Knowledge Economy: a Romanian perspective

1. Knowledge Economy: a Romanian perspective • Romania: a European country • 238,391 sq km • Population: 22,435,000 (2000) • 0-14 years 22.7% • 15-59 years 60.8% • 60 and over 16.6%

2. “The next society will be a knowledge society. Knowledge will be its key resource, and knowledge workers will be the dominant group in its workforce. Its three main characteristics will be: • Borderlessness, because knowledge travels even more effortlessly than money • Upward mobility, available to everyone through easily acquired formal education • The potential for failure as well as success. Anyone can acquire the means of production, ie knowledge required for the job, but not everyone can win” Peter Drucker

3. “Knowledge is a factor of production (…), along with other factors in determining economic growth (…). The WBI developed a framework to develop a knowledge economy, with four critical requisites: • A regulatory and economic environment that enables the free flow of knowledge, investment in ICT, and encourages entrepreneurship • An educated and skilled population to create, share and use knowledge • A dynamic information infrastructure (…) in order to facilitate the effective communication, dissemination and processing of information • A network of research centers, universities, think tanks, private enterprises and community groups to tap into the the growing stock of global knowledge, assimilate and adapt it to local needs, and create new knowledge” WBI, A strategy to develop a knowledge economy in EU accession countries, 2001

4. “Creating, sharing and using knowledge and information are key factors of economic growth and essential for our competitiviness. This driving force can ensure better quality of life and work, sustainable employment, access costs, and digital literacy for all to avoid social exclusion” Erkki Liikanen, Member of the European Commission responsible for Entreprise and the Information Society

5. What it takes to be successful in Knowledge based Economy ?… • Visionary leadership political / executive (GPTI) • Investment in Education, Research and Innovation • An Organization-wide Strategy and Commitment • Technology Leadership • Commitment to customer input and customer focus • Partnerships • Funding

6. GPTI ( chaired by the Prime Minister ) Integrator and coordinator National Strategy for The implementation of The Information Society COORDONATION INTEGRATION REPORTS IMPLEMENTATION National Strategy for Inf. Society GESNSI CITIZENS Public Sector Public Sector UNIVERSITIES Private Sector Private Sector CITIZENS UNIVERSITIES STRATEGY PROGRAMS RESOURCES Return of investments INVESTORS (Public Sector, Private Sector, Civil Society, Trade Capital, Investment Funds)

7. Global environment Challenges Romania faces in building a knowledge based economy Economic, social, institutional environment Educational institutions Research, Innovation Infrastructure Legal environment Knowledge Economy

8. Development of an enabling economic and institutional environment • Need for knowledge: educational system for developing the need for knowledge • Prioritization of the actions • Integration into the international knowledge flow • Adequate knowledge management • Structural reform of the economy and public administration. • Access of business to knowledge and resources • Steady growth of the “social capital”

9. Measures to provide human resources for the knowledge society Continuing qualitative reform of the education and research system • Development of education and knowledge society Continuing education (formal, informal, non-formal) • Stronger links of education and research with the real economy Education at all levels • Training the trainers Life long learning Integration into the world (particularly European) research and innovation system • Narrowing down geographic, cultural, social, economic discrepancies

10. A coherent and enabling legal environment to foster a knowledge economy Regulation of personal data protection e-Commerce regulation Intellectual property protection • The creation of an adequate legal framework to stimulate knowledge, information protection and intellectual property protection Equal access to networks and information Promoting SME’s integration into the knowledge based economy, information society and e-commerce utilization • Promotion of and support to open competitive markets and the liberalization of sectors Improvement of the legislation on “incubators” and “spin offs” Access to public information through electronic means

11. Building an adequate (information) infrastructure • Closing the geographic, social and cultural gaps in access to computer infrastructure • Cheap and quick access to Internet • The provision and promotion of e-content • Implementation of a high speed communication network

12. Building an efficient innovation system • Research and innovation network • Innovation and technological transfer programs (scientific and technological parks) • Capacity of the economy to absorb R&D achievements • Innovative SMEs

13. DIGITAL LITERACY FOR ALL COMMUNICATION INFRASTRUCTURE NEW BEHAVIOUR ECONOMIC BENEFITS

14. Education & Research Legislation Initiated in 2001 • Life-long learning (National Commission for Life-long learning) • Draft of the Scientific research Law • Government Ordinance on Scientific & Technological parks • Law of Industrial parks • Law on Adults’ professional training (ammended) • Government Ordinance on the National Agency APART (partnership university – enterprise)

15. Successful Achievements in Education • Computer aided education • Computerization of secondary education (AEL) • Electronic admission in high-schools and universities • e-government application: ADLIC Electronic Secondary School Admission and Distribution 2001, Good Practice, Brussels, Nov. 2001 • Electronic management of the educational system (EMIS, SICOB) • Implementation of economic education in universities • Successful educational programmes (WB, Phare, TEMPUS, SOCRATES, LEONARDO) • National network for education (RoEduNet)

16. Successful Achievements in Research • Competitive financing of research • National research network • Participation in EU and bilateral research programmes • National R&D programmes developed for KE (GO 556/2001)

17. IT Legislation Initiated in 2001 • Law for the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data and the free movement of these data, transposing Directive 95/46/EC • Draft Law regarding the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector,transposing Directive 97/66/EC • Law regarding the electronic signature, transposing Directive 1999/93/EC • Draft Law on electronic commerce, transposing Directive 2000/31/EC • Government Ordinance on public acquisitions by electronic means • Government Ordinance on local tax payments by electronic means

18. Successful Achievements in ICT • Parliamentary Commission on Advance Technology, Communications and ICT • ICT task force (GPTI) • e-government • e-tax • e-procurement • e-signature • Participation at ESIS – EU project

19. Successes in ICT – E-government center – pilot projects • E-tax • E-procurement • E-Job • E-referendum • E-market • Info-kiosks • Multimedia centers • Address change • Web Declarations for Corporations • Identifications of Civil Servants • Cash-Flow Management • Document Management

20. e-ROMANIA

21. New opportunities for Romania • Possibilities of economic growth • Easier access to recent findings and innovations • Higher-quality goods • Lower costs • Adjustment to consumers’ requirements • Better efficiency - social equity correlation

22. Education ICT KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY