Aspen Technology & Society Program

Based on the Aspen Method, our programs offer public decision makers, private stakeholders and representatives of the non-governmental and academic sectors an exceptional platform for reflection, aiming to reach consensus on concrete policy recommendations in Romania’s most relevant policy fields. By engaging with public decision makers from the start of the reflection process, in an informal and informed dialogue, mutual ownership of our policy recommendations is fostered.

Technological innovations are reshaping industries and disrupting existing businesses and operating models. However, technology also has a powerful impact on citizens, shaping society and presenting a series of opportunities and challenges for policymakers and businesses. On the one hand, global trends such as artificial intelligence, e governance solutions, as well as automation and data exchange in manufacturing, bring numerous social and economic benefits to the citizens of countries and regions able to profit from these technological innovations. On the other hand, the risks inherent to digital transformations are increasing. Technology related threats require adequate measures in the field of cyber security ensuring the long-term conditions based on which stakeholders could improve awareness and knowledge throughout society, reducing its vulnerability and raising its resilience. Furthermore, automation will unleash massive shifts in the labor force, leaving policymakers with tough choices. Estimates of job losses due to digitalization run as high as 2 billion worldwide by 2030, according to a report by the World Economic Forum¹.

Romania needs to be able to adapt and adopt coherent policies starting in the field of education, in order to profit from these new opportunities and mitigate negative spillovers, thus turning out to be a net beneficiary of technological innovations. The digital impact on society was accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis. The need for digital transformation of the public sector becomes critical, working from home, digital platforms for learning are a reality faster than foreseen. The up-skilling or re-skilling of jobs are more and more important in a post-crisis economic uncertainty period.

In this context, Aspen Technology & Society Program created a platform for debate and a dedicated program community comprising multiple stakeholders from the public, private, academic and non-governmental sectors, interested in subjects covering technological developments and their impact on society, aiming to:

• Create a community which can provide advisory support with regards to various technology related or technology impacted domains.
• Contribute to public sector policies, frameworks and strategies about key domains that will be significantly impacted in the future by the fast evolution of technology.
• Contribute to the development of strategic sectors in Romania, stimulating the creation of new jobs, mitigating social risks and increasing the country’s competitiveness, in the context of fast evolution of technology.

The topics addressed under the framework of the Program include:

• Resilience in the context of technology-related threats:
  • Cyber security, Big Data and Data Analytics as resilience infrastructure;
  • Telecommunication infrastructure as critical infrastructure;
  • Including transparency, resilience and digital as default when drafting public policy measures.
• AI, Automation & Technology, focusing on:
  • The impact of technology, use of robotics and artificial intelligence on business;
  • The impact of technology on the public sector – ensuring business continuity in the face of crisis and fostering its potential digital transformation;
  • The impact of technology on society, especially in combating the COVID-19 effects.

• Economy and education, focusing on:
  • The impact of technology on the education curricula (STEM);
  • How technology can help our economy survive the crisis and provide means for recovery;
  • Re-skilling the workforce in order to adapt to new technologies and new economical context and possible solutions for narrowing the digital gap.

The policy related aspects of the Program are being coordinated by Radu Puchiu, Aspen Technology & Society Program Director.

The core deliverables of the 2025 edition include:

• Working level meetings of the Task Force with the participation of Program Partners, focusing on identifying Program priorities.
• Closed-door thematic roundtables engaging decision-makers, representatives of regulatory bodies, private stakeholders and non-governmental and academic sectors, issuing relevant policy recommendations.
  • Roundtable #1: “Innovation, Economic Competitiveness, and the Role of Artificial Intelligence“, in partnership with the Committee on Information and Communications Technology of the Chamber of Deputies, on April 3.
  • Roundtable #2: “Technology, Competitiveness, and Security: How Romania Can Leverage Its Cyber Advantage“, in partnership with the National Cybersecurity Directorate (DNSC), held on the margins of the 2025 Bucharest Cybersecurity Conference.
• A three-day Trans-Atlantic Socrates Seminar, focusing on contemporary challenges faced by leaders in the technology and defense & security sectors, took place in Brussels, for the fourth time, on June 10 – 12. Participants, including key public sector representatives, debated topics related to Forging Resilience and Innovation in an Era of Global Fracture.
• Plenary Panels at Aspen-GMF Bucharest Forum 2025, on topics relevant to the Program.
• A Program White Paper based on the recommendations of the thematic roundtables.

2025 Program Partners: Vodafone, Google, Enevo Group, eMAG.

Institutional Partner: National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest

Program Track Record:

• A Digital First set of principles and collaborative framework, for the Romanian public administration, developed in partnership with key public and private sector stakeholders.
• Seven editions of the Trans-Atlantic Socrates Seminar, five of which in Brussels.
• Program panels at Aspen-GMF Bucharest Forum since 2020, as well as other high-level events organized in partnership with public institutions.
• Digital Security Dialogue: Networks = Critical, conference organized in partnership with the National Authority for Administration and Regulations in Communications (ANCOM) and with the support of the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC), on the margins of the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 (PP-22), at the Palace of Parliament, Bucharest, on September 24^th, 2022.
• The roundtable on The Digital Transformation of the Administration: Where Do We Start?, was organized together with the National Institute for Administration, in partnership with the Committee for Information Technologies and Communications and the Committee for Public Administration and Territorial Planning in the Chamber of Deputies, Romanian Parliament. The roundtable took place on April 5th, 2023, at the Romanian Parliament, and represented the first step toward creating, together with all relevant stakeholders, a Guide for the digital transformation of the public administration in Romania.
• Over 10 thematic, in-person roundtable meetings and webinars (during the pandemic), on topics of interest to Program Partners, focused on policy recommendations.
• 18 podcast episodes in the Digitalination format, since 2022.
• White Paper on Accelerating the Digital Transformation of the Public Sector in Romania.
• White Paper on Unlocking Romania’s AI and Cybersecurity Potential: Toward Broader Adoption and Coherent Governance.

An archive of our activities in the Program can be found HERE.

¹ http://reports.weforum.org/digital-transformation/wp-content/blogs.dir/94/mp/files/pages/files/dti-societal-implications-white-paper.pdf