Business Incubator as a support factor

1. Business Incubator as a support factor Natasa Babacev Business Technology Incubator of Technical Faculties Belgrade

2. Founders Four Technical Faculties of the University of Belgrade • Civil Engineering, • Mechanical, • Electrical and • Technological/Metallurgical Palilula Municipality and Democratic Transition Initiative Establishment supported by Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe OSCE Based on International experiences and best practice examples

3. The Campus of Technical Faculties Belgrade Our vision Knowledge-based Economy Centre The main goal • Create an instrument that will encourage young and educated people to start their own business and stay in the country • Development of critical mass of trained entrepreneurs creation of conditions for direct commercialization of the results obtained through research activities • Creation of new small and medium enterprises in Hi-tech sector Our potential Every year about 900 students graduate at the technical faculties in Belgrade www.bitf.rs

4. Establishment of the Incubator • 2005December – partnership established between four technical faculties and the Municipality Palilula • 2006 OSCE support and Israeli government support • 2006 Registration of the incubator as LLC. and entering the Register of the Ministry • 2007 USAID support • 2007 adaptation of business space in the campus of technical faculties (phase I) • 2007 Support of the Ministry of Science and Technological Development • 2007 Support of the City of Belgrade • 2007 December – public call announcement – 6 small enterprises- tenants of the incubator • 2008 NIP support for adaptation of the remaining business space • 2009 public call announcement - 6 more enterprises established and positioned within incubator premises • 2010 first 6 enterprises finished the 3 year incubation period and left the B&T Incubator • 24small firms

5. 600m2of renovated business space 500students have passed the training on How to start own business 230young people engaged in the incubator and enterprises-tenants 38small enterprises tenants of the incubator 25 new technologies/services developed in innovation projects 3 clusters/networks established 1 service center was developed (set of legal, accounting and financial services; market research services and IPR) 1 project center developed Results in Numbers

13. Immeasurable Effects

14. BITF - Lessons Learned Great results achieved: • Great potential of faculties and change of awareness - constant struggle for change • High tech, Innovation • Leadership, quality training and consulting services offer by BITF management • Support of the Ministry of Science and Technological Development and also City of Belgrade • Using examples of good practice of developed countries and experience of countries in transition and adaptation to local conditions • Incomparably greater interest for the establishment of the companies since the beginning of work of the Innovation Fund of the Republic of Serbia Problem • Lack of state systematicapproach in a long term sense

15. The most important now • Entrepreneurship as one of the elective courses at technical faculties • Synergy between different institutions (TTC , Innovation Fond, Technology Incubators) • Science-technology parks in Serbia (Belgrade, Novi Sad, Kragujevac, Nis) as a new, much more effective instrument to support innovations and technological entrepreneurship • Innovation Export Promotion

16. Project Export Promotion for Innovative Products