Moldovan PM attends inauguration of new Inotek Center

Prime Minister Dorin Recean has participated in the inauguration of the new headquarters of the largest innovation and technology excellence center in southern Moldova - Inotek - EU Innovation Centre Cahul'. According to the PM, the center will provide young people with real opportunities to develop skills, start local businesses and improve communities.

‘’Young people from Cahul will be able to network, implement innovative ideas and have a good place at home for professional development,’’ the prime minister emphasized.

Inotek has earlier worked in the premises of the Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu State University, and now it has a new building on the site of a former dormitory of the educational institution. With an area of over 1,600 square metres, the center includes multifunctional spaces for training, teamwork, events and relaxation, becoming a pillar for economic development and reducing unemployment in the region.

In the next two years, with the support of development partners, over 4,000 students will benefit from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) programmes offered by Inotek, and over 1,000 adults and entrepreneurs will participate in training and community activities. At Inotek, the community will benefit from numerous opportunities, including support for local entrepreneurs, access to advanced technologies, educational programmes and more. The center is created with financial support from the European Union, in partnership with Sweden, the National Association of ICT Companies (ATIC), and the B.P. Hasdeu State University in Cahul, joined by the UMAEF Fund, the Swiss government, UN Women, the Liechtenstein Development Service Foundation (LED), and Cahul City Hall. The total investment was about 15 million euros.

Prime Minister Dorin Recean stressed that the initiative was part of a larger project of regional development, through which the state, with the support of external partners, invests in the potential of young people. In total, 15 such centers have been created across the country, equipped with high-performance laboratories and spaces for teamwork.

At the same time, Prime Minister Dorin Recean inspected the progress of works of reconstruction of Dormitory No. 3 of the Bogdan Petriceicu Hasdeu State University in Cahul. Thanks to investments by the governments of Moldova and Romania, the dormitory building, with a capacity of 158 places, will be turned into a modern, energy-efficient living facility. Accommodation spaces will be reconfigured into apartments and studios with private facilities, common and auxiliary zones will be modernized and the internal and external engineering networks will be completely renovated. The project's value is 62 million lei, of which 47 million lei is a non-reimbursable grant on behalf of the Romanian government, and the remaining amount is the contribution of Moldova’s government.