Digital services left unused
Town hall portals have low take-up. Citizens go back to the counter because they do not know about the digital option, cannot access it or do not trust it.
№ 01 · ARSC framework · 2021-2027
Enrolment open for 2026
No
one
left
behind.
In
every
community.
In
every
town hall.
The Centre for Digital Inclusion (CID, from its Romanian name) is a framework offered to local public authorities (UATs: Romania's communes, towns and cities) to close the digital divide. It contains everything needed to open a centre in a town hall, from the institutional documents to procurement, training and day-to-day running.
№ 02 Context
The digital transition does not happen on portals. It happens in communities.
Investment in digital services has no impact if people lack the skills to use them. The divide is geographic, generational and socio-economic, and it closes only through steady local action.
A widening geographic divide
Communes and small towns have the least access to infrastructure, training and technical support. The urban-rural gap deepens without a coordinated framework.
Vulnerable groups systematically excluded
Older people, people with disabilities, Roma communities, the unemployed and young people not in education, employment or training (NEET): all of them stay outside public services unless they are actively included.
Local authority staff not prepared
Local civil servants need operational skills: interoperability, electronic signatures, one-stop shops, security, GDPR compliance.
№ 03 Programme
One centre. Three pillars. A replicable framework.
The CID is a local public service: an office, a department or an institution under the local council. It contains everything needed to start: the institutional framework, procurement, training and programmes.
Equipment & infrastructure
A working space, full equipment and assistive technology for people with disabilities.
- 10-20 workstations, interactive displays
- Assistive technology: braille, magnifiers, switches
- MS 365 / Google Workspace licences
- Fibre connection, Wi-Fi 6, security
Skills & curriculum
DigComp 2.2 programmes plus modules specific to Romanian public administration.
- Digital basics: core digital skills
- Digital citizen: ghișeul.ro (local taxes online), SPV (online tax account), e-health
- Module for local authority staff: interoperability, GDPR
- Courses for young people: coding, AI, multimedia
Citizens & community
Tailored programmes for each vulnerable group in the community.
- One-stop Digital Help Desk
- The ‘Grandparents Online’ programme for older people
- Co-working HUB for young entrepreneurs
- Digital after-school club for pupils
№ 04 The KIT
Four stages. One dossier.
The KIT is offered to local authorities on a turnkey basis and covers the whole journey, from the local council decision to the first course delivered to a citizen.
I Set-up
Institutional framework
The documents the local council needs to approve the CID.
- Model organisation chart
- Model rules of organisation and functioning (ROF)
- Model staffing plan
- Local council decision / mayoral order
II Procurement
The full procedure
Compliant documentation, ready for SEAP / SICAP, Romania's public e-procurement system.
- Justification note
- Statement of need
- Full technical specification
- WCAG · EN 301 549 specifications
III Implementation
Dedicated support
ARSC stays with you throughout the launch.
- Advice on programmes & curriculum
- Train-the-trainer
- Public launch & communication
- Printed and digital materials
IV Operation
Day-to-day running
Courses, programmes, mentoring and events: the life of the centre.
- Full course catalogue
- Civic engagement initiatives
- Indicators and reporting
- Ongoing technical support
№ 05 Beneficiaries
Tailored programmes. For every group.
The CID does not run a generic curriculum. What it offers is built on the actual needs of each group in the local community.
Grandparents Online
Keeping in touch with family, telemedicine, paying utility bills, spotting online fraud, reaching the family doctor.
The ‘Grandparents Online’ programme
Assistive technology
Screen readers, dictation, switches, augmentative communication, compliance with accessibility standards.
EN 301 549 · WCAG 2.2 AA
Digital mediator
Bilingual literacy, digital identity, social benefits online, support for parents, community integration.
Community mediation
Return to work
Digital CV, profiles on job platforms, online interviews, payments and tax obligations, security, social media.
Return to work
Digital entrepreneurship
After-school and summer workshops: illustration, animation, audio-video, introductory coding, generative AI, remote work.
Digital entrepreneurship
Digital civil servant
Interoperability, ghișeul.ro, electronic signatures, GDPR, one-stop shops, collaboration tools, cybersecurity.
Digital civil servant№ 06 Curriculum
Standardised modules. Certified. Ready to deliver.
Programmes run side by side in the centre, for citizens and for local authority staff, under an approved annual roadmap.
Digital basics
Computer, mouse, keyboard, files and folders. Browser, email, attachments. Word, Excel, PowerPoint. Safe online payments, electronic signatures.
Digital public services
ghișeul.ro for local taxes. SPV, the online account with ANAF, Romania's tax agency. The electronic health record. Online appointments at the town hall and the hospital.
Safe digital citizen
Phishing, scams and online fraud. Passwords, two-step authentication, password managers. Personal data and GDPR. Checking sources, disinformation.
Young creators' workshop
Digital illustration, 2D animation. Audio-video for social media. Introductory coding. Generative AI, used responsibly.
Digital civil servant
Interoperability, government cloud. One-stop shop, digital registry. Operational cybersecurity. GDPR and DPIA in local authorities.
Youth co-working HUB
Free space for freelancers and entrepreneurs. Mentoring to launch a business. Access to high-performance equipment. Monthly networking.
№ 07 Funding
Complementary sources. One dossier.
A CID is not a cost: it is an eligible project. The KIT provides exactly the documents each funding programme requires.
Priority 1 · Call 1.7
Support for the advanced digital transformation of SMEs. Local authorities can benefit indirectly, through partnerships.
Total budget€25 million
Per project€25,000-200,000
Direct beneficiarySMEs
StatusCall closed
Actions 2.2.1 & 2.3
Romania's Smart Growth, Digitalisation and Financial Instruments Programme. E-government in public administration · Digital transformation through advanced technologies. Local authorities are directly eligible.
Eligible costsSoftware · integration · training
Direct beneficiaryUATs · public institutions
Co-financing2% or 8%
Digital transformation
Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Reforms and investment in interoperability, government cloud and civil servants' digital skills.
AreaPublic administration
BeneficiariesUATs · ADRs · MIPE (EU funds ministry)
Deadline2026 (extended)
Note
The same equipment can be funded through PR BI (the Bucharest-Ilfov Regional Programme), alongside training through POEO (the Education and Employment Programme) and running costs from the local budget. The CID KIT includes a model statement of need that assigns each cost to the right source, in line with the eligibility rules. Calls 1.6 (basic SME digitalisation) and 1.11 (SME skills) have been withdrawn from the calendar of ADR BI, the Bucharest-Ilfov Regional Development Agency.
№ 08 Best-fit structure
Four institutional forms. One to fit each authority.
Based on population, demographic structure and current level of digitalisation, ARSC recommends the best organisational form for the CID.
Scoring criteria
- Size of the authority: 1 to 10 points by population
- Age structure: older people, NEETs, children
- Level of digitalisation of existing services
The total score shows whether the CID is set up as a unit (compartiment), an office (birou), a department (serviciu) or a public institution with legal personality under the local council.
1-5p
Small rural
Unit
At least one person in the mayor's staff, with no paid management post.
6-14p
Rural · Small urban
Office
At least 5+1: a dedicated structure with its own head, within an existing department.
6-12p
Urban
Department
At least 7+1, with full responsibility for communication, organisation and implementation.
12+p
Cities & Bucharest sectors
Public institution
Legal personality, under the local or county council, funded from the local budget.
Institutional and technical partners
Microsoft Romania
Dell Technologies
Network One Distribution
EOS Romania
BMF Grup
Politehnica Bucharest
Ecological University of Bucharest
№ 09 About the coordinator
We change mindsets. We change the future.
The Romanian Smart City Association (ARSC) coordinates the national network of Centres for Digital Inclusion. We are a civic and institutional initiative: we do not sell technology, we build the conditions for people to use it.
The first CID opened in Snagov on 23 November 2021, together with the ‘Antim Ivireanul’ House of Culture. Since then, the model has been replicated and adapted to the needs of each community in Romania.
Digital equality is not achieved through a portal. It is built locally, person by person, in every town hall.
#NuLăsămPeNimeniÎnUrmă
№ 10 Enrolment
Request the framework. Reply within 5 working days.
Send us the basic details. You will receive a recommendation on the right organisational form for your authority and an implementation timeline.