Development Center

The Development Center (RO: Centru de Dezvoltare, HU: Fejlesztési Központ) is the legal successor of the Development Agency of Harghita County, which was dissolved by decision 176/2025 of the Harghita County Council. The Development Center, as an individual unit of the Pro Cultura Siculi Intercommunity Development Association, has taken over some of the agency's activities and ongoing projects. Our main objective is to contribute to the development of Harghita County through our activities programmes. The Development Center is an open institution in development which, through its promoter and mediator role, helps local initiatives to materialize, collaborates with relevant agents in a well-balanced developmental process of the county, and if needed, contributes to the concentration of national and international resources oriented on the region's development, as well as to the improvement of the efficiency of local investments. Through our programs, we aim to contribute to the creation of an entrepreneur-friendly Harghita County, to stimulate the attraction of external resources and support the sustainable development and investment in the region, to encourage new and innovative ideas, to stimulate job creation, entrepreneurship and the implementation of region-wide ideas, and to provide useful information in the field of economic development of the county. In brief, we contribute to the economic and social development of Harghita County. One of our main objectives is to initiate programs and projects aimed at solving economic and social problems for the benefit of local communities. We carry out our activities in the the heart of Szeklerland in Romania. It is a region in Europe with a rich and living agricultural tradition and cultural heritage that plays a key role in the economy of the rural regions, while contributing significantly to the EU’s many goals, such as sustainable development and smarter, greener agriculture. We try to gather all relevant information about Harghita County that may be of value to investors, from investment opportunities to natural resources. All this offers simplified solutions and makes them more transparent and easier for investors. Special attention is paid to increase the focus on supporting vocational education, one of the objectives of which is to change public perceptions that vocational education does not pay. This needs to be shifted in a positive direction and show more and more young people that there is great potential in taking an interest in a profession. At the same time, learning a profession can also provide a secure basis for staying at home, which can give young people financial security. Particular effort is put to affect young people, such as career guidance, application opportunities, calls for proposals and starting a business. Instilling an entrepreneurial spirit among young people will indirectly contribute to an increase in the number of businesses. Constantly work is put into the activity to create a climate based on public-private cooperation, with a good flow of information in both directions to help entrepreneurs address their problems and difficulties more quickly and effectively. At the same time, by organizing roundtable discussions on calls for proposals, we act as an intermediary between the institutions concerned and businesses, helping them to attract as much non-reimbursable support as possible and to establish direct with representatives of the institutions that are launching these calls. As the first initiative in the county the former Agency aimed to address forest management, the sustainability and expansion of green zones. There is a particular relevance in defining forestry issues, such as promoting the protection and valorization of forests or the sustainability of biodiversity, biomass and the wood processing industry. In addition, the legal status of public landholdings (so-called “compossessorates”) is specifically addressed, as is the development of a long-term vision for the financial sustainability of the properties they own. Real-time assistance to forest managers and all stakeholders is also vital. In summary, the Development Center is present in many areas, from our programs targeting the economy, to the promotion of vocational education, to forest management and attracting investments. We are in constant and ongoing with young people, students, businesses and SME’s alike. Our goals are achieved through a number of programmes, such as assistance of the vocational training in Harghita County or consultation and technical support in forestry or promotion of economic development.