Advancing EU Water Directives: Forum on Innovation, Sustainability, and Collaboration

Our Faculty is hosting a joint event, Advancing EU Water Directives: Forum on Innovation, Sustainability, and Collaboration, organised by the ECO-Innovation Cluster for Sustainable Development and the Hungarian Water Partnership.

The objective of the forum is to examine and exchange insights on the following questions:

• Overview of the water sector – how can cooperation maximise the benefits of water industry solutions?
• What lessons have been learnt from water sector exports?
• How have sustainability expectations changed daily operations in the water sector?
• Development planning based on LCC and DCC – how does it support wise decisions on sustainable investments?

Programme

7 May

09:00 – 09:30	Registration, coffee
09:30 – 09:50	Welcome words:
	Dr. Nicolae Ajtai – Dean of Environmental Science and Engineering Faculty, Babeș-Bolyai University
	Dr. Nicoleta-Sanda Brișan PhD – President of the ECO-Innovation Cluster for Sustainable Development (CLEMS)
	Dr. Károly Kovács PhD (oec) – President of the Hungarian Water Partnership (HWP)
	BLOCK I  WATER AND WATER INDUSTRY SITUATION IN ROMANIA AND HUNGARY
09:50 – 10:10	The water industry in Romania: perspectives, challenges, and best practices for sustainable development.
	Dr. Eng. Ilie Vlaicu – President of the Romanian Water Association (ARA)
10:10 – 10:30	Hungarian water and wastewater industry situation from the perspective of export, good practices
	Dr. Károly Kovács PhD (oec) – President of the Hungarian Water Association (HWA)
10:30 – 11:30	Panel discussion: „What makes water industry export work?”
	moderator: Dr. Eng. Florin Iliescu – member of the CLEMS Board
	participants:
	Dr Károly Kovács PhD (oec) – President of the Hungarian Water Association
	Mr. Balázs Varga – Head of Water Technologies Business Unit, Puraset Group
	Dr. Eng. Sorin Ulinici – Project Manager, Research-Development Institute for Environmental Protection Technologies and Equipment (ICPE Bistrita)
	Dr. Eng. Călin Vasile Neamțu – General Director of Someș Water Company S.A.
	Ms. Rita Studniczki – International Business Development Team Leader of Budapest Water Works
11:30 – 12:00	Coffee break
	BLOCK II    THE STATUS AND ROLE OF THE INDUSTRY IN THE ESG-BASED SUSTAINABILITY VALUE CHAIN
12:00 – 13:00	Sustainability expectations: Green deal – Taxonomy – ESG
	Dr. Dana Bako – Head of Political Economy Department, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca (FSEGA-UBB)
	The role of ESG in driving sustainable innovation in Romania’s water industry – GAPS, progress and policy alignment with EU taxonomy
	Dr. Simina Lakatos – President, „Ernest Lupan” Institute for Research in Circular Economy and Environment (IRCEM)
	Every last drop: Building Sustainable Value Chains
	Dr. Jeremy Benn – Chief Executive of JBA Group
13:00 – 14:30	Sandwich lunch, informal B2B
	BLOCK III  LIFE-CYCLE COSTING (LCC) AND DYNAMIC COST COMPARISON (DCC)
14:30 – 15:30	Panel discussion – Development Planning Based on LCC and DCC in Option Analysis and Public Procurement
	moderator: Dr. Adina Rus, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration (FSEGA)
	opening lecture: Dr. Károly Kovács PhD (oec), Hungarian Water Association (HWA)
	panel participants:
	Dr. Simina Lakatos – President, „Ernest Lupan” Institute for Research in Circular Economy and Environment (IRCEM)
	Dr. Valentin Filip – AMA Research and Development (Acumen Manifesto SRL)
	Dr. Alexandra Csavdari – Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca (FSEGA-UBB)
15:30 – 16:30	BLOCK IV  PRESENTATIONS BY SPONSORS AND MEMBERS’ PITCH
	Sponsors’ presentations (7′ each): 1.  Puraset Group, Mr. Balázs Varga, Head of Water Technologies Business Unit: „Regenerable Adsobents To Remove Arsenic, Fluoride And Boron”  2. S.C. ICPE BISTRIȚA S.A 3. S.C. AQUATECH INTERNATIONAL SRL 4. PIPELIFE 5. FIATECH S.R.L. 6. SC MIRAROM SRL 7. Direct-Line Inox 8. UPONOR Infra
16:30 – 16:40	University of Pannonia – „Research and Innovation in the water sector at the University of Pannonia” ITIM Cluj-Napoca – „Research and Innovation in Advanced Materials for Water Decontamination and Drought Mitigation”
16:40 – 18:00	Coffee, refreshments, company presentations (2′ pitches), B2B
19:00 –	Gala Dinner hosted by CLEMS – Pension Roata Faget , Drumul Sfântul Ioan, Cluj-Napoca / Kolozsvár

8 May

09:30	Site visit at the Cluj-Napoca Wastewater Treatment Plant – organized by CLEMS
11:30	Visit to the Water Museum „Leonida Truță” – organized by CLEMS

The event is free to attend, however registration is required.