Green NONA Investment Forum Cluj: Building the future of green investments in the Danube Region

On 14 November 2025, URBASOFIA and C-EDU hosted the Green Investment Forum Cluj, a key milestone of the NONA New Governance for New Spaces project. The event brought together local authorities, financial institutions, private investors, academia, and innovation actors to discuss how degraded areas can become investment-ready.

Opening remarks by Mayor Emil Boc set a strong tone, reaffirming Cluj-Napoca’s climate neutrality ambition for 2030 and the need for predictable, innovation-friendly conditions for green investments.

The first roundtable gathered representatives from EIB, ADR Nord-Vest, BCR, KPMG, FonduriStructurale.ro, Techcelerator, Iulius Group, Rivus and others, focusing on eligibility, financing instruments, PPP models, ESG criteria, and preparing investment-ready regeneration projects.

A second session provided mentoring and matchmaking, bringing together public institutions, Primăria Cluj-Napoca, Consiliul Județean Cluj, universities UTCN, UBB, AND NGOs Clujul Sustenabil, to analyse NONA’s mapped degraded sites.

The discussions converged on several key directions for action. Participants highlighted the need for closer co-governance and collaboration between public, private, academic and community actors to unlock solutions for degraded areas collectively. They also pointed to the importance of a unified metropolitan strategy, better access to technical assistance for preparing investment-ready projects, and financing approaches that combine grants, loans and equity. Strengthening urban–rural cooperation was also recognised as an essential element for advancing green regeneration across the region. A warm thank you to all speakers, partners and participants for their insights and engagement.