The Ministry of Communications and Information Society (MCSI) and and the Ministry of SMEs will sign a protocol next week in order to establish ten software parks where 5,000 IT&C jobs are set to be created, Communications Minister Gabriel Sandu said yesterday.
"There will be a software park in each of the eight development regions of Romania, in addition to two in university centres. I anticipate that by the end of 2010 all the ten software parks will be operational," Sandu said, at the opening of the Romania-Israel High Tech Business Cooperation Forum, now at its tenth edition.
About two weeks ago, the Communications Minister told Mediafax that eight software parks would be established.
Sandu stated that sources for eighty percent of the financing needs of the software parks had already been identified.
"Part of the funds will be provided by the two ministries from their own resources, in addition to structural funds and private sources from interested companies. We want to access 40 million euros in structural funds," Sandu stated, without saying, however, what the necessary amount to establish the ten software parks was.
The Communications Minister added that during the talks with the representatives of the international IT&C companies present in Romania, the latter had requested technological parks to be established, as well as data on the number of high-school and university students specialising in IT&C.
Sandu also stated that the software parks, which will take up a total of 100,000 square metres, would be 51 percent controlled by the Communications Ministry and the Ministry for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.
"Universities can become shareholders in these parks, too, as they will provide the necessary workforce and can also become involved in developing IT&C research and development projects, " the minister added.
