After a collapse in investment volumes following the financial crisis of 2008, a new chapter in Romania’s investment story has opened. FDI volumes in Bucharest have been reaching record levels in the past two years opening new investment opportunities in surrounding Bucharest Ilfov County. 40% of its population commutes and works in Bucharest while many companies have already opened offices, production facilities or warehouses in Ilfov making it the most developed county in Romania.
Marian Petrache, President of Ilfov County Council
Marian Petrache, Romanian engineer and politician, President of Ilfov County Council, is adamant about the success and extraordinary returns his county can bring to future investors. He says: “Ilfov has an advantage that makes it very attractive: it is surrounded by counties that have a great workforce potential. My vision is to create a chain of industrial parks that can work in a cluster, areas where we will have all services needed for an economic development – electricity, gas, water, sewerage. In 2014 we got the funds from the European Commission for the project phase of an intermodal hub at Moara Vlasiei. We already have the land secured, almost 300 acres that belong to public authorities. This hub will interconnect all the networks of transportation, such as the airport, the railroads and the motorways coming to Bucharest through the ring road. I strongly believe that these logistics parks will be a great connection with the Port of Constanta”.
COUNTY COUNCIL INVESTING IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY AROUND THE MOST POWERFUL LASER IN THE WORLD
Located in the proximity of Bucharest, Magurele city accommodates the most important research platform in Romania. 9 national R&D institutes along with the Faculty of Physics of the University of Bucharest form the most important hub of fundamental physics research, the central piece of the pan-European Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) project coordinated by the the Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH). Capitalizing on such unique opportunity, Ilfov County Council decided to lay the foundation for the development of a state-of-the-art scientific park that would facilitate the dialogue between R&D and the academia, on one hand, and the industry and business environment, on the other hand.
Marian Petrache adds: “Building the Science Park is an opportunity that Romania cannot miss, this is why we founded the MAGURELE SCIENCE PARK Association, along with IFIN-HH and Magurele City. We finalized the feasibility Study and we started the consultation process with the European Investment Bank to access funding through the Juncker Plan and for other loans. Laser technology allows us to be at the frontiers of knowledge and the Ilfov County Council will provide the best conditions for investments and economic development. We will launch an international tender in order to find the right partner to manage the science park. Leaving the financing aside we are very interested in partners who can provide technical support”.
Magurele Science Park has the premises to become an European innovation hub. It will provide expertise, competencies, access to ultra-qualified labour force, and the development environment required for conducting business based on innovation and technological transfer.
