IN SPITE OF THE CRISIS, "INAR" plans increased turnover for 2009

Ovidiu VRÂNCEANU,BraŞov

Braşov-based INAR SA last year posted 40,000 lei in profit, for a turnover of 1.1 million lei, and it has budgeted 1.4 million lei in turnover for this year, and 60,000 lei in profit, on top of investing around 150,000 lei in equipment.

The Company"s former General Manager, Carol Ambruş, is unhappy with AVAS" (the Authority for State Assets Recovery) claim that all 17 research institutes are losing money and because of this, they would be put up for sale. "INAR SA never posted losses while I was at the helm, so there are no losses to cover. Regardless, the idea of selling off all the research institutes spells disaster for Romania"s economy", Mr. Ambruş said. He explained that before 1989, over 7,000 people worked in Braşov, of which 4,500 worked in research in ten institutes, and now there are only four institutes employing just around 100 researchers.

Ambruş is also unhappy with the current government only allocating 0.16% of the GDP for research, whereas last year the research budget amounted to 0.64% of the GDP. "For instance, Slovakia allocated 3% of its GDP for research, and the result is that Slovakians now have the highest percentage of cars per person, whereas in Romania there are almost no goods being produced domestically anymore", the quoted source explained. "Reality showed that only the only institutes to survive are those which remained the property of the state- by receiving the title of national institutes, and thereby receiving state subsidies and easier access to research funding. Such is the case of the Research Institute for potatoes and sugar beets, which was designated as a national institute in 2005, or of the Institute for research and development for grazing lands, both institutes belonging to Academy for Agricultural and Forest Studies, whereas ICAS - The station for research, design, production and forest inventory - became part of the National Forest Administration - Romsilva", said Ambruş, who is also a member of the Board of the Braşov Chamber of Trade and Industry. Given these circumstances, he says, INAR SA presents an unusual situation, because, in spite of its hardships, "it has no debts towards the state or local budget".

The company has expanded its collaboration with prestigious Romanian universities, and has created a small production department which, in cooperation with other Romanian companies, produces equipment for the Romanian oil industry, with a sizeable part of the output going to Russia and Kazakhstan. INAR also participated in three international projects as part of consortium including other companies, research institutes or European local authorities.

Two years ago, AVAS unsuccessfully tried to privatize the Bra ov-based research institute twice. Two months ago, the Bra ov County Council, issued its preliminary agreement concerning a partnership with INAR SA in creating an industrial park on the company"s premises.