At the end of October, Iași became the focal point of collaboration between Romania and Japan, hosting the third edition of the Japan–Romania Innovation Forum, held on 23–25 October 2025.
Digital Innovation Zone, co-organizer and representative of the regional innovation ecosystem
Digital Innovation Zone (DIZ) was honored to co-organize this landmark event, through the participation of Florin Cardașim, DIZ Co-founder and representative of Strongbytes Consulting, and Cristina Baghiu, DIZ coordinator.
DIZ representatives brought to the forefront the voice of the North-East region’s digital innovation ecosystem, showcasing collaboration opportunities and success stories in digitalization and smart transformation.
The Japan–Romania Innovation Forum, a collaboration platform for innovation and technology
The event brought together business leaders, innovators, researchers, and academia representatives from both countries, creating a unique collaborative space to develop joint projects in key areas such as:
• digital innovation (AI & cybersecurity)
• health innovation
• infrastructure and logistics
• sustainable agriculture.
Participating Japanese companies included Takeda, Hitachi, Fujitsu, NTT Data, Nippon Yusen, Yusen Logistics, Marubeni, and others, confirming the growing interest in technology partnerships with Romania.
The DIZ ecosystem, present with Romanian innovations
Members and beneficiary companies of Digital Innovation Zone also took part in the information and networking sessions, including Atta Board, Palibo, Silver Rom Service, TagOnSoft, Quartz Matrix, Nobswell, and Colorful Coding, representing the diversity and creativity of the North-East Romania tech landscape.
A strategic collaboration for the digital future
The forum was organized by the Embassy of Japan in Romania, with support from JETRO Bucharest, the Iași City Hall, the Ministry of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism, the Ministry of Education and Research, in partnership with the Japanese Businessmen’s Association in Romania, the Iași Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Digital Innovation Zone, and the universities of Iași.
International collaboration remains one of the essential pillars for accelerating innovation and for positioning the North-East region on Europe’s technology map.