RISE Project is a Romanian non-profit journalism[1] organization founded in early 2012 by a group of investigative journalists, activists, programmers and graphic designers.
RISE Project uses research techniques and technology to generate complex investigative reporting on local and crossborder organized crime and corruption networks. It produces investigative articles and visual databases and it develops research and data visualization tools such as the Visual Investigative Scenarios (VIS)[2] platform.
RISE Project is a member of the regional network Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) and of the Global Investigative Journalism Network.[3]
In 2012 and 2013, RISE exposed several national and international cases of organized crime and corruption with serious social, economic and political impact, such as:
RISE Project investigations have been quoted in local[16][17][18][19] and international media,[20][21][22][23] and some of its members are winners of prestigious international journalism awards such as: the Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding International Investigative Reporting (part of an OCCRP project),[24][25][26] The Global Shining Light Award,[27][28] and Investigative Reporters and Editors Tom Renner Award for crime reporting.[29]
Following an investigation into Liviu Dragnea the Romanian Data Protection Authority (ANSPDCP) used a GDPR request to demand information on the RISE Project's sources.[30][31]
In 2019, Attila Biro from the RISE Project and his colleague from Bivol.bg Dimitar Stoyanov received the Axel Springer Award for young journalists for a joint investigation into the abuse of European Union funds.[32]