:: Development of the Software Industry Community - Concept paper

Justification

In the last 10 years, there was a continuous struggle for improving the economic situation of Romania. One of the possible ways to contribute to the development of the Romanian economy can be the software industry. Before 1989, this industry was one of the important providers for the East European countries in the software field. Due to economic and political situation, the export of Romanian software products towards these countries decreased.

On the other hand, the Romanian software producers understood the importance of promoting their products within the area. The software producers allied into a professional association aiming at representing their interests and promoting their values and products. It is also very important to encourage the local software developers, which will contribute to a better use of the resources.

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The Project

"Development of the Software Industry Community" aimes at fostering regional cooperation by creating a virtual community seeking to promoting the products and services offered by the Romanian software industry. On one hand, the community will be a communication tool with other sectors and with the external media and on the other hand, this virtual community will facilitate the communication within its members enabling common positions in front of the authorities and of the potential partners.

The Project will focus on the following specific issues:

1. Establishment of the working group
It will be created a special working group, bringing together the representatives of the main Romanian software companies, of the existing professional associations, academic community and of the Romanian Government. This working group will coordinate the activities and will ensure their impartiality and neutrality.

2. Setting up the online community
The information will be gathered and organized on the structure of the community, the focus being on the representation of the professional community's internal system of relations and the creation of a "formative context". The community will offer communication facilities (forum, discussion lists, etc.) and will represent a starting point for building a knowledge platform for this area.

3. Networking activities
A list of the events and fares related to the software that are organized in the targeted countries will be available within the community. This will facilitate the presence of the Romanian software companies to such events and will contribute to their promotion.

4. Creation of the database
One of the services offered by the community will be the access to a database containing short descriptions of the Romanian software products and profiles of the producers and partners. Based on the information related to the market and legal framework, this community will contribute to attracting new partners and investors for the software industry.

5. Advertising the community
The Internet address of the community as well as its aims and services will be widely publicized throughout specific channels (specialized newsletters, magazines and web sites)

6. Development of the community
The emphasis will be on offering a very dynamic community platform. The community sites will include decentralized publishing and community-building tools to do the following:

• Encourage the main foreign brands to manufacture their products in Romania and to promote them as such.
• Wide international presence to different events connected to the software industry.
• Establishment of bilateral contacts with similar communities.
  

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Project results

Amplified promotion of the Romanian Software Industry

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Partners

National Association of Software Entrepreneurs (ANIS) is a non-profit organization established in 1998, through the initiative of 30 Software Enterprises. ANIS carries on activities aimed at the promotion of the IT&C field and the creation of the basis of the information society in Romania.

The association comprises at present about 70 members, which are the companies with most weight in the IT&C field in Romania. The members, software companies, are able to offer complete solutions in IT&C area: software development and implementation, design and installation of computer networks, project management, management information systems, and Internet services. Many of the members are also involved in "offshore" development projects.

eRomania Gateway (eRG) is a not-for-profit organization, its mission being to promote and support the e-development in Romania. Established in November 2001, the Association is an open partnership between the public sector (represented by the Romanian Government as a founding member and under the umbrella of the Romanian Presidency), the business community and civil society organizations.

Specific objectives include:

• to develop and manage a leading portal on Romania, "Romania Development Gateway" (RDG), within the context of World Bank's "Development Gateways" (DG) initiative, which aims to assist countries in establishing a presence on the Internet through Country Gateway portals;
• to assist the Romanian Government and Romania in general in drawing-up and implementing various initiatives part of the national information strategy, presenting them with clear guidelines guarantees so that they will be successfully implemented in a medium and long- term perspective;
• to conduct public awareness campaigns on IC&Ts impact on economy, education, and society as a whole.
  

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