Third Stakeholder Meeting of the MAE Project in Craiova

On August 20, 2024, the South-West Oltenia Regional Development Agency, a partner in the MAE - Moving towards AErospace project, co-funded by the Interreg Europe 2021-2027 Program, organized the third stakeholder meeting in the Romanian region. The event brought together representatives of local businesses and various public and private institutions at the regional level, including the Dolj County Council, the Dolj Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Oltenia Aerospace Cluster.
The meeting began with a presentation of the activities carried out by the South-West Oltenia Agency within the MAE project, aimed at supporting industrial SMEs in adopting new technologies and facilitating their entry into the ever-growing aerospace sector. During the event, participants addressed the specific challenges and needs of the region, focusing on opportunities to innovate and improve local competitiveness.
In addition to discussing their funding needs, participants received detailed information about the available opportunities, thanks to the intervention of the MAE project implementation team, which illustrated tools and resources to support business growth. The meeting concluded with an active question and answer session, further strengthening the dialogue between all stakeholders involved.

The importance of stakeholder meetings and the involvement of public entities
Stakeholder meetings, such as the one held in Craiova, play a crucial role in ensuring that the MAE project addresses the needs of all stakeholders involved. Unlike the first two regional meetings, which mainly involved companies and private actors, the third meeting marked a significant step forward with the inclusion of public entities. This change responds to the requirements of Phase 3 of the project and aims to integrate the "fourth element" of the Quadruple Helix: public institutions, which are fundamental in the Responsible Innovation (RI) process.
The involvement of public entities is essential to ensure that the strategies and roadmaps developed within the project are understood and co-created with the local community. The transition to the aerospace sector requires broader collaboration between public and private actors to address critical challenges, such as updating workers' skills, raising students' awareness of new career opportunities, and gaining citizen acceptance of technological infrastructure.
Thanks to this extended involvement, the regional meetings are becoming increasingly inclusive spaces for dialogue, promoting a shared vision of technological development and growth opportunities for all stakeholders involved.