2. 5 Higher education System The Department of education and Skills is responsible for, inter alia, core funding and overarching policy development,
including research policy, for the higher education sector The Higher education Authority (HEA) and The irish Research Council (IRC) come under the
aegis of the Department of education and Skills. The Higher education Authority is the statutory funding authority for the universities, institutes of technology and a number of other
designated institutions and is the advisory body to the Minister for Education and Skills in
relation to the higher education sector. The IRC focuses on the cultivation of skills and research expertise to address broad societal needs and thus it funds across all disciplines and
focuses on early stage career researchers The National Strategy for Higher education to 2030, adopted in 2012,
establishes a new performance framework for public Irish Higher education institutions within which publicly -funded higher education institutions are being held accountable to Government for their
performance against defined national priorities. This is monitored and advanced by way of the 8 Strategic Dialogue process now in place between the HEA and the higher education
institutions. This is the central means through which the institutions will develop their future performance in accordance with national economic and societal objectives.
The imperative to maximise Ireland†s return on investment in research is emphasised explicitly in the Higher
Education system Performance Framework 2014-16 under System Level Objective 4: â€oeto maintain an open and excellent public research system focused on the Government†s priority
areas and the achievement of other societal objectives and to maximise research collaborations and knowledge exchange between and among public and private sector
education institutions and other public research organisations; and direct support to the enterprise sector to help individual companies to build their capacity for research and
The Higher education Authority is formally encouraging institutions to consolidate, where it makes sense, and to form regional clusters with a view to building critical mass and increasing
A number of reforms are in train around governance and configuration of the higher education system (see Section 2. 5) to move to a smaller number of larger autonomous institutions with
Among the defining characteristics of the higher education system over the last decade and a half has been the effectiveness of structured forms of inter-institutional collaboration.
Current proposals are around developing regional clusters of universities and institutes of technology in the South, Midwest, West,
endeavour in Higher education institutions (HEIS), Government agencies, and industry. Ireland is now in the top 20 countries ranked by citations per thousand population and Ireland†s
funding organisations active in the thematic area and representatives from the university sector, the institutes of technology sector and the enterprise sector.
Group invited the main enterprise and higher education representative bodies to provide formal written inputs to the stakeholder engagement documents compiled by each TWG
Government investment in research less the research component of the â€oeblock grant†to HEIS and the funding administered by the enterprise development agencies for in-company
commercial expertise in the HEI sector •investment in research infrastructure •focused international collaboration
Education Authority, supports the provision of top-class research infrastructure (buildings laboratories and cutting edge equipment) as well as human capital development through
Structured Phd/Emergent Technology programmes across Ireland†s HEIS Key objectives of the PRTLI programme are to develop critical mass in key research areas and
to increase the numbers of students studying science, technology, engineering and maths â€oestemâ€) to ensure that there is a â€oepipeline†of young people who are prepared to pursue
Education sector to increase the generation and availability of new, industrially relevant knowledge. This is a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland and IDA
Universities to ensure that best use is made of research outputs with commercial potential 23 •Supports High Potential Start up Companies defined as a company based on
Bioprocessing Research and Training •Micro & Nano-electronics: Tyndall National Institute, MCCI (Microelectronics Circuits
policy, research for knowledge creation, the human capital and education objectives associated with national R&d investment and the internationalisation of Irish research
•funding for R&d programmes in the higher education sector administered by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and others and core funding via the Department of education and
Skills and the Higher education Authority (HEA •funding for business sector R&d, administered via State agencies including IDA Ireland
environment for R&d investment as well as supports for higher education R&d, industry linkages with higher education researchers, commercialisation of research results, in-company
R&d and start-up companies. Accordingly, the circumstances expected post 2015 will enable a resumption of progress towards the Europe 2020 R&d target of 2. 5%GNP by 2020 to take
•Measures underway by the Higher education Authority to reform the higher education system including issues such as strategic dialogue and performance based funding
clusters and strategic inter-institutional alliances technological university proposals Reporting on implementation of NRPE •Minister Sherlock presented a first progress report on implementation to the Cabinet
•The first external review of implementation of NRPE will be initiated in 3q 2014 29 Appendix I:
2. 5 Higher education System The Department of education and Skills is responsible for, inter alia, core funding and overarching policy development,
including research policy, for the higher education sector The Higher education Authority (HEA) and The irish Research Council (IRC) come under the
aegis of the Department of education and Skills. The Higher education Authority is the statutory funding authority for the universities, institutes of technology and a number of other
designated institutions and is the advisory body to the Minister for Education and Skills in
relation to the higher education sector. The IRC focuses on the cultivation of skills and research expertise to address broad societal needs and thus it funds across all disciplines and
focuses on early stage career researchers The National Strategy for Higher education to 2030, adopted in 2012,
establishes a new performance framework for public Irish Higher education institutions within which publicly -funded higher education institutions are being held accountable to Government for their
performance against defined national priorities. This is monitored and advanced by way of the 8 Strategic Dialogue process now in place between the HEA and the higher education
institutions. This is the central means through which the institutions will develop their future performance in accordance with national economic and societal objectives.
The imperative to maximise Ireland†s return on investment in research is emphasised explicitly in the Higher
Education system Performance Framework 2014-16 under System Level Objective 4: â€oeto maintain an open and excellent public research system focused on the Government†s priority
areas and the achievement of other societal objectives and to maximise research collaborations and knowledge exchange between and among public and private sector
education institutions and other public research organisations; and direct support to the enterprise sector to help individual companies to build their capacity for research and
The Higher education Authority is formally encouraging institutions to consolidate, where it makes sense, and to form regional clusters with a view to building critical mass and increasing
A number of reforms are in train around governance and configuration of the higher education system (see Section 2. 5) to move to a smaller number of larger autonomous institutions with
Among the defining characteristics of the higher education system over the last decade and a half has been the effectiveness of structured forms of inter-institutional collaboration.
Current proposals are around developing regional clusters of universities and institutes of technology in the South, Midwest, West,
endeavour in Higher education institutions (HEIS), Government agencies, and industry. Ireland is now in the top 20 countries ranked by citations per thousand population and Ireland†s
funding organisations active in the thematic area and representatives from the university sector, the institutes of technology sector and the enterprise sector.
Group invited the main enterprise and higher education representative bodies to provide formal written inputs to the stakeholder engagement documents compiled by each TWG
Government investment in research less the research component of the â€oeblock grant†to HEIS and the funding administered by the enterprise development agencies for in-company
commercial expertise in the HEI sector •investment in research infrastructure •focused international collaboration
Education Authority, supports the provision of top-class research infrastructure (buildings laboratories and cutting edge equipment) as well as human capital development through
Structured Phd/Emergent Technology programmes across Ireland†s HEIS Key objectives of the PRTLI programme are to develop critical mass in key research areas and
to increase the numbers of students studying science, technology, engineering and maths â€oestemâ€) to ensure that there is a â€oepipeline†of young people who are prepared to pursue
Education sector to increase the generation and availability of new, industrially relevant knowledge. This is a joint initiative between Enterprise Ireland and IDA
Universities to ensure that best use is made of research outputs with commercial potential 23 •Supports High Potential Start up Companies defined as a company based on
Bioprocessing Research and Training •Micro & Nano-electronics: Tyndall National Institute, MCCI (Microelectronics Circuits
policy, research for knowledge creation, the human capital and education objectives associated with national R&d investment and the internationalisation of Irish research
•funding for R&d programmes in the higher education sector administered by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and others and core funding via the Department of education and
Skills and the Higher education Authority (HEA •funding for business sector R&d, administered via State agencies including IDA Ireland
environment for R&d investment as well as supports for higher education R&d, industry linkages with higher education researchers, commercialisation of research results, in-company
R&d and start-up companies. Accordingly, the circumstances expected post 2015 will enable a resumption of progress towards the Europe 2020 R&d target of 2. 5%GNP by 2020 to take
•Measures underway by the Higher education Authority to reform the higher education system including issues such as strategic dialogue and performance based funding
clusters and strategic inter-institutional alliances technological university proposals Reporting on implementation of NRPE •Minister Sherlock presented a first progress report on implementation to the Cabinet
•The first external review of implementation of NRPE will be initiated in 3q 2014 29 Appendix I:
quality of education and the availability of work force, as well as by the insufficient development of the business support networks and clusters.
ï The education system †delivers work force connected with the newest technologies and promotes innovation and entrepreneurial culture among the young generations
14 companies, 4 universities, 12 research institutes, 2 public athorities, 8 cathalist organizations, 2 associations and 1 entreprenurial
at University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary medicine, The Zootechnical Research Center, The Research Platform for Aquaculture and Ecology, Vegetable Genetic Resources
Biologic Research Institute, Antibiotics Research Institute, Medicine and Farmacy University UMF †Gr. T. Popaâ€),
nononcological and oncological pains, a Biology Faculty inside the University †Alexandru Ioan Cuzaâ€, a Regional Oncology Research Institute and a County Clinic and Emergency
and Industrial Management Faculty with a PHD school According to the ARUP study, the Northeast Region has solid perspectives for smart
joints 14 companies, 4 universities and research institutes, as well as cathalist organizations From the perspective of the academia and research composition, the region has a PHD
school inside the Authomatics and Computer Faculty of the †Gheorghe Asachi†University another one inside the Electronics, Telecommunications and Information technology
Faculty, a Research and Tecvhnology Transfer Center †POLYTECH, a National Research and Development Institute for Technical Fizics, a Research center for Fuzzy Systems, Inteligent
Systems and Biomedical Engineering, research units in the field at the University for medicine and Pharmacy †GR.
processing, graphics processing, telemonitoring, medical education, analises for sets of medical data, telemedicine, nano-electronics, opto-electronics, industrial software, Big data
Sincronizing the regional training offer with the actual level of innovation in priority areas of activity
ï development of †curricula partnerships†between educators and enterprises in the fields with regional smart specialization potential, in the view to actualize the education offer
specialties and thematics of the courses introduced in schools and universities ï support for educators in familiarizing with new trends and technologies in priority
sectors of activity Project ideea: Training competent mechanists for agriculture An example of relevant project comes from agrofood priority sector, where companies in the
field complain of difficulties on finding qualified mechanists on the labor market. The ones that are emploeed on these jobs are not familiar with the latest technologies and as a
consequence they can not exploit it at maximum potential (for example they operate intelligent tractors like the old †80 machines.
education offer level by level (both at specialization and at curricula levels) in the profesional and technical education regional system, to ensure well trained work force offer
capable to contribute to agriculture development Measure 1. 2. Establihing contacts among pupils, students, and masterands persons
and innovating companies in priority fields of activity This measure proposes to familiarize pupils and students with the actual technological level
from innovative companies, trhough workplaced activities. To this purpose the following types of projects are considerred
o Revitalization of the study visits organized by the classrooms of pupils and students in enterprises and coupling them with training coursed (for example †how its made...
o The support of pupils, students, and masterands that take part to practical stages /internships i innovative enterprises from priority sectors (through bourses or other
field complains of difficulties in finding personal †among other due to a deficitary training level of potential candidates.
students supplementary costs (for example accommodation in student campuses during summer holiday is higher than along the year.
From this reason, many students prefer to invst their time rather in working as free-lancers in paid projects †which does not allow
students associations activities (through procurement of equipment, rehabilitation of buildings and spaces), to attract pupils and students in extracurricula technical type
activities o Organizaiton for pupils, students and masterands of contests of ideas and innovative projects, in partnership with regional companies †example †Olimpic contest/Night of
small inventors†o Support of pupils, students and masterands to participate in competitions of ideasand
innovative projects organized at national and international level (through financial stimulents Project ideea: Knitting Club
it was exemplified the case of a professor at a faculty in the field who when presenting to XII
degree pupils the possibilities for study, was completed by the teacher with the following message: †So,
if you don†t enter in any other faculty, you can still orientate your carier
where pupils can make themselves from textile materials diferent accesoires †from little pources to toys, etc.
engaging pupils to discover, through play, the beauty of the field Horizontal Priority 2: Support for the inovtive enterprises in Northeast Region
practice of inovative ideas of puils and students o Develop of â€oeshared resources†initiatives o Consultancy activities for innovative start-ups and spin-offs
adequate trained work force and to facilitate the inclusion of graduates in †shared resources type initiativesâ€.
education;( (2) Great agro-food potential but currently under-utilised;(3 Transportation/motor vehicles •Key challenges
Education Electronics Energy Pharma Nuclear phys Geophysics ICT Mathematics Materials (new Veterinarian Environment Nanotech Naval
universities •Global Value Chain analysis The panels working on candidate smart specialization fields followed a set of criteria in
process of gradual learning, iterative and dynamic, involving constant gathering and analysis of data at local and national level
the Ministry of National Education to a consortium of 11 partners and 142 supporting organizations in R&d&i
including private ones), universities, strong business innovators, regional development agencies, and even a few business angels
Number of doctorate graduates (ISCED 6) per 1000 inhabitants, 25-34 y. o. 1. 4 1. 5 1. 5
the Ministry of Education and Research. The agency charged with ensuring intra-governmental coordination on research, development and innovation (RDI) †the National Council for Science
of the Ministry of Education and Research -around 90 Romanian universities, both public and private
4 World Economic Forum, The Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014,2013, p. 26 5 World bank, Functional Review of the Research, Development & Innovation Sector in Romania, 2011, p
publications per researcher is now well above (around 2x) the EU average, with universities leading the way,
Education and Research to a consortium headed by 11 main partners supported by an additional
academics, doctoral students and recent Phds, members of the scientific diaspora etc. The online consultation lasted a month
to start entrepreneurial activities with high degree of novelty and innovation, the accumulation and retention of knowledge is a quite costly encounter for SMES.
1 The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, lavricvictor@yahoo. com 718 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 8th INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
and (3) CEO education level, professional background and political connection are associated positively with firm†s
accumulation of societal know-how makes it easier for new ventures to arise and for new ideas to
ï§The accumulation and retention of know-how is a quite costly encounter and needs, most of the
The accumulation of societal know-how makes it easier for new ventures to arise and for new ideas to be put in place.
At the same time, as the accumulation and retention of know-how is a quite costly encounter, SMES are forced to consolidate,
Students in Tertiary education as share of Regional Population Aged 20-24 (2000 v 2011)..21
Figure 24-Number of students enrolled in technical education (2011)..34 Figure 25-Number of students enrolled in foremen education (2010)..34
Figure 26-Number of students enrolled in agricultural high schools (2008 †2011)..34 Figure 27-Percentage of Exports by Ownership Type and Region...
38 Figure 28-West Region: Percentage of Exports by Ownership Type and Sector...38 Figure 29:
Tertiary education Infrastructure as of 2010.22 Table 4: GDP Per capita in Counties of West Region (Euro, at purchasing power standard...
Percentage of Students Passing the Baccalaureate Examination (2011 and 2012)..33 Table 7: Main Economic Sectors in the West Region(%total...
region†s workforce is skilled, owing to a tertiary education system that is relatively strong in natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, food science, agriculture,
education and training (expansion and improvement of the vocational school system, industry-relevant curricula and training in entrepreneurial and business management skills;(
ii) improvements in local transport infrastructure (road and rail;(iii) expansion of access to finance;
Education for all at high standards TO 10. Investing in education, skills and lifelong learning
XI. Investment priorities can be tailored to the particular needs of the region and can be
specialization, such as education, transport and urban development. In addition, a list of potential pilot initiatives is provided as examples
employment, education, research and innovation, social inclusion and poverty reduction, and climate/energy. Each EU country has
stronger higher education structures and R&d bodies take the necessary measures to surpass the national targets, at least those related to employment, R&d,
education %Reduction of population at risk of poverty or social excl. (no. of persons EU
between business, public entities and knowledge institutions (universities and research institutes working together to identify not only a region†s most promising areas of specialization, but also the
It must include mechanisms for policy learning, in particular through peer reviews involving public officials, practitioners and regional stakeholders.
The goal of this approach is to avoid unnecessary duplication and fragmentation of efforts, and to exploit opportunities
Persons aged 25-64 with tertiary education attainment(%;%Source: Eurostat 7 Europe 2020 Flagship Initiative Innovation Union COM (2010) 546
education-can speed up smart growth across the EU 14. Developing smart specialization strategies requires Member States and regions to concentrate
education levels and knowledge infrastructure. Regions are an indispensable part of the Europe 2020 strategy, as they are the primary institutional partners for universities, other research and education
institutes, and SMES 15. In its Communication Regional Policy Contributing to Smart Growth in Europe8 the
c) Lifelong learning in research and innovation. Focusing school, vocational and higher education curricula on transversal competences like creativity, entrepreneurship and initiative will help
young people to develop their full potential for innovation d) Attractive regional research infrastructure and centers of competence is central to knowledge
10. investing in education, skills and lifelong learning 11. enhancing institutional capacity and an efficient public administration
centers and higher education, in particular product and service development, technology transfer, social innovation and public service applications, and demand stimulation;
and better social inclusion and education policies, 2. Developing modern infrastructure for growth and jobs, 3. Promoting economic competitiveness and local development,
prominence of its universities. There are seven public universities in the West Region, out of which four
are based in Timisoara, one in Arad, one in Petrosani, one in Resita, and Politehnica University has a
branch in Hunedoara. In addition, there are seven private universities, which are located in Timisoara Lugoj, Deva and Arad.
Specialization areas of these higher education institutions vary, but the region is particularly strong in natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, food engineering, agriculture
medical and veterinary sciences. Figure 6 confirms that the educational attainment of the region†s
population with a tertiary education than any other region outside of Bucharest, although it still trails far
years of age (Figure 7) the West far outperforms most peers in university enrollment, although it is
striking just how strong of a magnet Bucharest has become for the country†s university population.
the average education level of the region†s workforce will converge with Europe Figure 6:
Students in Tertiary education as share of Regional Population Aged 20-24 (2000 v 2011 Source:
sex, age, highest level of education attained and NUTS 2 regions (1 000 Source: Calculations based on data from Eurostat
upper secondary or tertiary education attainment, by sex and NUTS 2 regions (from 2000 onwards -%22
The West Region is recognized as having a strong set of universities and hosts a large student
terms of the number of tertiary institutions and faculties that it hosts. However, although it also has a
fairly large population of students in the first stages of tertiary education, the West does not stand out
by far the main center of tertiary education in the country. Where the West†s performance drops
considerably is advanced at the stages of tertiary education, where the relative level of its research student population is only half that of that of North West and one quarter that of Bucharest.
Taken together this suggests that the region is in a broadly good position in terms of producing (theoretically
Tertiary education Infrastructure as of 2010 Tertiary institutions Faculties High skills students level 5 A Advanced research
students (level 6 Total per m population Total per m population Total per m population Total
per m population West 14 7. 3 79 41.3 92,419 48,290 2, 179 1, 139
North West 17 6. 3 97 35.7 114,473 42,124 6, 554 2, 412 Centre 13 5. 2 75 29.7 120,125 47,618 2, 267 899
Institutions and Faculties from Institute of National Statistics; Student figures from Eurostat; â€oehigh skill studentsâ€
defined as â€oefirst stage of tertiary education, programmes that are based theoretically/research preparatory or giving access to
professions with high skills requirements (level 5a) â€; â€oeadvanced research student†defined as â€oesecond stage of tertiary
education leading to an advanced research qualification (level 6) †38. These trends in education follow through to the labor market,
where the West has a comparative advantage in highly skilled workers (proxied those with a tertiary education.
Like much of Romania, however, the West faces a problem both with older workers retrenched due to restructuring
with the lowest education levels is less than half that of those at the highest (tertiary) levels in the West
dynamic sense, participation in trade (both exports and imports) is a critical channel for learning and
Despite a relatively significant number of universities and good university enrollment rates the region faces important shortcomings at all levels of training and skills development
54. While the West Region has clear strength in tertiary education in the Romanian context, its
advantage in upper secondary and post-secondary (non-tertiary education is far from apparent Enrollment rates in secondary education are only moderately ahead of the national average.
Of more concern, is the relative performance of its students in upper secondary education. Table 6 shows that in
2011 and 2012, every county in the West Region performed in the bottom quartile of Romanian
counties in the first presentation of the baccalaureate examination24. While leading counties in the North West like Cluj and Bihor ranked 3rd and 5th respectively (out of 42 counties), Timis and Arad
ranked 34th and 36th Table 6: Percentage of Students Passing the Baccalaureate Examination (2011 and 2012
Source: http://www. gandul. info/news/rezultate-bacalaureat-2012-harta-rusinii-pe-judete -o-comparatie-intre-rezultatele-la-bac-de-anul-acesta-si-cele-de-anul-trecut-9830731
Romania has a long tradition on Technical and Vocational education and Training (TVET) program Recent numbers from INS show that West region lags behind other peers in terms of enrollment in
Data shows that in 2011 the West Region had the third lowest number of students enrolled in
technical high schools of all the regions in Romania (34,441), and in 2010 was the fourth region number
of students enrolled in foreman education (523. In addition, between 2008 and 2011, enrollment in agricultural high schools has remained constant
and was in 2011 the lowest of all the regions in Romania 6522 students. The lack of interest in technical education from potential students †possibly explained
in part, by outdated curriculums with insufficient connection with the private sector needs and by the
24 There is a second presentation of the exam in the Autumn of each year Rank NUTS3 Region 2011 2012 Avg
Figure 24-Number of students enrolled in technical education (2011 Figure 25-Number of students enrolled in
foremen education (2010 Source: Institute of National Statistics Source: Institute of National Statistics Figure 26-Number of students enrolled in agricultural high schools (2008 †2011
Source: Institute of National Statistics Economic activity is concentrated increasingly by sector, firm size and firm ownership
56. Economic activity in the West Region is concentrated in a handful of sectors that represent about half of the region†s turnover and employment25.
According to the World bank report â€oecompetitiveness of West Romania Firms: Diagnostics, Challenges and Opportunitiesâ€, the top ten
University Economic Research Forum 32 The original classification includes an extra segment, machinery and equipment,
University of Colorado 44 Box 1-High Value Added Manufacturing in the West Region Continental purchased the existing Siemens VDO business in 2007,
foreign firm, the experience of learning in leading edge environment, and the potential to gain employment experience and opportunities abroad
system that endorses iterative learning, but not to focus on specific economic activities 81. Each cluster has its own constraints
•Skills (1) The link between tertiary education and the workforce and lifelong learning 89. Despite education and skills often being perceived as a source of comparative advantage for
the region, in fact the region faces important shortcomings at all levels of training and skills development.
The findings of the World bank report â€oeterritorial Assessment: Profile, Performance, and Drivers of Growth†shed some light on two important challenges for the improvement of skilled level
The link between tertiary education and the workforce must be reinforced. The region must do a better job of leveraging its significant tertiary education infrastructure, especially to the insertion of
university graduates into the labor force, avoiding common problems of mismatch between educational supply and labor demand and overeducation.
This will require investments to improve the links between universities (as well as vocational training facilities) and employers.
It may also pay to make strategic investments in promoting disciplines and skills that are likely to be the cornerstones of the region†s
Lifelong learning is another important area for policy action. Lack of investment in lifelong learning makes the region†s labor force unable to adapt to changing skills requirements resulting from
individuals to invest in lifelong learning, and ensuring that the infrastructure and services (public and private) are there to support it,
Vocational school system for industry-relevant training 92. Consultations with businesses revealed that the limited attractiveness of technical schools in
term, it is critical that policy makers focus on this type of learning institutions in the near future..
In addition, this type of training should be funded appropriately and students should have access to modern machinery
in order to be able to obtain industry-relevant knowledge. This approach will ensure that new graduates acquire a skills set that meets the demands of
the market and that they are successful in finding employment •Skills (3: Entrepreneurial and business management skills
Business development and management training programs are essential in preparing firms and entrepreneurs to compete on a national and global level.
This type of training should be offered through the university curricula (including a focus on presentation skills),
as part of incubator services, or be provided to entrepreneurs through specialized programs at the local level
the structure and responsibilities of the Romanian Ministry of Education (the national coordinator for education, research and development,
and innovation) 40 and its key national structures41 ï¿Directorate General for Research, Technological Development and Innovation
Consultative College for Research, Development and Innovation ï¿National Council for Ethics of Scientific research, Technological Development and Innovation
40 The Ministry of National Education is responsible for the preparation and monitoring of the National Plan for
collaboration between the private sector and research institutions (universities and RDIS), the West Region could establish technology transfer offices (TTOS),
either as part of universities or industry -specific. TTOS could help identify research projects with commercial potential and carry academic ideas
promote applied research in universities and RDIS. Second, in order to alleviate the burden of acquiring intellectual property protection for inventions, co-financing of patent applications could provide support
and providers within the education system in the region, representatives of the private sector and national policy makers in the areas of education and the labor market.
The main role of this group would be to adjust, update and modernize the curricula for theoretical education, vocational training and
lifelong learning in order to answer to the demands of the business sector in the region. Representatives of the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of National Education should be part of this Committee
111. Administrative support for these new structures could be provided in two ways. First is through the creation of an innovation center for West Region.
The center would act as a strong and permanent partnership between universities, R&d centers, and industry, working together to increase
regional competitiveness. Building on the existing innovation support structure (TEHIMPULS) 43, the center could be reorganized as a separate agency (nonprofit organization) based on a public-private
with policy makers and raise awareness regarding the most critical challenges in the area of education
higher education institutes to develop new technologies and processes that will lead to job creation and increased exports
learning and spillovers are likely to be accelerated. The labs will also provide opportunities to conduct more frequent quality tests
or training in marketing or sales. These measures will help build capacity in the sector
and veterinary sciences are areas of strength of the West Region universities 60 IV. 3. 4. ICT
accreditation process IV. 3. 6. 2. Ecoturism and Active Tourism 132. The West Region can become the first Romanian region to develop ecotourism
levels of training and skills, such as technical and education Economic activity is increasingly concentrated by sector, firm size
and firm ownership Export performance is very concentrated in EU markets and intensive in relatively low skilled and
strength in tertiary education programs for natural sciences mathematics, computer science food engineering, agriculture, as well as medical and veterinary
tertiary education and the workforce and lifelong learning improving the vocational school system for industry-relevant training; and supporting
entrepreneurial and business management skills Local infrastructure: improving internal connectivity with the region†s main urban
providing relevant training for the auto industry, endowed with appropriate technical facilities Increasing awareness regarding the
relevant training with appropriate technical facilities Establishment of a laboratory and innovation center for the textile
universities Unexploited export opportunities with Serbia. Taking better Support innovation in the industry especially as food engineering
Region universities Establishment of an agro-food market center including a regional accredited laboratory for food
food industry †relevant training with appropriate technical facilities Launch of feasibility study to assess
local universities, while enjoying the benefits of a EU location Expansion of services offered by
government sector, higher education sector, and private nonprofit sector) over GDP amounted to 0. 22%.%Assuming that this level was kept constant in 2011 and 2012,
development, support for SMES, and education. Even though the need to improve regional transport infrastructure has been highlighted by the analysis and during consultations with the private sector, the
Major local universities have started to invest in technology transfer, but such investments are still at early stages.
Investing in education, skills and lifetime learning 150. Expanding the availability of highly skilled labor force that can engage in innovative
University graduates need to be better trained on how to apply theoretical knowledge. Firms often have difficulties finding graduates to meet
their needs, partly because the skills provided by the educational system do not go beyond theoretical
concepts 151. In order to develop appropriate skill sets for young graduates, linkages between industry and universities must be improved.
This can be attained through public-private partnerships on R&d collaborations or by adjusting the school curriculum to respond to industry needs.
Currently such joint projects are only available to large companies like Siemens and Continental, which have
programs and partnerships with local universities. These efforts must be scaled up and should encompass local firms,
university graduates would strengthen the region†s comparative advantages. While partnerships between private and education establishments,
either for initial education or for long life learning programs can be promoted through ESF projects,
investments in educational infrastructure should be sustained through ERDF measures. These partnerships can be envisaged as self-sustained projects, or as
promoting private sector collaboration with universities and RDIS V. 3. Optimum policy mix and possible budget requirements
Education for all at high standards TO 10. Investing in education, skills and lifelong learning
155. Priority Axis 1: â€oeregional competitiveness enhancement and smart specialization in the West Region†aims at promoting the smart specialization potential of the region.
in order to ensure equal access to education standards of a high standard 158. The specific objectives and selected investment priorities identified under these three
potential, fostering academic entrepreneurship, research commercialization and collaboration between public and private sectors 161. Major universities in the region have started to invest in technology transfer, but such
investments, and need to be exploited better and enhanced to promote the smart specialization of the region.
and Politehnica Universities and the Research Institute for Symbolic Computation at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz.
The institute has ongoing projects with private partners in Austria, Germany and Romania. Another example of the recent efforts to foster collaboration between universities and the
private sector are the agriculture extension services provided by the Banat University of Agriculture and Veterinary medicine (this project was initiated with a contribution from World bank MAKIS project
funding in 2008 162. Collaboration between companies in the West Region is limited and should be
and higher education for the development of products and services technology transfer, and networking. The specific objectives of this investment priority are to:(
The partnerships between universities research institutes and private enterprises, especially the large ones, which have substantial growth
Education for all at high standards 178. The first investment priority under this priority axis is to improve the skills and
i) increasing the share of population with tertiary education; and (ii encouraging the access to professional development,
including lifelong learning programs 179. The analysis of the regional level economy revealed a mismatch between the available
training providers (schools, universities or vocational training centers) in order to identify and promote those projects that fit with the needs of the local economic actors
In this respect, adapting theoretical education and vocational training to the demands of the labor market, increasing the relevance of the educational and vocational training offer
and ensuring the applicability of the learning material, are key role for the economic development of the region.
-the-job training through apprenticeship schemes, internships, and scholarship programs that aim to develop specific competences and skills by providing on-the-job training;
and, ii) strengthening the capacity of vocational training providers to deliver attractive and high-quality education and training
programs in correlation with labour market demands, especially for sectors with significant growth potential, in order to ensure complementarity with the competitiveness strategy.
Other type of measures that can be financed in order to develop entrepreneurial and business management skills training are:
i) promoting partnerships and networks for companies and training providers, so as to increase the applicability of training in the market;
ii) supporting lifelong learning through the development and implementation of measures to enhance the relevance of higher education programs
including through an increased focus on problem solving, creativity and development of entrepreneurial skills; iii) developing and strengthening the partnerships between higher education institutions, business
environment and research institutes 181. The second investment priority under this priority axis is to invest in education, skills
and lifelong learning by developing education and training infrastructure. The specific objective of this investment priority is the rehabilitation, modernization, development and expansion of pre†university
university education and continuous vocational training infrastructure 182. Soft Measures such as educational and vocational training programs have to be
properly sustained by the educational infrastructure and proper endowment of schools and vocational training centers to ensure a high-quality teaching process,
using appropriate pedagogical and technical resources. Investments that have started under the current period should continue in order to
build an appropriate educational infrastructure endowment at the level of the region 183. In addition to the investments priorities under the overall priority axes described
above, local road and transport infrastructure has emerged as a key issue for the competitiveness of
coordination of the Romanian Ministry of Education, as foreseen in the Decision of the Government 185
Thematic Objective 10 â€oeinvesting in education, skills and lifetime learningâ€, which can be financed from ERDF and ESF, supports both the national and regional
upgrading and modernizing education infrastructure. The support for education infrastructure should be sustained by a national strategy and by planning provision needs at local level.
This approach should be based on a mapping of the existing structures and their level adequacy, taking into consideration
higher education in particular products and service development technology transfer and networking Contribute to EU 2020 strategy by
3. Education for all at high standards TO 10. Investing in education, skills and lifetime learning
3..1. Improving skills and competences required in labor market Increasing the share of population with
tertiary education Encouraging the access to professional development, including lifelong learning programs National local, and EU financing
3..2. Investing in education, skills and long life learning by developing education and training infrastructure
Rehabilitation, modernization, development and equipping of pre†university, university education and continuous vocational training infrastructure
National, local and EU funds West Regional Operational Programme 83 187. The operationalization of the measures highlighted above encompasses, in some
extent, the implementation of investment projects. The table below lists 14 examples of competitiveness and smart specialization investment pilot initiatives that could be developed and
implemented starting with 2014. These investment projects have not been appraised nor endorsed by the World bank. This list should be considered as merely illustrative.
Additional details regarding these potential pilot initiatives are provided in Annex 2 Table 19-Examples of investment pilot initiatives
1. Innovation center for the West Region which could play a key role in the promotion of the innovative potential
of the region 2. A ICT competitiveness pole 3. A regional development fund focused on financing innovative projects in the West Region
4. Upgrade of the existing industrial parks and industrial areas to regional industrial and technology parks
higher education in particular products and service development, technology transfer and networking Enhancement of the local technology parks
3. 1 Investing in education skills and lifetime learning by developing education and training infrastructure
Rehabilitation, modernization development, and equipping of pre†university, university education and vocational training infrastructure List of preselected
projects identified in the Regional Development Plan Service capacity of supported education infrastructure 86 Investment priorities Proposed pilot initiatives Guidelines for
selection of operations/Financial instruments Results indicator Development of technical education to ensure a better
link between training and industry 189. The implementation of the overall initiatives outlined in this chapter depends on the
existence of an efficient institutional framework. The smart specialization goal can only be accomplished through coordination among local, regional,
and national authorities on policy design and implementation, and in close cooperation with the private sector and research bodies.
Taking into consideration the current institutional setup at the regional level (see Box 3), Chapter 4 has suggested
the establishment of two regional committees, managed by the RDA, that could support the partnership
and higher education in particular products and service development, technology transfer and networking Launch the call for projects by end of
3. 2 Investing in education, skills and long life learning by developing education and training
infrastructure Define the list of public projects according to the national policy by the end of 2013
88 VI. Conclusion 190. In 2010, the Europe 2020 Strategy was launched as the European Union†s ten-year
universities. The local universities are especially strong in natural sciences, mathematics, computer science, food engineering, agriculture,
as well as medical and veterinary sciences. Due in part to these advantages, the region has experienced rapid economic growth
improving the link between tertiary education and the workforce and lifelong learning improve the vocational school system for industry-relevant training;
support entrepreneurial and business management skills; improving internal connectivity with the region†s main urban
introducing vocational school providing relevant training for the auto industry, endowed with appropriate technical facilities; increasing awareness regarding the activities of the auto cluster
programs focused on textile†relevant training with appropriate technical facilities. For the agro-food sector:
sciences are areas of strength of the West Region universities; and establishment/improvement of vocational school focused on agro†food industry†relevant training with appropriate technical facilities
For the ICT sector: expansion of services offered by incubators and business accelerators; support for
6) Protecting the environment and promoting resources efficiency (10) Investing in education, skills and lifetime learning;
and (11) Enhancing institutional capacity and an efficient public administration 199. Second, after grouping the selected thematic objectives under priority axis, specific
West Region (priority Axis 2and increasing the level of employment and education, by improving skills
management of natural resources, education health, cultural and health tourism, among others. An initiative focused on ICT
training and many more. These services would offer comprehensive solutions that help improve traceability, reduce losses and
education system by adjusting university curriculum to the specific needs of the sector and by providing training programs to develop
Details about the pilot green energy project managed by the Polytechnic University Timisoara and ICER †TM, for
Overtext Web Module V3.0 Alpha
Copyright Semantic-Knowledge, 1994-2011