UNIVERSITIES AND THE POTENTIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRIAL CLUSTERS IN ROMANIA

As the subject of analysis, the relationship between universities and the economic environment is a complex area with multiple interactions, currently facing particular challenges both globally and nationally. In a globalized society and economy, in which knowledge has become the main driver of economic growth, both actors in this partnership have to redefine their position in relation to academic action. The prototype is the networked cluster that is composed of networks of small companies in the same or related industries able to quickly adapt to changing markets and differentiated demand through collaboration and use of new technologies. Companies in a networked cluster enjoy advantages not available to other companies, including access to local knowledge and labor markets, low transport and transaction costs, culture of flexibility, trust, and cooperation. The University as a leading actor of the knowledge-based society is meant to contribute to the welfare of the individual and the socio-economic environment by generating and transferring knowledge through education, research and development innovation. The realization of the mentioned mission and roles for the university institution is conditioned by a major change in the paradigm of the academic approach: from the independent approach of the Humboldt University to a cooperative approach characterized by involvement and institutionalized efforts on behalf of all stakeholders. In advanced economies, prestigious universities have a key role to play in their economic growth. As a consequence, the university-economic relationship is of strategic importance and of public interest, having to be developed and streamlined continuously through appropriate governmental policies. At present, there is a strong mix of the humboldtian and university entrepreneurial models. Collaboration between universities and business is seen as a co-innovation process where knowledge transfer is the core mission of universities. The establishment of consortia and clusters in specific research areas between universities and other partners will continue to develop as a major feature of innovation, including regional innovation. Starting from these premises, this diagnostic analysis is focused, in line with the requirements of the working group, on the university - innovation - the economic environment. The main objective of the study is to investigate the potential of cluster development in Romania, the role and advantages of universities in cooperation with the business environment. The political implications of regional development in Romania were analyzed, focusing on the conclusions of recent reports by the World Economic Forum and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The concept of cluster and its implications on regional development policy have been further defined.