CONFERINȚA
DIGITAL
INNOVATION
ZONE
Where Business
Meets Innovation
March 20th 2025,
AGORA - Events center
Iasi, Romania
Do you want to attend the Digital Innovation Zone Conference?
Register now to secure your spot—we’ll be waiting for you!
Event Agenda
Plenary Sessions
9:00-13:30
9:00 – 10:00
Participant Registration | Welcome Coffee
10:00 – 10:15
Event Opening
Keynote speakers
- Vasile ASANDEI, General Director, North-East Regional Development Agency
- Prof. Dr. Eng. Dan CAȘCAVALL, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iași
10:15 – 11:15
The Tech Revolution: How Industries Are Transforming?
Keynote Speaker
- Dr. Voica Radescu, EMEA Lead, IBM Quantum
Moderator:
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Eng. Simona CARAIMAN, Vice-Rector for Digitalization and Digital Communications at “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași
Speaker
- Victor VEVERA, General Director, National Institute for Research & Development in Informatics – ICI Bucharest
Ioan GORAȘ, Business Manager Enterprise Informatics for CEE, Philips
Mihaela ONOFREI, CEO & Co-founder, Apollo AI Technologies
- Ivett ANGYAL, Operations Lead for EDIHs, EIT Digital
Details
- We explore how digital transformation opens new markets and redefines business growth, through examples and strategies from Romania.
11:15 – 12:00
Digital Transformation & New Markets: How Companies Find Their Way
Moderator:
Georgiana DRAGOMIR, CEO, Grapefruit
Speaker
Felix PĂTRĂȘCANU, Co-founder and Managing Partner, FAN Courier
Daniela ALDESCU, Managing Partner, Vertik Group
Alexandru HOLICOV, Founder & CEO, Adservio
Marius GHENEA, Managing Partner, Catalyst Romania
- Corina VASILE, Executive Director, the Employers’ Association of the Software and Services Industry (ANIS)
Details
- We are exploring how digital transformation opens new markets and redefines business growth, through examples and strategies from Romania.
12:00-12:15
Coffee Break
12:15 – 13:00
Deeptech in Business: Real Opportunity or Strategic Risk?
Keynote Speaker
Natalie CERNECKA, Leader, EIT Deep Tech Talent
Moderator
Cristina BAGHIU, President, Digital Innovation Zone ONG
Speaker
Bogdan CIUBOTARU, Managing Partner, Aliant
Dragoș GAVRILUȚ, VP of Threat Research, Bitdefender
Dan ALEXA, Strategic Brand Manager, ETA2U
Details
- We showcase opportunities, risks, and real experiences related to adopting deeptech technologies in business, offering companies valuable insights for informed decision-making.
13:00 – 13:45
How do we support digital transformation? Funding, services, and solutions for SMEs and public administrations.
Moderator
Lidia MOCANU, Head of One Stop Shop Office, North-East Regional Development Agency
Speaker
- Cristina BAGHIU, President, Digital Innovation Zone NGO
Monica HARJA-ZLĂVOG, Director, PR NORD-EST 2021-2027, North-East Regional Development Agency
- Lucian SANDU, Head of RIS3 Management Office, North-East Regional Development Agency
Ana Maria BUȘONIU, General Director, OIPSI-ADR
Elena COSMA, Director, Programming, Evaluation, Contracting and Technical Assistance Department for PoCIDIF and PNRR, North-East Regional Development Agency
Details
- SMEs and local public administrations in the digital era – funding, hands-on support, and cybersecurity for a safer future.
13:45-14:45
Lunch break, networking,
and a guided tour of the EXPO area
Workshops
14:45 – 17:00
Main Hall
14:45 – 15:00
“Win-Winnovation” Book Launch
Speaker
- Piet VERHOEVE, Origanius, author
Details
Piet V., a close collaborator of Digital Innovation Zone and member of the DIZ Advisory Board, is launching in premiere his book on sustainable collaborative innovation models, featuring best practices from Romania’s North-East Region.
15:00 – 15:45
Impactful Digitalization: Case Studies from the Digital Innovation Zone Ecosystem
Moderator:
- Florin CARDAȘIM, Managing partner, Strongbytes
Case studies:
- OptiMathR – Radu STRUGARIU, Associate
- UtilDeco – Manuela IFTIMOAEI, Director of European Programs
- AttaBoard – Alex TREFAȘ, Co-founder & Industrial Designer
- AIris Vision – Bogdan GRUMEZESCU, Founder
- Muzeul Național al Literaturii Române Iași – Anca-Maria BUZEA, Deputy Director
Details
- A session dedicated to companies that have benefited from DIZ expertise and successfully scaled their businesses through digitalization or developed innovative solutions. We will explore how adopted solutions have improved their efficiency in achieving business goals.
15:45 - 16:00
Coffee Break, Networking,
and Expo Area Visit
16:00 – 17:00
International matchmaking session
Moderator
- ec. Amalia GEORGESCU, PhD, CEO AGEO Events, Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Iași
Details
- One-to-many matchmaking session designed to facilitate connections between companies in the DIZ ecosystem and international partner EDIHs from the European network.
Small Hall
15:00 – 16:00
National Meeting of Romanian EDIHs
Details
- Invitation-based access only.
If these topics caught your attention
Take the next step and secure your spot now.
Previous editions
2024
2023
Photo gallery
DIZ Conference in numbers
2024 stats
400+
participants
40+
speakers
30+
exhibitors
7000+
networking
interactions
Do you have a solution to showcase?
Are you a digital solutions provider looking to showcase your innovations directly to companies in need?
The Expo Zone at our event is the perfect place to demonstrate the impact of your technology.
Why be an exhibitor?
- Direct access to an audience interested in advanced technology solutions;
- Opportunity to conduct live demos and generate new partnerships;
- Increased brand visibility in a relevant and dynamic environment.
Solutions presented in the exhibition area
- Manufacturing – From collaborative robots and intelligent ERP solutions to AI platforms for analyzing and optimizing production processes.
- Cybersecurity – Advanced data protection technologies and software security for critical industries, including dedicated solutions for the automotive sector and digital infrastructures.
- GovTech – Digital platforms that improve workflows, manage documents and data, facilitating the relationship between citizens and institutions.
- Smart Health – Devices and solutions based on AI and virtual reality that revolutionize healthcare, patient monitoring and personalized therapies.
- Green & Smart Solutions – From intelligent management of green spaces to e-learning platforms and automation for operational efficiency.
Keynote speaker
Natalie Cernecka
Leader
EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative
Dr. Voica Radescu
EMEA Lead
IBM Quantum
Vasile ASANDEI
Director General
Agenția pentru Dezvoltare Regională Nord-Est
Prof. univ. dr. ing. Dan CAȘCAVAL
Profesor
Universitatea Tehnică „Gheorghe Asachi”, Iași
Guests
Alexandru HOLICOV
Fondator & CEO
Adservio
Ana Maria BUȘONIU
Director General
Organismului Intermediar pentru Promovarea Societății Informaționale (OIPSI), Autorității pentru Digitalizarea României (ADR)
Bogdan CIUBOTARU
Managing Partner
Aliant
Corina VASILE
Director Executiv
Asociația Patronală a Industriei de Software și Servicii (ANIS)
Dan ALEXA
Strategic Brand Manager
ETA2U
Daniela ALDESCU
Managing Partner
Vertik Group
Dragoș GAVRILUȚ
VP of Threat Research
Bitdefender
Elena COSMA
Director, Direcția programare, evaluare, contractare, asistență tehnică PoCIDIF și PNRR
Autoritatea pentru Digitalizarea României
Felix PĂTRĂȘCANU
Co-fondator și managing partner
FAN Courier
Ioan GORAȘ
CEE Business Manager Enterprise Informatics
Philips
Marius GHENEA
Managing Partner
Catalyst România
Mihaela ONOFREI
CEO & Co-fondator
Apollo AI Technologies
Monica HARJA-ZLĂVOG
Director PR NORD-EST 2021-2027
Agenția pentru Dezvoltare Regională Nord-Est
Piet VERHOEVE
Author and Owner
Origanius by Piet Verhoeve
Victor VEVERA
Director General
Institutul Național de Cercetare Dezvoltare în Informatică – ICI București
Lucian SANDU
Head of RIS3 Management Office
North-East Regional Development Agency
Moderators
Cristina Baghiu
President
Digital Innovation Zone
Conf.univ. dr. ing. Simona Caraiman
Prorector informatizare și comunicații digitale
Universitatea Tehnică „Gheorghe Asachi”, Iași
Florin Cardașim
Managing Partner
Strongbytes
Georgiana Dragomir
CEO
Grapefruit
Lidia Mocanu
Head of One Stop Shop Office
North-East Regional Development Agency
ec. Amalia Georgescu
PhD, CEO, Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Iași
AGEO Events
Do you want to become a sponsor?
Become a sponsor of the Digital Innovation Zone Conference and position your brand in front of a tech-savvy audience driving digital transformation.
As a sponsor, you will benefit from:
- Extended visibility before, during, and after the event;
- Access to networking opportunities and strategic partnerships;
- An exhibition stand to showcase your digital solutions and services.
Sponsors & Exhibitors
Official Sponsor
Sponsors
Exhibitors
Partners
Strategic Partners
Media Partners
Community Partner
Sponsors and Partners 2024
Partners
Strategic Sponsors
Media Partners
Sponsors
Be part of the change!
Do you want to increase your visibility and find the right partners? Become a sponsor or exhibitor at Digital Innovation Zone 3.0 and showcase your solutions to the companies that need them!
