Founded in 2019, the Association for the Development of Electronic Communications and Innovative Technologies (ACETI) is celebrating five years of activity. The community has proven to be a reliable partner, growing from four initial member companies in mun. Balti to 23 local and national companies, including companies with foreign capital. ACETI is proud of notable achievements such as promoting digital transformation by assisting public and private entities in this direction, creating a significant IT ecosystem reflected in the creation of a digital innovation hub modeled after the European Digital Innovation Hub and obtaining the status of public utility, thus demonstrating its commitment to the economic development of the region.
ACETI is the largest community of IT companies in the north of the country. Ion Bodrug, founding member and president of the association, is convinced of the great potential of the IT ecosystem in the Republic of Moldova, which was also one of the premises for the establishment of the association.
“In just five years since its founding, ACETI has become a trusted organization with substantial impact for the IT ecosystem in the northern region of Moldova. We have contributed to the digitalization of several companies, which has increased their efficiency. These are both local and national companies. There are also international companies for which we have secured partnerships with local entrepreneurs,” says Ion Bodrug. The association represents people passionate about technology and innovation who can contribute to the development of society through their knowledge, experience, opportunities and potential. Its activity is aimed at increasing the number of qualified specialists, promoting digital transformation in business communities, local public administrations and educational institutions. Ion Bodrug is sure that in this way, they can put their shoulder to the continued economic progress of the northern region, but also the country as a whole. He mentions the support received from specialists outside the organization. “We are very happy that alongside ACETI there are many passionate IT supporters.
With each activity and with each initiative launched, we feel the support of the society”, ACETI’s president remarks. The association’s achievements include obtaining the status of public utility and membership of the Economic Council of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova. At the same time, several studies on the digital transformation needs of SMEs have been prepared. At the initiative and with the contribution of ACETI, the new specialization “Information Technology” was launched at the State University “Alecu Russo” in Balti and the first edition of the Conference on Digital Transformation in the Northern region of the country was organized in 2021.
MEMBER’S ADVANTAGES
Companies that become members of the association primarily benefit from collaboration, information and visibility in the northern part of the country. They are part of a well-developed IT community, which gives them access to professional advice in the field of business process digi- talization. “We represent modern, experienced and forward-looking IT companies, and the members of the association benefit from professional two-way communication. In fact, the community that we have created and continue to develop has a common goal, and this is achieved through the synergy of shared values,” emphasizes ACETI’s president. At the same time, the association is a platform that connects national and international specialists through participation in various trainings and events. ACETI offers the opportunity to be part of a team of modern IT professionals and companies with experience and perspectives, to establish new partnerships with small and medium-sized enterprises in the northern region, as well as the benefit of preferential prices when purchasing products or services from the association members. Membership of ACETI also offers the opportunity to benefit from innovative partnerships and projects, to attract non-reimbursable funds, as well as to promote common interests for the development of the ICT sector.
SINCERITY CREATES TRUST
Recently, the President and administrative team received a vote of confidence from all ACETI members for a new five-year mandate. Ion Bodrug says the vote is an endorsement of what has been achieved. “It is a responsibility, but also a motivation to contribute to the further development of the field and to increase the potential of the trained community. It is also an opportunity to contribute to the implementation of national policies in the field of digitization, through the implementation of the Digital Transformation Strategy of the Republic of Moldova for 2023-2030, in the elaboration of which we took part”, specifies the President of ACETI. If in 2019, the association’s budget consisted mostly of donations and membership fees, now, the main component is funding from various projects. The coalescence and professionalization of the team in this respect is due to the projects: “ICT Career Guidance in the Northern Region” funded by the National Association of ICT Companies (ATIC), “Future Technologies” (FTA) funded by USAID, Sweden and UKAid, “Digital Transformation of Small and Medium Enterprises in the Eastern Partnership Countries” (DT4SME) funded by the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through the German International Cooperation Agency, “Competitiveness and Rural Resilience in Moldova” (PCRR) funded by USAID.
DIGITAL INNOVATION HUB OF MOLDOVA
In 2021, with the creation of the Digital Innovation Hub of Moldova (DIH of Moldova) at the initiative of ACETI, with the mentoring of the North-East Regional Development Agency (Piatra Neamț, Romania) and Digital Innovation Zone (Iași, Romania), the association became the first and, at the moment, the only one following the European trend of digital transformation through innovation hubs. ACETI member companies can interact with key actors involved in the implementation of digitization: IT and media companies, educational institutions, research and innovation institutions, business incubators, chambers of commerce and industry in the regions, business parks, municipalities and business associations. This is an opportunity, considering the funding possibilities offered by the European Union under the Digital Europe Program, with a budget of more than seven billion euro. According to the president of the association, within the digital hub, assistance is provided in writing projects on digitization of processes in companies, automation, automation, retrofitting and energy efficiency. Companies are helped to obtain funding. So far, all applications submitted with the help of ACETI have been successful. Thanks to the collaboration with similar entities in Romania and Ukraine, DIH of Moldova learns from the experience of colleagues in European countries, and the experience they share can be the key to success towards the digital transformation of the Republic of Moldova.
MEMBER PROFILE
The association’s members practice several kinds of activities: software programming, network infrastructure provision, telephony/internet provision, cyber security provision, hardware, education and IT consulting. According to ACETI’s president, a major prerequisite for success is the trust from the association’s members and beneficiaries.
“The trust came naturally as a result of the achievements and projects undertaken. I would like to thank our members for their trust in what we are doing and what we are striving for together”, concludes Ion Bodrug.
Article published in BussinesClass magazine