POC

COMPETITIVENESS OPERATIONAL PROGRAMME aims to foster smart growth, thus promoting knowledge and innovation-based economy by investing in:

  • Strengthening of research, technological development and innovation
  • Increasing the usage, quality and access to information and communication technologies

Competitiveness OP has 2 Priority Axis:

Priority Axis 1 - Research, technological development and innovation (RDI) to support economic competitiveness and business development:

  • Promoting investment in R&I, developing of links and synergies between enterprises, research and development centers and higher education institutions
  • Enhancement of research and innovation infrastructures and the capacity to develop excellence in R&I and promoting competence centers

Categories of funded interventions:

  • Stimulation of enterprises’ demand for innovation by RDI projects developed by individual companies or in partnership with R&D institutes and universities in order to innovate process and product in the sectors which have potential for growth;
  • Measures of capital risk for innovative SMEs;
  • Loans and guarantees for innovative SMEs and research organizations that meet market demands;
  • Support of innovative start-up and spin-offs;
  • Knowledge Transfer Partnerships;
  • Large infrastructures of R&D (including 2 major projects: ELI -NP and Danubius);
  • Developing of networks of R&D centers, nationally coordinated and linked with European and international networks and providing access to scientific publications and European and international databases to researchers;
  • Creating synergies with RDI actions of Horizon 2020 Framework Programme of the European Union and other international RDI programs;
  • Attracting foreign staff with advanced skills in order to consolidate RDI capacity.

Priority Axis 2 - Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for a competitive digital economy

  • Strengthening ICT applications for e-government, e-learning, digital inclusion, online culture and e-health;
  • Development of ICT products and services, e-commerce and demand for ICT;
  • Expanding broadband operation and diffusion of high-speed networks and supporting the adoption of emerging technologies and the networks for digital economy.

Main guidelines:

  • Four key areas for ICT development:
  1. e-government interoperability, information security, cloud computing and social media;
  2. ICT in education, social inclusion, health and culture;
  3. e-Commerce and innovation in ICT;
  4. Broadband infrastructure and digital services.
  • Focus to the principles of e-government type 2.0, online public services in intuitive forms and life events

Categories of funded interventions:

  • Development, consolidation and ensuring the interoperability of information systems dedicated to e-government services 2.0, centered to the events from the citizens’ and businesses’ life;
  • Ensuring cyber security of the ICT systems and the computer networks;
  • Ensuring the usage of cloud computing technologies and of social media collaboration technologies;
  • Promotion and usage of the Open Data and of the Big Data for analysis and reporting at national level;
  • Improving digital skills and enhance digital content, including ICT system infrastructure in e-learning, e-inclusion, e-health and e-culture;
  • Increasing the value added generated by ICT and innovation in the field by developing clusters / poles of competitiveness;
  • Supporting the usage of ICT for business development, in particular the framework for conducting e-commerce;
  • Improvement of the broadband infrastructure and access to internet.