The European Business & Innovation Centre Network

1. Transnational Ecosystem Laboratory and Actions Kick-off-Meeting on TESLA Project Cork IoT 17th-18th May 2012 Robert Sanders & Laura Lecci The European Business & Innovation Centre Network

2. EBN Overview European BIC Network - EBN “The aim of EBN is to promote the growth of Business and Innovation Centres (BICs) both within and outside of the EU. The aim of BICs is to support the emergence of new small or medium sized businesses and develop activities in existing businesses based on new ideas with growth potential.” • International non-profit-making association • Management of EC-BIC & Esinet trademark • 200+ accredited members (EC-BICs), Associate Members, ESA-Incubators • Permanent staff based in Brussels • Board of national network representatives • Cooperation agreements with other networks (NBIA, EEN, Eurada, IASP, Eban, ERRIN …), strong connections with private sector (Auchan, CISCO, HP etc.) • Sources of income: Membership Fees, International Projects, Technical Assistance, Events and Seminars, Strategic Partners and Sponsors

3. Profile of a BIC BIC – Business Innovation Centers light and flexible structure • “incubation facilities” • provision of added-value services to entrepreneurs , like: • Business planning and modeling, • Scenario building and financial simulation • SME Financing, Seed capital and venture capital, growth financing • Legal business advice, commercial contracts, IPR • Hands-on customized support to high-growth gazelle (post-incubation) • Internationalisation of companies… animation of clusters and support to regional collaborative projects Sectors….ICT, Telecom and Mobile Apps, Energy, Environment and Cleantech, Life Sciences and Biotech, Mechatronics and Software Apps

4. Accreditation BIC – Business Innovation Centers The “EC-BIC” logo • EBN manages the licence of the BIC European trademark on behalf of the European Commission. • EBN implements a certification and quality system enabling the development of a network of excellence through the integration of a quality approach. • The EBN quality process adds value to the BIC trademark and to the • organisations that have received the licence. The process is built on: • total client satisfaction • capacity to implement, regional, national and community policies • benchmarking

5. EBN’s role in TESLA WP 1- Driving Innovation Action 1: Creative Industries supporting High Potential Start-ups in the creative sector WP 2 – Internationalisation Action 6: Soft-landing and Co-incubation Communication

6. Work Package 1 – Driving Innovation The objective is to work collaboratively on a transnational basis to boost the innovative capabilities of early stage knowledge intensive companies. Pilot Actions: • 1.1 Creative Industries • 1.2 New Product Design & Development • 1.3 Innovation Outreach

7. Partners Involved: EBN Bangor University Tilburg University Timeframe: Jul/2012 – Oct/2014 Objective: An open innovation approach will be fostered and encouraged in order to help companies forge wide ranging partnerships with stakeholders in their chosen field of expertise. All participating companies will be the beneficiaries of a customised practical business support programme, delivered to a cohort of selected participants drawn from all partner regions. Pilot Action 1.1 – Creative Industries

8. Pilot Action 1.1 – Activities (a) • This action focuses on the creative sector with a strong focus on international markets. • Two disciplines that drive innovation, new product design & development and innovation outreach have been selected as pilot tools transferred by support agencies and knowledge transfer intermediaries to other High Potential Start-Up firms (HPSUs) in partner regions. • This action will address these gaps by providing a knowledge transfer platform for business support organisations across the partner regions allowing them to pool knowledge, resource, ideas & tools in order to accelerate growth in HPSU firms.

9. Activities (b) A TESLA Creative Network will be built upon sharing insights around new business models and will be key enabler to addressing the need for a shared understanding and how business advisors can more be effective. This dynamic and creative exchange (via online tools) between the partner regions will mean that companies will be able to implement successful business strategies that have been proven successful elsewhere.

10. Partners Involvement • EBN will act as lead partner for the development of a toolkit for HPSUs in creative sector to improve their entrepreneurial skills, access finance and to allow information exchange. An online platform for networking & knowledge transfer will be created. • Bangor University will supply toolkit components (Access to Markets ,B2B First Steps, Legal Advice, Finance, Best Practice, Creative Knowledge Pool) and deliver knowledge transfer workshops. • All partners will participate in the evaluation of the initiative and transfers of best practise arising.

11. This action has 3 main outputs: 1. A transnational toolkit to help HPSU firms in the creative sector to improve entrepreneurial skills, access finance & allow them to exchange information on IP & other issues. 2. Knowledge Transfer Workshops for Business Advisors in all regions to exchange information on trends, business models, innovation supports and IP in the creative sector. 3. Creative network - online platform for knowledge transfer, on the TESLA project website.

12. Outputs per Partners • EBN: 6 knowledge transfer workshops for practitioners; online platform; 2 components provided for Toolkit; 25 companies recruited to Creative Network • Bangor: 6 knowledge transfer workshops for practitioners; 1 component for Toolkit; 25 companies recruited to Creative Network • Tilburg: 5 knowledge transfer workshops for practitioners; 1 component for Toolkit; 10 companies recruited to Creative Network.

13. Consolidated outputs • N° of Knowledge Transfer Workshops - 17 Online Platform/Toolkit on TESLA website) • N° of Components provided for Toolkit (6 in total) – 4 • N° of companies recruited to Creative Network - 60.

14. Concrete Activities (Discussion) Creative Network – issues to discuss • Recruitment of companies to the Network– what’s the current situation of the partners? Process/screening/evaluation – to discuss • Market Expertise & sector knowledge – we need to identify the experts/providers? What to we have in our “Talent” pool • What type of expertise can the partners source (“who has access to what”) & mapping the areas of knowledge and expertise to be included in the Tool Kit

15. New Product Design & Development This pilot action will locate an external NPD&D expert in a number of partner regions incubation centres who will work together over videoconference and other web based resources such as LinkedIn to supply NPD&D services & supports to the incubators’ start-ups to improve their design processes allowing them to grow more towards export status. 3 main outputs: 1. Provide NPD&D services to support partner incubators Knowledge intensive start-up firms 2. Gap analysis on the new product design & development skill-sets of the participating incubators 3.Provide NPD&D supports in specific areas where the partner incubators Knowledge intensive start-up firms have identified gaps. Pilot Actions 1.2– Overview

16. Pilot Actions 1.2– Outputs The composite outputs are : • No. of incubators taking part– 13, • No. of client companies availing of NPD&D services – 55, • No. of NPD&D expert days provided to firms - 220.

17. Pilot Actions 1.3– Overview Innovation Outreach This Action will provide access to a start-up platform which supports the growth of knowledge-based companies in geographic areas where they are not currently provided. This will build innovation capability in 110 early stage knowledge-intensive firms across 4 partner regions.

18. Pilot Actions 1.3– Outputs 1. 110 potential HPKIs will be selected for participation in the pilot. 2. Customised Modules on key aspects of business development – business. planning, accessing finance, business mgt, IP protection & exploitation, linking with Tech Transfer offices, sales & marketing. 3. 65 days Business & Tech Mentoring in one-on-ones. 4. Access to Desk space for each participant.

19. Communication Strategy • Bi-Monthly conference calls between the participating partners in each pilot action • Bi-Annual Meetings • Contacts via e-mail and/or telephone • Communication towards the beneficiaries of the pilot actions • Press releases • Sending of e-news on TESLA’s website • Publication of all relevant information • Publication of case studies/success stories • Creation of strong links to local multi media

20. Finance & budget  Indicative budget for WP1 = 670,677€ • Questions/comments on financial resource

21. Work Package 2 – Internationalisation (Lead by CIT) TESLA partners, some of which are in more remote regions of the NW E area, have identified that while there are many tools within regional ecosystems to support the establishment and development of such firms, there are few if any tools to assist these companies to internationalise their operations through market development and other strategic partnership opportunities with firms and customers in other markets in Europe and globally. EBN’s role: • Co incubation/Soft landings is a handholding action to develop a programme for firms on the threshold of entering new export markets, to enable such firms to establish a presence within any of the partner & EBN incubation facilities across Europe. The firms will benefit by having facilities available to them as well as networking & other business facilitation supports within their target market places.

22. Soft-landing • Internationalisation for incubated companies  increase chances of success (access to new markets) • “Soft landing” services: • Business support service packages should be flexible, tailored, but focused • High level of adaptation and diversification • Training on co-incubation

23. Soft Landing programme • EBN will design the programme and portal for the TESLA project • The programme will be built on EBN’s experience in similar initiatives • The following slides present an overview

24. How to get help and fast-track to new markets! Soft Landing Overview Soft Landing involves a network of business innovation centres, incubators, business advisors that provide assistance to innovative companies Business incubation programsare at the heart of many local innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems and serve start-ups, small and medium enterprises, and the surrounding clusters in which they operate. They aim to support their clients’ international expansion.

25. What if there was a way of making it easier? EBN’s Soft Landing Club to offer companies easy and practical solutions to go international OBJECTIVE • Ensure that businesses entering or expanding into a new country are introduced to that country’s business practices and culture most effectively. • Provide additional help to accelerate foreign companies’ learning processes, help them make contacts in the new country, and provide access to the resources necessary to meet their business goals.

26. It’s an open club, with global connections EBN’s Soft Landing Club This Club relies on the trust, knowledge and positive collaboration developed among EBN members to: • provide privileged access to offices abroad located inside BICs, incubators, entrepreneurship centres, university science parks • provide support by the local team to each visiting company with a dedicated service aimed at advising them on all legal, financial, cultural and practical issues of doing business in the country of reference • enable BICs client companies to collect market intelligence from targeted commercial areas, access markets and finance • facilitate international collaborations across the globe: USA (NBIA), Brazil (Anprotec), Russia (RUIC), China (EUPIC) and raising economies in developing countries (infoDev).

27. Send your client company to a “trusted friend” How does it work? Trustworthy providers (Softlanding Club Members) of short term business support to BICs client companies visiting from abroad Example: BIC BIC company

28. How BICs/incubators are involved How does it work? BIC informs BIC informs

29. 3 main types of services Core Services • extensions of services normally provided by a BIC, personalized according to SME needs and packaged and priced on a case by case basis; • additional services chosen by the visiting company to be priced according to local conditions; • information on potential for public or private funding. • At the end, companies will be asked to assess the services provided by the receiving BIC.

30. Meeting client company needs Other Services Examples of Soft Landings services that an incubator might offer (whether in-house or through outside service providers): • Translation services • Language training • Domestic market research and entry assistance • Access to capital and potential funders • Intellectual property protection assistance • Help meeting government regulations • Help with import/export laws • Patent assistance • Help obtaining business and driver’s licenses • Cultural training • Immigration and visa assistance • Housing assistance

31. Pilot Action 2.3 – Soft landing • EBN will be the responsible partner for this action working jointly with the participating regions to develop the pilot action plans and procedures for the selection of participants in each participating region. LIONRA, Cork Institute of Technology, Laval Technopole, INI-NOV and all other partners participating in policy analysis, best practise development and dissemination.

32. Actions • International co-incubation schemes that seek to help enterprises gain access to export markets are often referred to as Soft Landing services. Selected companies will be invited to visit incubators in TESLA partner regions to receive internationalisation supports. • The Soft Landing pilot will build upon and transfer the EBN Soft Landing programme. • Companies identified through the Tesla project will be given the opportunity to choose from a wider range of potential host locations participating in the EBN Soft Landing scheme, with 15 host incubators in the NWE Region. A joint Terms of Reference (ToR) will be developed outlining objectives, procedures and conditions for participation in co-incubation activities, procedures for selections of hosts & companies & assessment criteria. • International “readiness assessment” of companies will follow an individual approach and take account of each applicant firm's ability, products and markets. A Firm profile and co-incubation request, to be prepared by client company and sent to the “host’ incubator in order to prepare the visit.

33. Partners involved: EBN INI-INOV LIONRA CIT Laval Mayenne Technopole Timeframe Jul/2012 – Oct/2014

34. Outputs per Partners (a) • EBN: design, management and promotion of Soft landing programme and portal; delivery of 7 Soft landing/Co-incubation courses • INI-NOV: 12 host business advisors; 3 co-incubation training courses; 30 companies taking part in the scheme; 10 networking events identified for companies.

35. Outputs per Partners (b) • LIONRA: 10 business advisors; 2 co-incubation training courses; 12 companies taking part the scheme; 10 networking events. • CIT: 12 business advisors; 2 co-incubation training courses; 30 companies; 10 networking events. • LMT: 4 host business advisors, 2 co-incubation training courses; 9 (3/year) companies; 10 networking events.

36. Consolidated outputs • 38 business advisors trained; • 81 SMEs assessment reports; • 25 Soft landing operations; • 25 business support packages delivered; • 120 days Soft landing business support.

37. Communications Strategy • During the project a 3 interim reports will be produced which will be reviewed and finalised at technical meetings involving all partners. • This will allow all partners to monitor the progress and success of each individual action and to suggest changes and or improvements to any ongoing actions. During the project there will be five regional thematic workshops which will be used to create a permanent communications platform between regional partners which will be used to encourage a continuous professions interaction between partners. • Results of the work package will be widely disseminated through the many events which the partners continuously organise in their day to day work.

38. Finance & budget  Indicative budget for WP2 = 693,672 € • Questions/comments on financial resource

39. To be decided: • Basic timeframe/actions • Next steps…