Local councilors recently voted to increase the capital of Cluj Innovation Park, the company created by Cluj Municipality for managing Lomb Hill business premises, according to actualdecluj.ro. Specifically, administrators still need 3.2 ha of land on the Lomb hill, for the submission of a project for European funding of a research center for renewable energy.
On the Lomb hill in Cluj previously was planned Impact residential community, a project that “died” in a period of real estate crisis, and then appeared the idea of a mini-town for innovation, with IT companies and research centers – Cluj Innovation City. In the meantime, on Lomb hill started two mini-projects by the municipality (with EU money) for business premises and services: Transfer, Evolution, Entrepreneurship and Micro-enterprise Center (TEAM), Regional Center of Excellence for Creative Industries (CREICA).
Both started on site, but one is now blocked (CREICA), because the company designated to handle the work has gone bankrupt in the meantime. Now, another project is added, yet at the stage of documents and documentation: a research center for renewable energy.
“Cluj Innovation Park company needs a capital increase to associate with the energy cluster and access European funds for a joint project”, said Mayor Emil Boc before the vote on the draft.
City Council has agreed in principle to increase the capital of Cluj Innovation Park, whose sole shareholder is Cluj Napoca municipality, by contribution in kind of a plot of 3.27 ha. The agreement in principle is the condition of eligibility for applying for funding by TREC cluster – Transylvania Energy Cluster, in the competition of projects Competitiveness Operational Program 2014-2020, Priority Axis 1 – Research, Technological Development and Innovation to support economic competitiveness and business development, Big Infrastructure Action type CD, type of project – innovation clusters.
TREC cluster, in which both the city and Cluj Innovation City company are founding members, wants to apply for European funding towards building a photovoltaic park, is explained in the draft resolution, to convince local councilors that the initiative would be appropriate. The land is necessary not only for energy production, but also for research in the field, claim the initiators: on the newly added land a research center for renewable energy will be built.
“The overall objective is to create a research center for testing under real conditions the energy efficiency of modern photo-voltaic panels and wind turbines, in order to improve research capacity in alternative energy of research entities member in TREC cluster”, shows in the draft resolution.
A part of the energy produced here will be used for operation of premises and of project infrastructure on the hill, say company representatives. The project has reached the City Council just a few days before the deadline for submission of documentation, August 18.