Transylvania Business Center was founded in September 1992 to create a unique NGO/NPO business center for the membership of the area of Transylvania. It was established in the frame of 15/1990 Law, and in March 1994 it became SME NGO Association (Law 21/1924). Later it was re-organized based on the Governmental Ordinace no. 26/ 2000. Our initial objective has been successful in attracting members and networking various businesses in Transylvania region and abroad.
CAT is proud of its 23 original founding members, in addition to its more than 1000 regular members, guests and observers associated to its activities. These founders and members cover all fields needed for a business center. Some of these activities include: production and construction, banking and insurance, commodities exchange and trade, communications and media services, research and data base, consulting and advertising, training and cultural life, sport and entertainment. CAT Centers in Transylvania towns have been opened and negotiations have been started for establishing new centers and representatives especialy in the small towns and villages. The number of the members, observers and guests increased due to the development of the first virtual business center e-CAT.
OBJECTIVES AND DUTIES:
The first goal of CAT is to expand economic activity and stimulate trade and investment in the area by:
*supporting private and public agencies in economic activity;
*increasing trade relations between companies, both at home and abroad;
*developing relations with governmental and non governmental organizations in and outside Romania;
*assisting in the acceleration of privatization process to attract investors to Transylvanian region;
*supporting, counselling and developing small and medium – sized Enterprises (SME’s) in private sector;
*introducing ICT. promoting commercial interest and investment opportunities;
*attracting sources and generate funding necessary for growth of the organization.
CATrecognizes the following responsibilities:
*initiating, organizing and developing contacts directly between members and foreign and domestic partners, hoping to finalize commercial transactions or create investments benefits for both parties;
*providing consulting services, training programs and seminars for SME’s;
*making research and creating data bases for the use of CAT members and other interested agencies;
*consulting services for technology transfer, know-how, ICT and eLearning assisting in the area of public awareness and advertisement;
*organizing trade shows, exhibitions and other activities for the promotion of products and services;providing a newsletter to all members to promote awareness of business activity: “Transylvania Business Review”;
*developing the co-operation mechanisms and loyal competition.
ORGANIZATION:
CAT has four departments, specialized and decentralized in the process of decision making:
1. Consulting Department directs its efforts to provide SMEs with consulting in marketing, management, investments, foreign trade and also in other economic and technical fields; organizing seminars, training courses, business meetings with experts from Romania and abroad; organizing research activities activities, designing activities, technology transfer and building data bases. It co-ordinates:CATconsulting, CATraining, CATexpert, CATresearch, CATproject.
2. Relations Department focuses its efforts on relations among members from both domestic and foreign companies. In support of this, the department supplies database information for public use, organizes trade shows and economic missions, provides positive relations to the local community and develop mass media relations.
3. Development Department organizes the CATransylvania data bases and the communication system; develops the CAT COMMON MARKET program; co-ordinates the CAT centers and representatives; supports: LBC – Lyceum Business Center’s and SPEC/CAST - Students Business Center’s activities; co-ordinates the programmes: CATransilvania DataBase,DEBLO-CAT, INFO-CAT, Transylvania’s guilds, New Members, JobCAT, WebCAT. It also co-ordinates the implementation of the trans-european projects addressed to SMEs and the results of the research and development activities, technological transfer, etc.
4. Administration Department: is straightened towards bookkeeping, administrative duties, patrimony administration, non reimbursable assistance and donations.
COMPLETED PROJECTS:
CAT has completed numerous prestigious projects in support of our community:
*launching “The COMMON MARKET CAT” program, a model of co-operation among companies and creating “The FIRST TRANSYLVANIAN ELECTRONICMARKET“;
*v-market and the mobile business m2m ;
*creating a commodities exchange - BURSA TRANSILVANÃ S.A. and the virtual exchange E-BURSA *to provide information on the markets throughout Romania and other countries;
*supported projects plans for Cluj-Napoca International Airport and tourism program “Apuseni Mountains”;
*the freeway between Cluj and Oradea for increasing the traffic from the western border (120 Km) and between Cluj and Sibiu (160 Km) for direct connection with the South districts;
*the Industrial Park in Cluj-Napoca, and also other important institutions: Transilvania Bank, Napoca Popular Bank;
*organizing a membership club for business persons – CAT-CLUB;
*initiated a business workshop for local students to provide them experience and knowledge in business and to find for them working places - SPEC/CAST –Business Incubator for Students;
*created a special vocational training program for high school pupils – Lyceum Business Center ;
*advising for local and foreign investors.Currently has been completed over 35.000 hours of consulting with a clientele of over 20.000 companies;
*organizing advertising campaigns for Coca-Cola, Yaesu, Ungaro, Christian Dior, Pepsi-Cola, Pioneer, ABB, Sprint, Siemens, ING Barrings, AIG Life, Romanian-Turkish Bank, Transylvania Bank and other companies;assisting important companies from Switzerland, France, Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, USA, Canada, to develop their business, representations and joint ventures in the area;
*developing its own representation network in 14 countries and all the regions of Romania;mentioned in European Parliamentary Yearbook 94/95 and other prestigious catalogues and newspapers;creating the first Mobile Business integrated learning-research-practice chair at the European Studies Faculty Babes Bolyai University;
*deliver mBiz Business Plan courses to the students;created an information directory for consulting specialists in and outside of Romania;
*developing relations with the diplomatic foreign missions in Romania;
*provided a reference library containing manuals for business studies, marketing management a.s.o.;
*supporting the creation of the Management – Development Center, ADIP Poieni and Gherla Foundation; business incubators in Zalau, Baia Mare, etc.;
*activating business connections and investment with Romanian Development Agency, Ministry of Trade, US AID, Peace Corps, CDC, CBI, DNP-World Learning, CIPE, NCW, NMCP, SES. ACCC, PHARE, PAEM-FIMAN and other economic organizations;
*creating the Transilvania TELEMARKETING system for BURSA TRANSILVANAand editing electronic announcements’ review “PIATA AZi – Market AZi”;
*launching the program “IMAGE OF CLUJ” to provide updated information on economic activities and to co-operate with local authorities;
*creation of the CYBER CITY CLUJ-NAPOCA, a super site with links and information about our bi-millenar multicultural municipality:http://www.ClujNapoca.ro, http://Kolozsvar.ro, http://Klausenburg.ro;
*organizing trade missions in Denmark, France, Holland, UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, Greece, Ciprus, Malta, Cehia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Hungary, Swiss, Japan, USA, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Brasil, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, China, India, Indonesia, Malaesia, Maldives, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodgea, Hong Kong, Tunisia, Egipt, Marocco, Israel, Sheichelles, Zimbabwe, Kenya.
*nominated as representative in the U.S. Department of Commerce International Buyer Program and receiving complimentary registration packages to the major events in U.S. ;
*participating to the founding GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT NETWORK Conference of World Bank; European Commission Conferences BRE – Athens, Zaragoza and IST 99 – Helsinki; IST-2000 Nice, IST-2001 Dusseldorf, IST-2002 Copenhagen, EIC-EU 2000 Prague, EU-Enlargement 2001 Berlin, EBERD Economic Summit for CEC countries in Prague and others important international reunions;nominated as the AUTHORISED CENTER for small and medium size companies by CRIMM-PHARE;
*realizing the exhibitions “Your Office Design” with the participation of furniture, decoration and bureautics companies. Editing CAT Catalogue gathering CAT companies and participating at “The Products Guide and Trade Marks ’96″;
*participation to the European Commission projects: BREuropa, ViVa, EWEN,ENERGIA, LIRIC, TexMap;
*Designing 21 EoIs Expression of Interests for the Europea Commission’s 6th Framework Programme and presenting them to the European Commission and subscribing them on the http://www.cordis.lu. They were grouped under n2n Networking-the-Networks generic concept;
*opening the independent CAT centers in Bistrita, Baia Mare, Brasov, Zalãu, Alba-Iulia, Deva, Nãsãud, Oradea, Turda, Campia Turzii, Targu Lapus, Galgauand starting negotiations for establishing new centers and representatives in other towns such as: Sibiu, Brasov, Târgu-Mures, Satu-Mare, Tasnad, Carei, Cehu Silvaniei and other Transilvanian towns;
*developing our own communication system between CAT members through radio walky – talky equipment, and through GSM system of mobile phones;
*launching the TRANSYLVANIA INVESTMENT FORUM program which consists in identifying and completing investment projects and promoting investments in Transylvania;
*organizing training courses in informatics, typing, secretariat and also seminars regarding business and investments together with: COOPERS & LYBRAND, ERNEST & YOUNG, NCW, NMCP, SES, SOROS Foundation, CIPE;
*participation of CAT specialists to the training programs in the country and abroad;
*support for private companies to open the appropriate shops and representations with important producers from the world (MUZICOLOR, AMIC, ELVILA);
*launching the INFOCAT – Communication Integrated Program for implementing the E-Mail and INTERNET systems; design of WEB pages forCAT ELECTRONIC CAT-ALOG;
*support for cultural and artistic events at the National Theatre including theAnnual Opera Ball, Transylvanian Fashion Review, Transylvania Tastes Exhibition, Philharmonic Orchestra, Transilvania Army House, Jazz Festival, Karaoke Show, “European Day”
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER and IRC establishement:
Transilvanian SMEs and companies from different sectors are looking for the new technologies to modernize the production and service capacities, for a fast and better integration into the European Single Market.
Transilvania Business Center-CAT created and developed the CATransilvania DataBase, including over 8000 companies from the region and assisting them with consulting and business links services. There were established links between the SME’s research and innovation/incubation centers European partners. This mechanism must be improved and supported by the European Commission and the CRIMM Foundation.
Transilvania Business Center CAT- the regional co-ordinator and its local parteners (exp. University for Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine Sciences, Cluj County Council, Bursa Transilvana, Brinel IT and other CAT member companies) have the requested capacity to serve the local clients, particularly SMEs in technology transfer, exploitation of RTD and innovation. CAT and its partners have:
*Knowledge to realize Business Links (BL) and the Technology Transfer (TT);
*Experience in carrying out technology audits throught the experts associated to the consortium activity;
*Ability to access and use other management tools that are supportive of good TT, especially the IC&T;
*Ability to disseminate the information and to promote the IRC as part of a range of business services to its clients, both from Transilvania region and Europe;
*Ability, from within the organisation, to assist the IRC with databases, contacts, IPR, licensing issues, etc.;
*Contacts with the regional business and research community, developed in the 10 years of existence and sustainable growth of our organization and community;
*Close links with national schemes which deliver related services, especially CRIMM Foundation from Bucharest;
* Existing good customer relationship management practices which would be used by the IRC;
*Experience of working in transnational projects supporting international client co-operation;
*Experience of working throughout the Transilvania area;
*Experience of implementing European Commission/Trans-national/National/Regional/Local Community RTD Programs, especially for SME’s support-development and IC&T penetration to the lowest lavels of our regional community.
*Experience of working with pertinent national/regional organisations and cooperating with other national/regional players in the areas of technology transfer, RTD exploitation and innovation.
*The establishment of the IRC Innovation Relay Center in Cluj-Napoca is the best solution for the intensification of the trans-european co-operation between our region and the European regions, in the benefit of all parts and the success of the ERA European Research Area program and activities.
INVITATION:
CAT is a grass-root, non-political and non-profit organization opened for all entrepreneurs who wish to create business within this market of great potential.
CAT stands ready to assist in promoting the best interests of all companies who invest in Transylvania.
CAT also welcomes any interests in our organization that will aid in our expansion of services and/or overhead.
CAT is confident that the stimulation of economic activity in our region will create benefits for the dynamic companies searching for new markets.
CAT is recipient of grants, donations, financial and technical non reimbursable assistance.