The first Information Technology Excellence Center in Moldova will be set up at the Technical University of Moldova. A memorandum to this effect was signed by the Government of Moldova, USAID, Microsoft and the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). In the signing ceremony, Prime Minister Iurie Leanca reiterated the Government’s commitment to contribute to developing the information technology sector in Moldova, IPN reports.
According to the Government’s press service, the center will be created through a public-private partnership and will represent an interuniversity education platform. It will have labs and halls outfitted with last-generation equipment, modern educational software, the most modern technologies and a technologically advanced environment for studies. About 1,000 young people will be trained there annually.
“Technology and Internet became an integral part of our life and represent a key catalyst for productivity and economic growth. Owing to these elements, corruption and the costs of governance are diminished. The people are better informed and are more competitive in the new economic realities. However, to be able to use the advantages offered by the modern technologies, we must build an economy based on innovations and information,” said Iurie Leanca. According to him, the education reform, the modernization of government by the e-Transformation project and the development of a competitive ICT sector are among the executive’s priorities.
USAID will allocate about US$2 million for creating the IT Excellence Center during three years. The funds will be used to finish building the rooms and to purchase equipment for developing the institutional capacities. At the initial stage, the USAID’s contribution will be supplemented by the multinational corporations IBM and Microsoft. In the future, there will be attracted other partners, both private companies and donors.
