DigitalMures.com - Tirgu Mures, Medical Informatics Science City

03/10/2011

The people in Tîrgu-Mureş are the first to receive the user’s data and password for Ghiseul.ro
Tîrgu-Mureş, the 3rd of October 2011 – Tîrgu-Mureş Municipality’s City Hall is the first local administration that provides the citizens with user’s data and password for accessing Ghiseul.ro. On this basis, the taxpayers can pay their taxes and penalties by authentication and will permanently verify the payments’ status, wherever they are.
The campaign of distributing the envelopes with user’s data and password will begin on Thursday, October 6. For three days, the mailmen will go to each taxpayer’s door in Tîrgu-Mureş and hand over the envelope. It contains the information about the user and the password of each of the 60.159 taxpayers. In addition to this, the citizens in Tîrgu-Mureş will receive the instructions for using the on-line payment service. Each taxpayer is asked to accept the envelope. If, for whatever reason, the envelope cannot be delivered to the taxpayer, it will be kept by the Romanian Post until October 31. Meanwhile, the citizen in Tîrgu-Mureş is asked to go to the post office in his area of residence to take his envelope. The envelopes will be taken by the mailmen to the address specified in the identity card of each taxpayer. There are situations when some of the taxpayers to the local budget in Tîrgu-Mureş have the address in the identity card in another locality. In this case, the envelopes will be kept until October 15, at the Post Office no.1 in Tîrgu-Mureş, on Revoluţiei Street no. 2. All the persons who find themselves in this situation are asked to raise their envelope. If they don’t, the documents will be sent, after October 15 to the address from the identity card.
“ It is a great benefit for the citizens in our city, whether they operate in Tîrgu-Mureş or are left to work abroad, or are simply on holiday”, said the Mayor, Dorin Florea. The Mayor of Tîrgu-Mureş municipality: “Imagine that the relative that works in Spain, for example, postpones the payments’ obligation until its arrival in the country, exposing itself to significant increases. Or, at best, asks its family or friends to go to the financial administration and stand at endless queues. From now on, that person can pay the taxes while sitting in the chair, watching the local channel in Valencia.”
At the moment, many citizens in Tîrgu-Mureş have jobs abroad. For them and for all the users of the online tax payments the Tîrgu-Mureş City Hall will pay the trading commissions and thus the citizen won’t have any extra cost.
“We have tried to simplify as much as we could the life of the citizens in Tirgu Mureş”, said Dorin Florea. “The citizen will receive at home the credentials together with the using instructions. He will have to access Tirgu Mureş City Hall’s webpage www.tirgumures.ro or directly on www.ghiseul.ro and personalize its password, by changing the one he received. From that moment on, he becomes the master of its financial situation.”
Ghiseul.ro, the national electronic card payment system, freely provided to the local administrations by MCSI and APERO (the Association for Electronic Payments in Romania), covers at the moment over two millions people, belonging to the City Halls of the 2nd and 6th Sector in Bucharest, and to the municipalities in Braşov, Zalău, Piteşti, Giurgiu, Oradea, Cluj, Drobeta Turnu Severin and Tîrgu–Mureş. In the process of enrollment are the City Halls in Brăila, Călărași, Galați, Sibiu, Slobozia, Suceava and Timișoara.

20/06/2011

Digital Mures Strategy is awarded with eHealth 2011 prize
Tîrgu Mureş, June 20, 2011 - " The Science City for Research and Medical Informatics", part of the Digital Mureş strategy initiated by the City Hall of Tîrgu Mureş municipality, won the eHealth 2011 prize, an event that takes place in partnership with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Communications and Information Society and aims to provide IT&C and financing solutions for the health system in Romania.
"The award is another recognition of the fact that Digital Mureş strategy is a valuable one, both for the local community and for the business environment, and will attract significant investments of some prestigious companies worldwide," said the Mayor of Tirgu-Mures municipality, Dr . Dorin Florea.
The strategy, based on the vision of the municipality made public in 2009 within Global Forum, foresees the transformation of Tirgu Mures city in a completely digitized one, based on two components: the first one refers to a modern infrastructure of public-private services and the second one to the construction and development of a technological park specialized in research and medical information. The latter, being called "The Science City for Research and Medical Informatics", will host multinational companies in the field of technology and health, which will conduct medical research activities.
IBM, the first discussion partner in this project, has already started the activity that will materialize in the "Transylvania" Centre of Excellence in Research. Following the repeated meetings of the Global Vice President of IBM, Thomas Reeves, with the Prime Minister Emil Boc and the Mayor Dorin Florea, when were decided the directions, a first group of IBM Research experts from the U.S., Israel and Switzerland have met researchers of the Universities of Alba Iulia, Braşov, Cluj and Tîrgu Mureş. Together, they have identified the research areas, among which are health, pharmacy, nanotechnology, life sciences and "smarter cities". Currently, there are on-going discussions with the IBM researchers around the world, and, by the end of the month, the conclusions will be drawn together with the Tîrgu Mureş City Hall.
"After the negotiations with IBM Research, new major partnerships will be announced, which will give life to the Digital Mureş strategy," said Virgil Stan, the President of Bloomers, the strategic consultant of Tîrgu Mureş City Hall.
According to the estimates, the Digital Mureș strategy will generate in the following years thousands of jobs by attracting major investors, both from the IT&C and research in the medical and pharmaceutical field.
For more information you can visit www.digitalmures.com.

05/05/2011

IBM has identified the projects to be accomplished in the Transylvania Center
IBM researchers from the U.S., Switzerland and Israel are present in Tirgu Mures

05/05/2011

IBM has identified the projects to be accomplished in the Transylvania Center IBM researchers from the U.S., Switzerland and Israel are present in Tirgu Mures

05/05/2011

IBM has identified the projects to be accomplished in the Transylvania Center
IBM researchers from the U.S., Switzerland and Israel are present in Tirgu Mures

Tirgu Mures, the 4th of Mai, 2011 – IBM has already identified several projects that will be the subject of the work of the "Transylvania” Center of Excellence in Research. This announcement follows the signing, in Bucharest, last month, of the Memorandum of Understanding by Thomas Reeves, the global vice president of IBM, and Dorin Florea, the Mayor of Targu Mures Municipality, regarding the discussions concerning the establishment, in Tirgu Mures, of a research center in collaboration with IBM.
IBM team, composed of researchers from the U.S., Switzerland and Israel is present in Tirgu Mures, to discuss with representatives of the universities from Transylvanian cities, Tirgu Mures, Brasov, Cluj Napoca and Alba Iulia. The discussions, carried out at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Tirgu Mures, are part of a series of meetings organized by Tirgu Mures City Hall, in order to identify the areas of research that will be addressed in the future "Transylvania" research center in collaboration with IBM. According to the commitments taken by the parties, within 60 days from the signing of the Memorandum, will be analyzed the collaboration possibilities on areas such as health, pharmacy, nanotechnology, life sciences and "smarter cities”.
"The discussions have been very interesting and have gone better than we expected, " said the IBM’s delegation leader, Spiros Teleoglu, executive delegate of the Watson Laboratory in New York. "For a first meeting we have already identified concrete projects, which ensure the fact that a research center in collaboration with IBM would have an intense activity."
"If the discussions take place at this rate, in a very short time the Romanian researchers will be able to start and complete research projects in conditions that until now could only dream of, " said the Mayor of Tirgu Mures Municipality, Dr. Dorin Florea. "I am a doctor and I know what the center represents, both for the researchers and for Romania in general, and for Targu Mures, in particular. I will continue to support and give a high priority to these efforts. "
In the coming weeks, the discussions with IBM researchers worldwide will continue either through physical meetings or through video and teleconferencing systems. The conclusions are to be drawn by IBM and the Tirgu Mures City Hall at the end of June.
"If the conclusions from these meetings will be positive, the Romanian researchers can propose projects, they will be provided a research base at the highest technological standards in IBM laboratories from the US, Switzerland, Israel (ten in the whole world)" said Virgil Stan, the strategic consultant of the Tirgu Mures City Hall.
IBM will provide materialized support through know-how and proprietary technological transfer, training of the Romanian researchers, patenting and marketing. "In other words, if up to now the Romanian researchers have published their studies’ results for free in specialized publications, following the partnership with IBM, the results can be patented and sold to customers, private companies and governmental organizations worldwide, " continued Virgil Stan . "We do not count the fact that, during the training, within the IBM’s laboratories, the researchers will work effectively for their projects, in conditions to which they didn’t have access in the country, being also paid for this thing. Until now, the Romanian researchers could not patent their research internationally because of the high costs. Because of the IBM's global leadership in patenting, this thing will change. Through the partnership with IBM, the patents will have an exceptional marketing, resulting in maximum sales. "
"I think that all the Romanian researchers would have indicated such an initiative if someone would have asked us what we want, how could the Romanian research be stimulated and how could we find solutions for the repatriation of the Romanian elite from abroad. Today, the research cannot be anymore sustained anywhere in the world only by the administration; the partnerships with the private sector are essential. You cannot do research without using the latest technology, proprietary technologies in many cases, and especially, you don’t have, as a University or individual, the financial possibility to patent and to market the research’s results. The initiative to collaborate with IBM means the guarantee of the innovation’ transformation and of the sustained efforts of the Romanian researchers in revenues for all parties: the private partner, researchers, universities, municipalities, country. We must begin, as researchers to patent more! Otherwise we find our published work, as often happens, patented by others. The collaboration with IBM, in any form, is a great opportunity for the Romanian research, "said Prof. Marius Marusteri, PhD, researcher, the Head of Medical Informatics and Biostatistics Department, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Targu Mures.
Tirgu Mures City Hall will support this project with a set of administrative measures, which would attract the return in the country of many Romanian scientists.

"I will try, in addition to the implementation of this project, to identify and come with a complementary set of measures that will determine some Romanian researchers established abroad to return to the country, in conditions of certainty, safety and comfort , " said the Mayor of Tirgu Mures Municipality, Dr. Dorin Florea.

* The participants at the meeting in Tirgu Mures are:
Spiros Teleoglou, IP Business Development Executive for CEE, Head of the delegation, Watson lab, NY
Bob Miller, Telemedicine, Almaden lab, CA
Pnina Vortman, Senior Manager, Smarter Planet Initiatives, Haifa lab, Israel
Walter Riess, Department Manager, Science and Technology, Zurich lab, Switzerland
Christos Georgiou, IP Business Development Executive, Watson lab, NY
Jeff Hines, Executive Project Manager, Watson lab, NY
Michae Hehenberger, Life Sciences Business Development, Watson lab, NY
John Magerlein, Manager, HPC Applications and Tools,Watson lab, NY
Representatives of the Universities from Transylvania
SMURD Representatives
Dragoş Ciuparu, the President of the National Authority for Scientific Research.
The presentations made by the IBM researchers in Tirgu Mures can be viewed on www.digitalmures.com.

20/04/2011

20/04/2011

The Mayor Dorin Florea signed with IBM

20/04/2011

20/04/2011

The Mayor Dorin Florea signed with IBM

The Memorandum of Understanding for the accomplishment of the Center of Excellence in Research in Tirgu Mures

The Memorandum is a step forward as concerning the implementation of Digital Mures strategy·

April 20, 2011 – The Romanian Government and IBM have announced their intention to begin discussions regarding the establishment in Tirgu Mures of the research collaboration center, the “Transylvania” Center of Excellence in Research. The initiative follows the municipality’s "Digital Mureş" strategy, created to help the city to become a regional axis of scientific research and progress in health, pharmaceutical, nanotechnology, life sciences and smarter cities fields.

The discussion that Dr. Dorin Florea, the Mayor of Targu Mures municipality had, in the presence of the Prime Minister of Romania, Emil Boc, with Thomas Revees, the Global Vice President of IBM Research, may lead to an agreement through which the Government of Romania will sustain the accomplishment of the new center. Following the signing of the contract, IBM will contribute with its know-how, expertise and will offer patents to the center. The center will employ top researchers from the Transylvanian universities and their training and specialization will be made at IBM's research centers around the world.

With the same occasion, in the presence of the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Education and Communication, of the mayors of Alba Iulia, Brasov, Cluj Napoca municipalities, they signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Mayor of Tirgu-Mures to support the initiative of establishing the research center.

The initiative will imply universities that are potential beneficiaries, from the central region of Transylvania, and will attract, besides the specific benefits, a significant number of opportunities: the training of researchers in the most modern research centers in the world; the employment of the Romanian researchers and the· repatriation of the ones established abroad; the stimulation for attracting European or other funds for cities, universities and central administration; the development of Transylvania, particularly speaking, and of Romania in general, including the creation of new jobs in Tirgu Mures.

Benefiting of an academic environment and a highly competent medical sector, with a local administration determined to support and rely on innovation and research,· Tirgu Mures aims to establish the first "Science City for Research and Medical Information" in the world. This is one of the distinct components of Digital Mures Strategy, which, as presented by the Tirgu Mures City Hall’s consultant, is in line with the Mayor Dorin Florea’s plan concerning the future development of the city. In May, it is expected to start a public debate on the new strategy, particularly with the involvement of academic and private sectors.

According to the estimates, the Digital Mures Strategy will generate, in the coming years, thousands of jobs by attracting major investors, both from the IT & C area and medical and pharmaceutical research.

09/04/2011

A new public and free internet access service released today in Tirgu Mures in the presence of the President of the Global Development Program- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

The mayor Dorin Florea, Valerian Vreme, the Minister of Communications and Information Society, Lokodi Edita Emoke, the President of Mures County Council, Marius Pascan, the Prefect of Mures County and Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the President of the Global Development Program- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced the installation of a new public and free Internet access service provided to the citizens of Tirgu Mures within the County Library.

Tirgu Mures, April 7 - Valerian Vreme, the Minister of Communications and Information Society and the Mayor of Tirgu Mures, Dorin Florea, announced today the installation of a new public and free Internet access service through wi-fi within the County Library.

The City Hall will make the payments for the monthly costs of the Internet connection for the new wireless services, for life, moreover, a national premiere measure of involvement of the local authorities, welcomed by Sylvia Mathews Burwell, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, present on this occasion in Tirgu Mures. Thus, Tirgu Mures County Library becomes an access center with free wireless connection to the Internet for all city’s inhabitants.

"We are extremely excited about the involvement of the local authorities from Tirgu Mures in Biblionet program, financed by the Gates Foundation, which equips public libraries with modern technology. Since the beginning of this program in Romania is the first initiative of its kind from a City Hall. The national and local support for the citizens' access to technology is essential for the public libraries in Romania to serve their communities as better as possible. " said Sylvia Mathews Burwell, President of the Global Development Program- Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The Mayor Dorin Florea said at the event: "Gates Foundation initiative to increase Internet access for citizens by providing public libraries with modern technology coincides with the ambition of Digital Mures Strategy to transform Tirgu Mures city into the first digital city in Romania and among the first in the world. For those who do not have internet at home or at work, the access to information related to health, education and jobs available through the Internet is now available free in the public libraries. Furthermore, librarians are trained to help people who have never used computers, to assist them in the search of important information for them. For example, citizens can access the online electronic payment system of taxes from a public library computer and not lose hours standing at queues. "

For the support offered to Tirgu Mures Municipality by sustaining and promoting the Digital Mures strategy at national and international level- strategy that will lead to the development of the city by modernizing public services, improving the relationship with citizens, substantial savings, the development of local institutions and companies, but also by creating new jobs- the Mayor Dorin Florea has given the "Pro Urbe" distinction to the Minister of Communications and Information Society, Mr. Valerian Vreme, a distinction approved within the meeting from 31 March 2011 by the Local Council, through LCD no. 146 / 31.03.2011.

The Minister Valerian Vreme said: "Trying to meet the information needs of users, public libraries fulfill an essential function by providing digital opportunities for community members. Reducing the digital decalage and increasing the access to the Internet network are the most important steps that Romania should accomplish in the future. I want to thank you for “Pro Urbe” Distinction, it is a great honor for me, and to assure you of the support you need"

Sylvia Mathews Burwell is present in Tirgu Mures within her two-day visit in Romania in order to assess and support future development at national and local level of the Biblionet program.

The Biblionet program involved up to this point in Mures the endowment with 99 computers of 21 libraries, including the County Library. The amount of investment in hardware and software equipments and the training sessions for librarians is around 172,000 dollars.

Biblionet is an initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation totaling 26.9 million $ given to Romanian citizens for a period of five years and aims to facilitate access to information by introducing modern technology in public libraries.

Sylvia Mathews Burwell

Is the second person in the board of management of Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation and coordinates its major financing domains.

Before joining Bill and Melinda Gates, Burwell served in the President Clinton administration as deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, assistant to the president, deputy chief of staff to the president, and chief of staff to former Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin.

Burwell is a graduate of Harvard University and a Rhodes scholar. She serves on the board of directors for MetLife Inc. and the Council on Foreign Relations and is a member of the board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. She is also a member of the Aspen Strategy Group, the Trilateral Commission, and the Nike Foundation Advisory Group. She hails from Hinton, West Virginia.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest corporate foundation in the world. At the end of 2010, the Foundation recorded 891 employees, funds amounting 36.74 billion dollars and has provided grant funding programs (grants) totaling 24.45 billion dollars.
In 2010, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gave approximately 2.6 billion dollars in grants and other charitable contributions.

Global Libraries Program aims to fight against the major digital discrepancy caused by the unequal access to technology and Internet.Worldwide, approximately 5 billion people do not have an opportunity to continue their studies, to develop an online business, to use e- government services or to socialize and interact with people all over the world.

09/04/2011

Tîrgu Mureș, March 30, 2011 – Tîrgu Mureș is the first city in Romania to adopt Ghișeul.ro as an online payment system of taxes. To it adds Sectors 2 and 6 in Bucharest and, in a short time, many other local administrations in the country.

Thus, the citizens of Tîrgu Mureș city can pay all the taxes and penalties without being conditioned by time or place, beginning today.

"Initially, we will be able to access, without authentication, the service Ghiseul. Ro, having the possibility to pay the taxes for which we already know the value from the payment notices sent by the City Hall to all the taxpayers”, said Dorin Florea, the mayor of Tîrgu Mureș city. “Soon, each of our citizens will receive authentication data- User and Password- and will be able to view online the taxes amounts. These will be printed by the Ministry of Finances, transmitted to the City Hall, and the latter will send it, in envelopes, to each citizen.”

The citizens that own proprieties in different places won’t have to move between administrations to which these belong to for paying the same taxes. Thus, the citizen saves both time and money that he spends for moving between localities, provided they are enrolled in the system.

“From now on, we can pay our taxes whenever and wherever”, said Dorin Florea.

“We won’t have to go to pay offices, but we can make the payment sitting on a couch, in front of the TV, by using a PC, telephone, or a tablet PC. Imagine that your relatives that work abroad can pay their taxes in real time, without the risk of delay penalties due to inability to pay on time; and this without any additional cost for the citizen, because the City Hall will stand the afferent commission.”

By using the system Ghiseul.ro, the citizens not only escape from the stress caused by the queues from the tax office, instead offering the comfort and safety one needs, but also helps the administration to collect faster the owed taxes.

"The launch of Ghişeul.ro is favorable for our city, if we take into consideration Digital Mures, the ambitious strategy that will transform the city into one of the first digital cities in the world", says Dorin Florea.

Ghişeul.ro was launched yesterday in Bucharest, during a press conference hosted by Valerian Vreme, the Minister of Communications. Along with the Minister and the Mayor Dorin Florea, part of the presidium was also Adrian Apolzan, the President of APERO, the association that has made freely available Ghişeul.ro to MCIS and local administration. APERO, which includes all major banks in Romania and MasterCard and Visa card payments system, has developed Ghişeul.ro as a safe and highly interconnected system, ensuring the personal data of the citizens who use it.

For more details you can access www.ghiseul.ro.

27/02/2011