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An institute of innovative technologies will be set up in Cluj-Napoca, to be one of the beneficiaries of the funds allocated through the Intelligent Europe project, on Tuesday said Prime minister Ludovic Orban, after a meeting with the Babes-Bolyai University (UBB) leadership.
"UBB, according to the benchmarks, is the highest-ranked university, not in Cluj, but in Romania. I think that's a strong enough reason, that doesn't mean we don't pay attention to other universities. In addition to the topics addressed, which require a systemic approach and a permanent dialogue to identify solutions for increasing the quality of education in Romania, we addressed important topics. One of the topics is related to the establishment in Cluj of one of the institutes that will become the main beneficiaries of the financial resources available for Romania within the Intelligent Europe priority. It is clear that following this discussion, I can tell you that in Cluj and in collaboration with UBB and other universities (...) there will be an institute of innovative technologies. This is all the more so since Cluj-Napoca entered the final for the establishment of the Capital of Innovation," the prime minister said.
For his part, UBB rector Daniel David drew attention to the problems in Romanian education, problems that must be solved by the political parties.
"This meeting played a fundamental role, because we addressed two topics that interest us. Namely, the first fear - the beginning of the academic year, and it was absolutely normal to have this discussion, however UBB being the largest academic community in the country, almost 50,000 people, and it's not the same how we start the new academic year. The second fear, very important for us, especially since it is about an election campaign, we too want to send a message to all political parties, namely which is the role of education in the project of modernization of the country. In the sense that, we believe that before we make strategies that are smarter and more interesting in various fields, if we do not repair the educational component - and I mean pre-university: school drop-out, functional illiteracy, scientific illiteracy, the problem of the curriculum, etc., and in the environment the problem of fragmentation, sub-financing, unequal distribution in the country of research institutes and academic forces-, we believe that we have no chance to change Romania for the better," said Daniel David.
