Clusters Meet Regions Cluj Napoca 2025

1–2 Jul 2025 | Cluj Napoca, Romania

Tuesday, 1 July 2025 | 09:30 - 12:00

1st Morning Plenary Session

Location:Radisson Blu Cluj

09.30-10.00 Welcome Addresses

Moderator – Teodora Jilkova, ECCP, Team Member

  • Bianca Muntean, Transilvania IT Cluster Manager

  • Csilla Hegedüs, Deputy General Director of the North-West Regional Development Agency

  • Daniel Coșniță, President of CLUSTERO - Romanian Cluster Association

  • Doru Pamfil, President of Cluj-Napoca Branch of the Romanian Academy

  • Istvan Vákár, Vice-president of Cluj County Council

10.00 - 11.00 Kick-off Speeches: Fostering Innovation for a Stronger Europe 

 Moderator – Antonio Novo, President ECA

  • Daniel David, Minister of Education and Research (RO)

  • Adrian Curaj, General Director of UEFISCDI – Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development, and Innovation Funding (RO)

  • Mariella Masselink, Head of Unit Industrial Forum, Alliances, Clusters, DG Grow (online) & Giovanni EMMA, Policy Assistant (onsite)

  • Csilla Hegedüs, Deputy General Director of the North-West Regional Development Agency (RO)

11.00 -12.00 Session I : Innovation in Action - Unlocking the Potential of Clusters

Moderator: Felix Arion, Agro Transilvania Cluster Manager (RO)

 Input Paper: Jan-Philipp Kramer Team Leader 'Data & Policy', European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP)

 Panel Discussion:

  • Agatha Filimon, Head of the Sectoral Specialisation Office, North-East RDA (RO)

  • Kristina Šermukšnytė-Alešiūnienė, CEO KLASTER LT, CEO AgriFood Lithuania, VP European Clusters Alliance

  • Sebastian Große-Puppendahl, Team Manager Innovation Policy & Senior Policy Officer to Commissioner for Europe of Minister of Economic Affairs Baden-Württemberg (DE)

  • Claudiu Filip, General Director of the National R&D Institute of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies - INCDTIM (RO)

  • Anna Rosenqvist, Interior Cluster Sweden Manager, GO Furniture Meta-Cluster Representative (SE)

9 speakers