2.1. Activities

Now, when almost five years elapsed since ICI regained its position, defined 25 years ago, its distinct features are no matter of investigation any more.
ICI keeps its position of an important centre for advanced researches and knowledge dissemination in IT, given its scientific achievements and qualified personnel. Its position strengthening has also been due to getting the right to organize doctoral theses preparation periods, and doctoral dissertations, to publishing the Romanian Journal of Information Technology and Automatic Control, and to getting involved in the activities of "Information Science and Technology" Section of the Romanian Academy. A special note should be made on its acting as operator of the National Research and Academic Network- RNI (enabling about 3,000 Romanian researchers to get access to scientific information), and on the six TTC set up in 1993, specializing in DSS, CIME, CASE, Open Systems, Standards, Information Systems for Public Administration, and also on the participation in the CEC-ESPRIT Programme.
Most research projects finalized in (both deliverable and prototype) software, experimental systems, models and algorithms, methodologies, standards and technical recommendations. Studies were conducted and reports were produced to orientate the forthcoming researches in the IT field. Samples of them are given below.

1. Applied software meeting the economic agents' requirements:
   
   • technology development based on adaptive and generative method
     
   • production capacities location
     
   • DSS for continuous production control and resource distribution under contention circumstances
     
   • spectroscopic signals processing
     
   • financial analysis and decision-making
     
   • DSS-a prototype for agricultural management
     
   • DSS- a prototype for marketing.
     
2. Software Tools and Engineering meant for IT Departments and Computer Services Agencies:
   
   • methodology and associated tools for strategic planning of informatization
     
   • methodology and associated tools for software quality assurance and reliability testing
     
   • methods and tools guaranteeing data privacy
     
   • Optical Character Recognition System based on neural networks
     
   • experimental system for handwriting recognition
     
   • knowledge acquisition, representation and processing prototypes for 2nd generation expert systems
     
   • experimental system for multimedia complex objects management.
     
3. Standards, guides, technical recommendations and norms for everybody who needs IT:
   
   • recommendations on the informatization of public administration
     
   • recommendation on hardware procurement
     
   • standards and application manuals for open systems
     
   • legislative drafts and specific recommendations on the IT field (fraud prevention, electronic documents authentication, public information).

2.2. Distinct Features

The institution's distinct features will include:

• keeping a high scientific level and sticking to professional orientation;
  
• partnership with reputed companies: GMD-FOKUS (network management), DIGITAL (training activity),SIEMENS (regional centre), FhG (applied research in industry), ERNST & YOUNG (consultancy on management and privatisation), SEGAL QUINCE WINCKSTEED (networks)
  
• being totally independent of any computing technique vendors let ICI specialists be altogether unbiased when producing the solutions, they think the best, for the protection of Romanian customers, the more so, if considering its contract-based partnership with most of the computer manufacturers
  
• "genuineness" and fair-play in dealing with partners and customers are steadily pursued objectives of ICI management
  
• limitation of vacancies: ICI has hardly dispensed with technical staff for the last five years and 20 university graduates were recruited
  
• export orientation and scientific integration into the European joint research projects
  
• co-operation with small-and medium-sized system software houses (GLOSSY, CSR, INFORCE Romania, SIVECO Romania)
  inviting the Romanian professionals resident abroad to join the ICI activities
  
• international contacts:
  operational node for three European NOEs ( Modelling and Simulation, Intelligent Control and Integrated Manufacturing, Computational Linguistics).

2.3. Profitability

1. research activity:

   a) special budget (all projects acquired through competition)	65.8%
   b) European contracts (including the costs of equipments)	10.3%
   c) Foreign partners	5%

   
   
2. production activity

   d) contracts with various users

   5.3%

    

3. RNC services: 13.6%

2.4. Priorities of the year 1995

• ICI will continue to play the role of a national public institution.
  
• Focal points will be
  advanced researches characterized by priority, international impact and participation in European projects (modelling & simulation, genetic algorithms, knowledge engineering, computational linguistics, DSS, virtual reality, deductive databases, intelligent supervision, advanced control of industrial processes)
  prospective R&D within the European context (Integration in Manufacturing-IiM, Business Process Reengineering-BPR, societal informatization, computerisation of libraries and art galleries)
  TTC in IT development, publication of informatics and control series journals, organisation of doctoral dissertations
  nation-wide and strategical systems (for instance, development of computer networks and national operator of the networks)
  applications for the state (strategic planning, general-purpose systems development for central and local administrations)
  development of specific technologies , consulting and expertise in public behalf and in IT users' behalf (software and systems quality control, to comply with international standards)
  
• Export enhancement.
  
• Keeping its status as a centre of excellence , internationally known.