On Friday (22 October 2021), at a signing ceremony hosted by NATO’s Secretary General, Defence Ministers from 17 Allied countries* agreed to take the lead on the development of NATO’s first Innovation Fund. “At the Brussels Summit, NATO leaders committed to strengthening our Alliance, including by promoting and protecting transatlantic innovation”, the Secretary General said. “Today we are delivering on that commitment. And together we will keep our people safe in a rapidly changing world”, he added. This multinational Fund will help NATO retain its technological edge by enabling investment – worth 1 billion euros - in dual-use technologies of potential application to defence and security. It will also facilitate closer and trusted cooperation with deep-tech innovators, which may otherwise be unable to develop successfully the innovative solutions most needed to the protection of the Alliance. Together with NATO’s Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic – or DIANA - the Innovation Fund will support the development of a protected transatlantic innovation community. Since its launch at NATO’s Brussels Summit, a number of Allies have made offers to host the headquarters, test centres and accelerator sites that will make the DIANA network in both Europe and North America. Both initiatives are expected to be fully in effect by NATO’s Madrid Summit in 2022. *Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.
Craiova International Airport will open its new passenger terminal on Thursday, December 18, completing a major infrastructure investment aimed at significantly expanding capacity and improving air connectivity in southwestern Romania. It is part of a broader expansion and modernization project financed through the Large Infrastructure Operational Programme (POIM) 2014–2020, with a total value exceeding EUR […]
Romania is set to be connected to the Western European energy network thanks to grid investments worth EUR 30 billion. The funds will be provided by the EU by 2035, and the project will link Romania to Hungary and Austria in a joint project. Romanian energy minister Bogdan Ivan signaled the signing of the new […]
Franck Bagouet has been appointed managing director of TotalEnergies Marketing Romania SA and managing director of Automotive Southeast Europe Hub TotalEnergies Marketing. He succeeds Didier Grimault, who has accepted a new position within the TotalEnergies company. “I am glad to join this dynamic affiliate and confident that, together with our talented team, we will reinforce […]
Databricks, the data analytics and artificial intelligence company co-founded by Romanian professors Ion Stoica and Matei Zaharia, announced on Tuesday, December 16, that it is raising USD 4 billion in funding at a valuation of USD 134 billion, according to CNBC. The new valuation represents a 34% increase compared to the August round, when Databricks […]
NEPI Rockcastle NV, Europe’s third largest listed retail real estate company by portfolio value, has appointed Romanian Marius Barbu as Chief Operating Officer (COO) with effect from April 1, 2026. He will succeed Marek Noetzel, current COO and CEO-designate. Barbu has also been nominated as a Board Director and will stand for election at the […]
Alexandru Bologa, Paralympic champion and world leader in the J1 –70 kg category, won the gold medal at the 2025 IBSA Judo Grand Prix for the visually impaired, held in Brazil’s São Paulo. This year, Bologa became world champion, European champion, and winner of several IBSA Grand Prix events. Arriving in Brazil as the world […]
