4 Palace Green
London,
W8 4QD (map)

Founded in 1992,  the CNIPMMR is an employers’ association which is non governmental, non profit making and non political. .Employing 27 people, working in different departments, it has a membership of 98 organisations around Romania representing over 55,000 companies.

At the beginning of each year a budget, which is not substantial, is agreed with the National Agency to deliver designated programmes. Before receiving funding, companies have to submit the relevant application documents to the CNIPMMR for verification and any anomalies are corrected prior to the final submission. Any company can apply but the criteria are strict and the funding invariably runs out. European programmes assist with other funding and literature/publications are paid for my members’ sponsorship. Interestingly, many companies would prefer tax breaks to direct funding.

90% of the programmes originate from Europe with the balance from within Romania. The normal method of implementation is for the CNIPMMR to propose the programmes and the National Agency agrees them.

This department, employing 90 people, has the responsibility for SME funding structure. The government recognises the importance of the SME sector for developing a modern economy by increasing competitiveness and an entrepreneurial culture.

Up to the present time, only 60 million euros per annum is given for funding programmes although this will increase significantly from 2007-13 to 600 million euros. However, this brings its own problems with technological problems to resolve.

Three programmes have been implemented so far:

1. Investment
2. Improvement of quality systems (very weak in Romania
3. Finance – the National Warranty from the National Fund needs expanding.

Since 2005, eight Regional Development Agencies have delivered these programmes under  co-ordination of Central Government. There is a recognition that these desperately need strengthening. Chambers of Commerce also play a prominent part with programme implementation as well as the CNIPMMR and other umbrella organisations. Meetings with the National Agency are held on a quarterly basis.

Romalimenta is the Romanian Food Industry Federation, an organization which has been recently reorganized. Its members are employers associations and companies from Romanian food and drink industry branch with a general turn over bigger of at least 15 millions €.

Romalimenta was set up in 1994 by the employers organizations from food and drink industry with the declared purpose to represent food industry in all its actions and to promote the interests of its members. In 2003, the Romalimenta Statute has been changed to permit the adhesion of companies from food industry as members.

Romalimenta is lead by a Board Council and it is working in 6 permanent specialty commissions: Food Safety Commission, Trade and Economy Commission, Communication Commission, Environment Commission, Labour and Social Relations Commission, Ethics Commission.

The Federation's main responsibilities are towards its members. Romalimenta is responsible to find the most appropriate solutions to ensure that the members work in an appropriately regulated market place, and to maximize their competitiveness. In doing this, Romalimenta needs to create and/or strengthen the institutional partnership with the authorities with responsibilities in the food sector.

The chamber in its present form has only been in existence since 1990 when a law was decreed that there should only be one national organisation. It is a non governmental and non profit making body representing the interests of more than 50,000 companies.

There are a total of 42 offices in each “county” which report into the main organisation. There is a concerted effort to encourage these chambers to merge or cooperate more efficiently in line with the 8 regions i.e. as in Prahova. Membership, as in the UK, is on a voluntary basis but significantly there is no accreditation system resulting in a certain degree of frustration. The main body is powerless to exert any authority over the regional offices.

ARIS acts as a “one stop shop” providing free of charge support services to would be foreign investors. It only deals with organisations willing to invest over1 million euros as it is perceived that SME’s would not be interested investing this amount or more.

Its main mission is to attract, develop and retain foreign direct investment; with a wide variety of requirements, ARIS aims to provide investors with a competitive advantage , information on site selection and facilitating local contacts.

The automotive sector is the main player with France and Germany being the main players. Other important sectors include construction, wood processing, IT and mining. The latter attracts a subsidy of $900 per annum per job.

str. Cuza Voda nr. 8
Ploiesti,
Romania,

International Railway Systems SA ("IRS") is a European leader in the railcar industry. IRS was founded in 2001 by Cristian Burci. The first operation to be owned by IRS was Romanian freight transport provider Servtrans. In 2002 IRS also acquired control of Meva, a railcar manufacturing facility in Turnu Severin, Romania.

Two years later saw the acquisition of Romvag, a Caracal (Romania) based railcar manufacturing facility. Not until 2006 however became IRS a European leader with the purchase of the European assets of Trinity Industries, amongst which the Arad based Astra Vagoane railcar manufacturing facility and MSV Metal, a leading producer of forgings for the railcar and automotive industry, based in Studenka, Czech Republic.

The three factories produce the largest number of railcars and bogies in the European market. Together with its rail transport company, the largest private general freight transport provider in Romania, IRS seeks to expand its activities along the entire railcar value chain.

Employing 160 people of which 100 are involved with development, Minatech-Ro is a science park very similar to MHSP. The main activity of the organisation is devoted to micro and nanotechnologies. Links in the UK are through Cardiff and Lancaster Universities and Qinetic (DR Chris Pickering). Due to historical reasons Romanian universities prefer to go abroad for cooperation.

It is a non profit organisation National Institute financed by a mixture of private/public funding. The government contribution in 2005 was 15% and in 2006 amounted to 600k euros. It is hoped the automotive sector will provide funding although Renault has now opened its own R&D facility. Structural funding will be channelled through a Regional Development Agency and there is a move afoot to get eight agencies to become one association.

Like MHSP there are office facilities for companies some of whom also take advantage of the research facilities there.

126A,
Erou Iancu Nicolae street,
077190,
Bucharest