R&D Collaborators

Andreea Apostu

Events Officer and Liaison

Andreea has been an active member of the civil society for more than 5 years, promoting youth involvement in the public sphere and innovation as a Board Member of various student organizations. During her extensive volunteering experience, Mihaela developed strong leadership skills and a visionary organizational ability. Her areas of expertise include topics such as organizational management, project management, societal innovation therefore she is especially passionate about developing efficiency techniques in the workplace and the society as a whole.

Paula Comanescu

Learning & Development Coordinator

Paula followed up on the International Business and Economics bachelor degree that she obtained from Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, by building a career as an operations manager in an international industrial machinery building group. Passionate about continuous professional development, she diversified her activities towards NGO community projects and business consultancy services. Paula joined the Cluj IT Cluster team in January 2020, as Learning & Development Coordinator, aiming to contribute to the stimulation and optimisation of L&D opportunities within the cluster.

Bogdan Cretu

Coordinator of Learning & Development Working Group

Alexandru Tulai has over 30 years of experience in the IT business and over 15 years in research and academia. He coordinated multiple projects and he has lead implementations of integrated software solutions for the support and development of companies from different business sectors as well as governmental level projects. During the last years, Alexandru had an important role as a business developer and business coacher, leading teams of consultants in important international (Belgian, German, Swiss etc.) software companies and leading implementation projects in Romania and abroad, in public and private sectors. Alexandru is certified as a Change Management Practitioner from APMG International, London and currently is the CEO of an organizational and leadership development company.

Gabriela Fizesan

With a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Gabriela started her career in a company as an economist and later as Economic Director and Internal Auditor. In 2008 she obtained certification as an expert accountant and member of the Body of Expert Accountants and Certified Accountants in Romania (CECCAR), certification as Tax Consultant, member of the Romanian Chamber of Tax Consultants, and in 2012 she obtained qualification as Financial Auditor member of the Chamber of Auditors from Romania; with these qualifications in 2017 she founded her own company avad as object of activity accounting services, tax consulting and audit. She has over 20 years of experience in accounting finance, experience gained by collaborating with entities in various fields of activity (IT, trade, production) and in various forms of organization (SMEs, large companies, associations and foundations).

Financial and Accounting Officer

Marin Iuga

Coordinator of the Data Ingelligence Working Group

Paulina Mitrea

Coordinator of the Brained City Working Group

Paulina Mitrea is an IT specialist, with experience both in the IT industry (as a shareholder but also as CEO), as well as in research and academic activity, with internships in prestigious institutes and universities – Universite de la Mediterranee Marseille, University of Plymouth, University of Essex, Polish-Japanesse Academy of IT Technology, etc. He holds a PhD in High Performance Computing and Image Processing, with extensive activity in interdisciplinary research and projects, especially in large-scale Smart City projects.
The fundamental belief is to position the capabilities of the IT field in the service of human values, both as an engine / support of development in all fields of activity and knowledge, and as a facilitator of new paradigms of human life, freed from those aspects by which activities routine and repetitive ones impede creative development.

Current responsibilities and positions: Associate Professor Doctor in Computer Science and Mathematics, Shareholder and Technical Director SC SOFTWARE ITC CLUJ SA – GOLD Member of the Cluju IT Cluster, Brained City / Cluj IT Group Coordinator, Smart City Unit Leader – DIH4S Cluj IT, ASAIA Vice President (Association for the Science and Application of Artificial Intelligence), Member of ASRO and Member of the European Committee for Standardization in the field of Smart and Sustainable Cities.

Ovidiu Duta

Training Specialist

Ovidiu has graduated all three forms of studies related to communication, and for the last ten years has been involved with helping his faculty and department to improve the manner in which students get in touch with the media institutions.

Besides his years of volunteering for UBB Radio Online, he has also been a volunteer for RBL in Bucharest and Cluj between 2015 and 2018 which increased his desire to help the community and share his skills. His areas of expertise revolve around technology, audio-video production and for the past 3 years, teaching a wide range of seminars and workshops to hundreds of students. Although not a graduate of an IT school, he still wishes to combine the field of communication with that of technology and bring a better understanding of both fields.

His PhD thesis revolves around Immersive Journalism and the Digital Audience, a study case on Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality used by media institutions and he hopes that at the end of his journey, a guide-book will be published to help the companies from Romania to keep its audience more engaged

Radu Orghidan

Member of the Board

Adrian Florea

Member of the Board

Robert Cincu

Project officer

Robert has previously collaborated with the Babeș-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca on two social-educational projects as project assistant. He was also a consultant on communication, media and IT for the UBB Faculty of Letters for three years. Robert has a PhD in Philology and he has published several articles on literary history and criticism in national and international scientific journals.

Ana Pop

Financial and Accounting Officer

With a bachelor’s in Finance and Accounting, Ana began her career in a large
company as an economist and later as an economic director. Since 2001, with
certification as an accounting expert and member of the Body of Expert
Accountants and Certified Accountants in Romania (CECCAR), she founded her
own company. With more than 30 years of experience, Ana is a professional up to
any challenge in finance and accounting. She relies on her broad expertise in the
field and on her experience in collaborating with entities from various fields of
activity (medical, IT, trade, production, publishing houses, cultural) and under
different forms of organization (SMEs, large companies, associations and
foundations, authorized individuals, civil medical societies).

Cristian Lopatnic

Procurement and Legal advisory

Cristian has a bachelor’s degree in law and during his professional career he has held several positions as a legal advisor within public institutions as well as organizations and associations in the private sector. Among them Babes-Bolyai University Cluj-Napoca, the Ministry of Education and Research, EU structural funds management organization of the Ministry of Education, private companies and associations. He also worked as an expert in European structural funds projects. Cristian has certifications in project management, public procurement, European funds expert and trainer. He also carries out volunteer activities with the Derzelas Association.

Alexandru Tulai

Vice President

Alexandru Tulai has over 30 years of experience in the IT business and over 15 years in research and academia. He coordinated multiple projects and he has lead implementations of integrated software solutions for the support and development of companies from different business sectors as well as governmental level projects. During the last years, Alexandru had an important role as a business developer and business coacher, leading teams of consultants in important international (Belgian, German, Swiss etc.) software companies and leading implementation projects in Romania and abroad, in public and private sectors. Alexandru is certified as a Change Management Practitioner from APMG International, London and currently is the CEO of an organizational and leadership development company.

Stelian brad

President

Stelian Brad is an open spirit to bring novelty in community. He has a PhD in robotics and a PhD in
economics. He is an entrepreneur in the IT sector and has over 9 years of experience as CEO in the
software industry. Today he is the president of the Cluj IT Cluster and full professor at the Technical
University of Cluj-Napoca, where he leads the Research Center for Engineering and Management of
Innovation. Till now, he had the chance to lead or to be involved in 150+ research and
innovation projects, as well as many institutional development initiatives. His current
technological focus is on disruptive IT product-service systems, industry 4.0 and robotic
intelligence. He bases his life on two fundamental principles: “cooperation is much more
competitive than competition” and “willingness to do as much good is superior to ambition to be the
best”

Andrei Kelemen

CEO

Throughout his professional career Andrei has held various management positions in private and public outfits where he managed numerous projects worth tens of millions of Euros. In particular, he acted as management consultant for Babes-Bolyai University, the largest public university in the country. Prior to that he has lead the Information Compartment in an EU structural funds management structure of the Ministry of Labor. Since 2013 he is the Executive Director of Cluj IT Cluster where he oversees all operational aspects of an organization that represents the interests of one of the most prominent industries in Cluj. Andrei is also contributing to defining the strategy and objectives of the cluster initiative alongside the Board of Directors and the General Assembly.

Otilia Crizbasan

Communication Assistant

Having a constant interest in community development, Otilia is currently studying for a master’s degree in Science, Technology and Innovation in Public Governance. She is passionate about her work at Cluj IT and that’s why she has a steady source of motivation that drives her to do her best. She is an ambitious content writer, who developed strong communication skills through her academic and professional background.

Diana Campian

Communications Officer

Diana has been actively involved in the NGO community for more than 8 years, promoting personal and professional development, involvement in civil society. With a passion for people, communities and all things visual, Diana has been working with the Cluj IT Cluster since 2015 on continuous development of the community and its members.

Christian Sacarea

Member of the Board

Passionate about mathematics and computer science Christian Sacarea is a member of the Computer Science Department within the Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science of Babes-Bolyai University. With 4 published books and over 50 published articles in his area of expertise, he has also used his passion for knowledge in organizing over 20 national and international events in his field.
Currently serving as Vicerector of the Babes-Bolyai University, Christian Sacarea joined the Cluj IT Cluster Board of Directors in April 2020 and is continuously working towards supporting the Cluj IT ecosystem.

Ioana Neagoe

Member of the Board

My thoughts to You with honesty ….

1. It is not so important to be the best; much more important is to make as much good as possible

2. Both barriers and solutions are within us; let’s look from beyond the limits

3. Cooperation is much more competitive than competition

4. Compromise-driven solutions are obstacles in constructing humanity; humanity means to overpass the instinct-driven limits

5. Passion is a great transportation mean towards the essence of things; beyond this, discovery and understanding of the essence requires the soul’s energy

6. Sacrifice is the upper limit of humanity

7. Without the consciousness of our mission as human beings in the universe, thinking is only a trivial intellectual exercise; if we succeed to find out the proper reference, the thrusting force of word is huge

8. A really intelligent person is the one that overpass obstacles without stepping on others

9. Our creation is our spokesman

10. Innovation is life; stillness is death

11. Which is the border between prudence and cowardice? Which is the border between courage and lack of wisdom? It is the border between satisfaction and disappointment of your fellows that wait solutions from you. You cannot solve this dilemma without innovating intelligent – providing conflict-free solutions

12. The innovation process is the race you need to travel through to open the door of the house of your dreams

13. Strategy without a proper vision is roving; vision without a proper strategy is dreaming

14. Elites do not justify their talents if these are used only to raise their own statues

15. Mind acts through spirit; a high spirit animates the quality of solutions

16. The best source of innovation is the love for your fellows

17. We can do more than we think we can do; the problem does not stand in potential but in the way we choose to make thinks

18. Ideas you cannot materialize worth being shared with others; this means you are superior not naive

Bogdan Herea Buzatu