Cluj Innovation Days

Cluj Innovation Days 2026 pe HotNews.ro 🙌

Articolul surprinde perfect esența a ceea ce am construit împreună în cadrul acestei ediții: două zile de dialog, reflecție și schimb de perspective asupra provocărilor și oportunităților pe care inteligența artificială le aduce societății, economiei și organizațiilor.

Am pus pe masă întrebările care contează cu adevărat: ce competențe vor face diferența în viitor, cm ne adaptăm ca oameni și organizații într-un context tehnologic aflat în permanentă transformare și ce înseamnă, în practică, suveranitatea digitală pentru Europa.

Alături de lideri din tehnologie, cercetare, business, educație și politici publice, am explorat modul în care putem construi un viitor în care inovația tehnologică este însoțită de dezvoltarea competențelor, colaborare și responsabilitate.

Ne bucurăm să vedem că aceste conversații continuă și dincolo de eveniment.

Articolul merită citit.

https://hotnews.ro/cluj-innovation-days-2026-a-pus-in-discutie-competentele-necesare-in-era-inteligentei-artificiale-2281865

DIH4Society

Cluj Innovation Days 2026 a pus în discuție competențele necesare în Era Inteligenței Artificiale - HotNews.ro Cluj Innovation Days 2026: Între suveranitate digitală și adaptare umană

Behind every great event, there's an even greater team.

From the first planning call to the final goodbye: the late nights, the logistics, the last-minute fixes, and everything in between. These are the people who turned it all into reality, and made every moment count. Thank you for making it happen. We couldn't be prouder. 🙌

DIH4Society Andrei Kelemen, Mihaela Aluas, Andreea Cordon, Zoltán Edgár, Ovidiu Codreanu, Adina Gabudean Ratiu, Diana Campian, Szigeti Mihai, Bianca Ionel, Delia Radziuk, Cosmin-Ionut Varvari, Anca-Elena Anghel

🌎 The future of work is no longer a question for tomorrow. It is being shaped today, through the choices we make in education, policy, business, and innovation.

We would like to thank all the speakers and participants who contributed to the panel “𝑨𝑰 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌: 𝑺𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔, 𝑱𝒐𝒃𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑬𝒖𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆’𝒔 𝑻𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏” at Cluj Innovation Days 2026.

Bringing together multiple perspectives, the discussion explored one of the most important questions of our time: how can Europe prepare people, organizations, and ecosystems for an AI-driven future?

A special thank you to 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐬 𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐮, who moderated the conversation with insight and vision, guiding discussions on workforce transformation, lifelong learning, talent development, digital inclusion, and the skills Europe will need in the years ahead.

We are equally grateful to our distinguished panelists:
🔹 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧 – Digital Technology Skills
🔹 𝐄𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐚𝐬 – Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
🔹 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐁𝐮𝐜𝐬̦𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐮 – Artificial Intelligence Skills Alliance (ARISA)
🔹 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐮𝐬 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐚 – Wolf Theiss
🔹 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐥 𝐁𝐚̆𝐥𝐭𝐚̆𝐫𝐞𝐭̦𝐮 – Former State Secretary, Ministry of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship, and Tourism

Together, they explored topics ranging from the transformation of higher education and workforce capabilities to AI governance, talent retention, lifelong learning, and the role of public institutions in supporting economic growth and innovation. The conversation highlighted both the opportunities and the responsibilities that come with the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence across society.

What emerged clearly is that Europe's competitiveness will depend not only on technology itself, but on its ability to develop skills, support people through change, and ensure that innovation remains inclusive and accessible.

Thank you for helping make this conversation both insightful and inspiring.

📌 The conversation around AI is often dominated by technology. At Cluj Innovation Days 2026, we chose to focus on something bigger: people.

How do we ensure that AI strengthens our societies? How do we prepare citizens, organizations, and institutions for a future that is arriving faster than ever? And what skills will Europe need to remain competitive, resilient, and true to its values? These were some of the questions explored during our panel "𝑨𝑰 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑺𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒕𝒚: 𝑶𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔, 𝑹𝒊𝒔𝒌𝒔, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑺𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝑬𝒖𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝑵𝒆𝒆𝒅𝒔."

What emerged was a shared understanding that Europe's AI future will not be defined solely by algorithms, infrastructure, or computing power. It will be shaped by our ability to build skills, foster trust, support innovation, and create opportunities that leave no one behind.

The discussion brought together diverse perspectives from government, academia, research, and industry, reminding us that the challenges ahead are too complex to be addressed in isolation.

A heartfelt thank you to our moderator, 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐨 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨, for guiding this important conversation, and to our distinguished speakers:
🔹 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐆𝐢̂𝐫𝐛𝐞𝐚, State Secretary, Ministry of Investments and European Projects
🔹 𝐈𝐯𝐚𝐫 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐝, Eclipse Foundation
🔹 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐋𝐞𝐦𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐮, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca
🔹 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐌𝐎̈𝐑𝐂𝐇, FARI – AI for the Common Good Institute
🔹 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐬 𝐀𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐳𝐨𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐮, University of Macedonia

Your insights helped turn a panel discussion into a meaningful reflection on the kind of digital future Europe should strive to build. Because in the end, the question is not whether AI will shape our future, the question is how we choose to shape AI.

🚀 Innovation creates the greatest impact when it reaches beyond the technology sector and empowers communities that can benefit from it the most.

As part of the Second National Capacity Building Event of the 𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐈𝐒𝐄𝐓 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭, hosted within 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐣 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, we were delighted to welcome participants from social SMEs and create opportunities for them to learn and connect with innovators and technology providers.

A special thank you to 𝐌𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐚 𝐀𝐥𝐮𝐚𝐬̦, Project Manager, and 𝐀𝐧𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐧, whose efforts made it possible to bring the DIGISET delegation to Cluj Innovation Days and integrate them into the event's innovation ecosystem. Their work helped create meaningful exchanges, new connections, and opportunities for future collaboration between social enterprises and the wider technology community.

We would also like to thank 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐮 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐧, for delivering the 𝐀𝐈 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩, an engaging session that explored how artificial intelligence can support digital transformation in social SMEs. Through practical examples, real-world use cases, and accessible insights, participants discovered how AI can become a valuable tool for increasing impact, efficiency, and innovation.

A special thank you also goes to 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐌𝐎̈𝐑𝐂𝐇, co-director of FARI AI for the Common Good Institute and DIGISET project partner, for joining the panel “𝐀𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲: 𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬.” His perspective on responsible AI, ethics, education, and the role of technology in serving the public good added an important dimension to the conversation.

One of the most rewarding outcomes of this event was seeing social SMEs become part of a broader innovation community, exchanging ideas with technology experts, policymakers, and business leaders. We are proud that Cluj Innovation Days continues to create bridges between sectors and to demonstrate that innovation can generate impact far beyond the IT ecosystem.

Thank you to the entire DIGISET community for your trust, partnership, and commitment to building a more inclusive and digitally empowered future.

🤝 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐠𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞'𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞.

A sincere thank you to the European DIGITAL SME Alliance e for joining us at 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐣 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 2026 and for contributing to some of the most important conversations on AI, innovation, digital transformation, and European technological sovereignty.

We were especially honored to welcome Antonio Grasso, Public Affairs Director of the Alliance, as both a keynote speaker and moderator of the panel “AI for Society: Opportunities, Risks, and Skills Europe Needs.”

Through his keynote address, Antonio brought a timely and thought-provoking perspective on one of Europe's most strategic challenges: technological sovereignty. At a moment when Europe is redefining its position in areas such as AI, cloud technologies, and digital infrastructure, his insights highlighted the importance of building a stronger European technology ecosystem to support innovation and reduce strategic dependencies.

The collaboration between 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐣 𝐈𝐓 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 and the European DIGITAL SME Alliance extends far beyond this event. Together, we are actively involved in European initiatives that support innovation, digital skills, entrepreneurship, and the growth of technology SMEs across the continent. This strong partnership is further reflected through the role of Andrei Kelemen, CEO of Cluj IT Cluster and Vice President for Romania of the European DIGITAL SME Alliance, who actively contributes to advancing a shared vision for a more competitive and sovereign European digital ecosystem.

We are proud that 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐣 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 provided a platform for these important discussions and for bringing together European stakeholders committed to shaping a more innovative, resilient, and competitive digital Europe.

Thank you, Antonio, and thank you to the entire European DIGITAL SME Alliance team for your expertise, partnership, and continued support. We look forward to many more collaborations ahead.

🚀 The future of innovation is not built by technology alone, it is built by people. Through the 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭, education, research, and industry come together to help the next generation of Deep Tech professionals develop the skills and opportunities needed to shape Europe's future.

At 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐣 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔, this vision came to life through the active involvement of the NTT consortium and the strong collaboration between „𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐬̦-𝐁𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐚𝐢” 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 and 𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐉 𝐈𝐓 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫, the Romanian partners of the project.

A special thank you to Mihaela Aluas, Project Manager on behalf of UBB, and Horatiu Damian, whose efforts were instrumental in coordinating both the 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧-𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 training and the NextTechTalents Consortium Meeting hosted in Cluj.

We are equally grateful to Andrei Kelemen, CEO of the CLUJ IT Cluster and Project Manager on behalf of Cluj IT, and to Bianca-Anastasia Ionel, for their continuous support in organizing these activities and in ensuring a strong connection between the project, the consortium partners, and the Cluj Innovation Days community.

One of the highlights was the 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧-𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞 training session, delivered by Ivar Grimstad and Rosaria Rossini from the Eclipse Foundation. Through practical examples and valuable insights, participants explored how open-source ecosystems are built, how software products evolve, and how researchers, students, and young professionals can become active contributors to global innovation communities.

Thank you to all NTT consortium partners (Damir Haskovic, Dr. techn., Paulina Villalobos Quesada, Bobby Woods, PhD, Anja Polajnar, Gregor Burger, Karolina Kosjek, Dana Liniņa, Kārlis Krēsliņš, Linda Rudzroga, Ilze Šupstika) for your trust, commitment, and contribution to Cluj Innovation Days 2026.

Together, you are helping build the talent, skills, and innovation ecosystems that Europe will rely on tomorrow.

📍AI may be changing the way we work, but people will continue to shape the direction it takes.

A big thank you to ARISA – Artificial Intelligence Skills Alliance, our Content Partner at Cluj Innovation Days 2026, for helping bring that perspective to the event.
We are especially grateful to Loredana Bucșeneanu, Engagement Coordinator within ARISA, for joining us as a speaker and sharing valuable insights on a topic that affects us all: how we prepare people, organizations, and communities for an AI-driven future.

As AI continues to reshape the way we work and live, initiatives like ARISA remind us that skills, talent, and collaboration are just as important as the technology itself.
Thank you for helping us create meaningful conversations about the future of AI, and the people who will shape it. 🚀

🤝 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐁 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐣 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.

A heartfelt thank you to the entire SKILLAB consortium for their remarkable involvement, energy, and commitment throughout the event.

From the 𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞, where participants explored real-world challenges in software testing, innovation, and labor market intelligence, to the Pitching Day and the Awards Ceremony, 𝐒𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐁 transformed research, technology, and collaboration into a truly engaging community experience.

A special thank you to Mihaela Aluas, Sofia Tsekeridou, and Konstantinos Georgiou, whose dedication and hard work were instrumental in preparing and coordinating the Testathon and Innovation Challenge competition and the Awards Ceremony.

Special thanks also to Andrei Kelemen, CEO of CLUJ IT Cluster, who moderated the Awards Ceremony and helped create a memorable closing moment for all participants.

We are equally grateful to the outstanding 𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 (Mihaela Aluas, Apostolos Ampatzoglou, Tudor Cret, Dragos Bogdan Dumitras, Marco Jahn, Eleftherios Angelis, Nikolaos Mittas, Cristian Gabriel Pavel, Sofia Tsekeridou, Valentina Lenarduzzi, Stamelos Ioannis, Davide Taibi and Sas Cătălin) and 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 (Francisco Álvarez Terribas, Konstantinos Georgiou, Dimitrios Tsoukalas, Dario Amoroso d'Aragona, Dimitrios Christos Kavargyris, Theodoros Maikantis, Anastasios Gogos, Elisavet Kanidou, Nikos Nikolaidis), who invested their time, expertise, and enthusiasm in supporting participants, evaluating projects, and ensuring a meaningful learning experience for everyone involved. Their contribution was essential to the success of the competition.

Beyond the SKILLAB activities, several consortium members also enriched the main conference program:
🔹 Konstantinos Georgiou moderated the panel “AI and the Future of Work: Skills, Jobs and Europe’s Talent Transformation”.
🔹 Sofia Tsekeridou joined the panel “Deep Tech, AI, and Future Generations”, sharing valuable insights on innovation, research, and emerging technologies.
🔹 Apostolos Ampatzoglou contributed to the panel “AI for Society: Opportunities, Risks, and Skills Europe Needs”, bringing his expertise in software engineering, AI, and digital transformation.

✨ Together, we make 𝐂𝐥𝐮𝐣 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 not only a conference, but a true European space for collaboration, learning, innovation, and community.

Thank you for being part of this journey. We look forward to continuing it together.