**3. The Danube transfer centers network: a collaboration framework**

The Danube transfer centers network (DTCN) has been growing strong since 2012 and has been an active participant in the field of technology transfer, innovation support, and transnational cooperation. It stems from a pilot initiative of the government of the state of Baden-Württemberg (federal state of Germany) implemented by Steinbeis Europa Zentrum (SEZ) and Steinbeis-Donau-Zentrum (SDZ) according the Steinbeis model in this domain, which is a success story on a national and European level. Starting with three pilot centers in Nitra, Novi Sad, and Cluj-Napoca, it has expanded through several cycles coordinated by SEZ to include centers in Bucharest (RO), Ruse (BG), Slavonski Hrast/Vukovar (HR), Maribor (SI), Pannon/Györ (HU), and Craiova (RO).

This very wide presence in the Danube region makes it a good choice for any stakeholders (companies on the one side and research institutions on the other side) to seek assistance in finding partners, solutions, or new project ideas to develop together. The network is predicated on the belief that transnational knowledge transfer is one of the main keys of sustainable development, economic growth, and social inclusion [15] and that the Danube region, due to its dimension and diversity, can be a good practice model for the entire European Union.

The network has developed an important online presence, and the platform www.dtcnetwork.eu hosts both presentation pages for the centers and links to instruments and tools for training, communication, and project management. The most important tool developed in-house by the Danube transfer center (DTC) Cluj-Napoca within the Interreg-DTP project "Made in Danube" is called Danube Transnational Innovation Cooperation (DTIC) and is full online system for partner matching and innovative project development from idea to results. It is available free of charge at this address, http://www.muri.utcluj.ro/tin-etool/index. php?page=login, and is operational for more than 1 year already (see **Figure 3**).

Due to the nature of the Danube region, specifically focused on the river and its related ecosystem, as well as due to the characteristics of the projects undertaken so far in common, the DTCN has developed a focus on eco-responsible innovation with preoccupations for bioeconomy, renewable energy, and international outreach toward the Eastern partnership countries and Western Balkan countries. Agriculture and food production are integral parts of this approach, and the need for smart agriculture solutions has become more noticeable over time, in conferences, bilateral talks, or DTIC platform searches.

DTC Cluj-Napoca, where three of the authors of this chapter are active, has a networked structure in itself and includes offices that activate in four universities in the city of Cluj-Napoca (the technical, the social and natural, the medical, and the agricultural ones), and one university (a comprehensive one) in the city of Sibiu. This creates multiple opportunities for interdisciplinary contacts among scientific disciplines and research areas, including modern agriculture and modern technology. The fourth author leads the Union of Slovak Clusters and is in close contact


#### **Figure 3.** *Login interface of DTIC [16].*

in the city of Nitra with the national agricultural university there which also hosts DTC Nitra, thus bringing into the current contribution an international perspective on the same topic.

Besides establishing innovation and technology transfer relations among their stakeholders, the DTCs in the network also undertake activities on a local scale or collaborate with each other on larger projects, usually with European or Danubian profile. Among the main activities on the network level, we can mention the following:


All these elements contribute to developing a stronger network that is also oriented toward territorial and content-wise expansion to match the true development potential of the Danube region, which is judged by all those involved to be considerable and with a long-time halo. In this respect, there are also many challenges to face in the present and the future. Some of those identified so far are presented below:

**85**

*International Cooperation for Smart and Sustainable Agriculture*

called European project and obvious language differences

regarding research and innovation of all stakeholders

proposed on three directions, each in a different country [17]:

• Biofuels—implemented in Novi Sad, Serbia

solutions on regional level to decisionmakers.

penetration and high speeds in the East

**4. The "Made in Danube" project approach**

• Distinct cultural approaches to international cooperation and the inclusion in the region of EU and non-EU countries, with different relations to the so-

• Large economic, infrastructure, and development disparities which bring about significant differences in terms of needs, interests, and preoccupations

• A "digital divide" with high penetration and low speeds in the West and low

• Differences in legal and accounting systems that make collaboration difficult

The "Made in Danube" project (full name "transnational cooperation to transform knowledge into marketable products and services for the Danubian sustainable society of tomorrow") is currently being implemented (time frame 2017–2019) with financing from the Interreg-Danube transnational Program (project code DTP1-1-072-1.1) and involves seven of the DTCs active in the Danube region, being focalized on supporting the development of bioeconomy in this area of the continent through innovation and technology transfer policies and instruments. The outputs and results of the project reflect the contributions of the partners toward researching and supporting this emerging economic sector, with demonstrators

• Smart and innovative precision farming—implemented in Nitra, Slovakia

• Competence Center in Wood Sector—implemented in Vukovar, Croatia

The project has a total of six workpackages (**Figure 4**), with the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca being in charge of the one aimed at developing new tools in instruments and the Union of Slovak Cluster contributing to the pilot local action plan implementation in Nitra that deals with innovative precision farming, in partnerhsip with the Slovak University of Agriculture [18]. Thus, these two entities have expanded their collaboration on the topic of smart agriculture that started within the DTCN, with the DTIC platform (developed by TUCN) playing an important

The project aims to bring together all relevant actors working in bioeconomy in the macro-region (companies—especially small- and medium-sized ones, professional networks, universities, research institutes, nongovernmental organizations, public authorities at local and national levels, experts, and the general public) and to perform the scanning and cross-referencing of strategies, policies, and other programmatic documents to contribute in the future the better alignment of interests and initiatives. The web platform, the direct technology transfer instruments, and the training materials represent the main vehicle through which changes are being designed in line with state-of-the-art concepts and approaches related to innovation, before being deployed through the localized demonstrators and proposed as

role in the activities carried out as part of the Slovakian pilot initiative.

and time-consuming, especially in bureaucratic grants and projects

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86464*

*Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century*

on the same topic.

*Login interface of DTIC [16].*

following:

**Figure 3.**

in the city of Nitra with the national agricultural university there which also hosts DTC Nitra, thus bringing into the current contribution an international perspective

Besides establishing innovation and technology transfer relations among their stakeholders, the DTCs in the network also undertake activities on a local scale or collaborate with each other on larger projects, usually with European or Danubian profile. Among the main activities on the network level, we can mention the

• Cooperating in European research, development, and innovation projects

• Cooperating in transnational framework and policy development projects

• Participating in associations, clusters, and networks with thematic and sectoral

• Maintaining a consistent image, a common or aligned web, and social media

• Organization or participation in common to relevant events in the macroregion: the annual forum, brokerage events, conference, workshops, etc.

• Exchange of good practices, experts, and know-how in the form of visits, trainings, bilateral projects, and development of specific competence centers

All these elements contribute to developing a stronger network that is also oriented toward territorial and content-wise expansion to match the true development potential of the Danube region, which is judged by all those involved to be considerable and with a long-time halo. In this respect, there are also many challenges to face in the present and the future. Some of those identified so far are

funded by EU's framework programs

financed by EU's interregional programs

characteristics in other countries than the host one

presence to project the scope of the collaboration

in line with smart specialization strategies and needs

**84**

presented below:

