreement with the European Investment Fund (EIF) for the launch of the Innovation Romania Programme, with a total funding of 106.7 million EUR.According to a press release of the relevant ministry sent on Thursday, the programme is supported by Smart Growth, Digitization and Financial Instruments Programme 2021-2027 (PoCIDIF), from European Structural and Investment Funds."This initiative emphasizes the crucial role that the Romanian State and the EIF have in supporting the investment and innovation ecosystem in Romania. The efforts started in 2012, with the first venture capital fund financed through the JEREMIE Initiative, have continued through the use of structural funds from the 2014-2020 period and subsequently through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The new Innovation Romania Programme, conceived as a fund of funds, aims to create financial instruments adapted to the needs of the local market and which, until now, have been insufficiently developed. Thus, three types of equity funds will be launched: the Technology Transfer Fund - aimed at capitalizing on the results of research and innovation through partnerships with research and development organizations; the Business Angels Co-investment Fund - aimed at strengthening the community of private investors and facilitating their involvement in the development of Romanian entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurship Acceleration Fund - dedicated to supporting start-ups and stimulating their growth," notes the MIPE."By signing this agreement, we reconfirm Romania's commitment to support innovation, entrepreneurship and sustainable economic development. The Innovation Romania programme is an important opportunity to boost the creation of new technologies and to support small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the engine of our economy. Together with the European Investment Fund, we aim to develop a strong investment ecosystem that will attract both local and international capital," the Minister of European Investments and Projects, Adrian Caciu, was quoted as saying in the above-mentioned press release.The programme will encourage investments in SMEs and midcaps with a focus on innovation and competitiveness. Selected projects will have to meet specific eligibility criteria, aligned with the specific objective of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) : "Enhancing sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and job creation in SMEs, including by productive investments".
Romanian director Cristian Mungiu will be part of the jury that will judge the films in the main competition of this year’s Venice Film Festival - Venezia 82. The jury, headed by American director Alexander Payne, includes French director and screenwriter Stéphane Brizé, Italian director and screenwriter Maura Delpero, Iranian director and writer Mohammad Rasoulof, Brazilian actress, writer, and […]
Romania continues to face significant prison overcrowding, according to the Council of Europe’s latest data, released on Friday, July 18. The 2024 Annual Penal Statistics on Prison Populations (SPACE I) show that Romania is among six countries in Europe with severe overcrowding, housing 116 inmates for every 100 available places. The report, which...
Chris Hemsworth returns to Disney+ in August with a new season of the National Geographic documentary series Limitless, this time focused not just on longevity, but on discovering how to live better. Titled Limitless: Live Better Now, the three-part season follows Hemsworth through physical, emotional, and mental challenges across six countries, with one standout episode […]
The Black Sea 200 Regatta 2025, Romania’s first non-stop offshore regatta with a 200 nautical mile route, takes place between July 21 and 27. Now in its first edition, the event brings together more than 10 boats from Romania and Bulgaria, according to the organizers. The endurance course will start and finish in the Romanian […]
The National Environmental Guard has fined an illegally operating zoo in Dâmbovița county, southern Romania, a total of RON 120,000 following a joint inspection that uncovered serious violations, including the lack of environmental authorization and inadequate conditions for wild animals kept in captivity. The zoo was reportedly charging RON 50 per person for entry and […]
The National Cybersecurity Directorate (DNSC) and engineering company Enevo Group have signed a strategic cooperation agreement to strengthen cybersecurity in Romania’s energy sector. The partnership aims to test and develop monitoring and alerting technologies for cyberattacks, and to improve national response coordination to incidents affecting critical infrastructure, the companies said. The agreement focuses on sharing […]
