Radu Oprea is the President of the Young Entrepreneurs Association from the South – East Region of Romania (YEAR-SE), with over 10 years of experience as an entrepreneur. He is proficient in grant writing and project implementation in the two areas he has a passion for: the business environment and participative democracy. With YEAR-SE, Radu is implementing mainly projects financed by the European Commission’s Human Resources Program, in partnership with SMART Development Center and other NGOs from Romania. The projects that had and still have a major impact on young entrepreneurs are: Start UP Smart!, Yes I Can, Labor Market from A to Z, and Mobile center for occupation and professional training in non-agricultural fields. This employers’ association is also providing the tools to improve the business environment in the South – East region of Romania. Radu is the partner of ZebraPay company in Galati with his firm, Eco-Terra and he was the co-founder of Bankers Cafe & Hubb.

Radu also has a passion for participative democracy, founding SMART Method of Public Policy. This is a citizen engagement tool engaging citizens in policy making, with the aim to generate as many success stories as possible.

Radu has a Master of Public Policy Degree earned at Pepperdine University in the United States and a PhD in Economics earned at Lower Danube University from Romania. Also, he is a trainer in start-up entrepreneurship and a fellow of the Community Solutions Program of the US Department of State and the German Marshall Fund of the United States.