The Technopolicy Network organizes two workshops, to complement the conference program and elaborate on various topics. Click here to register for the workshops and the conference.

Resources & Funding, by Julian Webb, Asia Regional Facilitator for the World Bank’s InfoDev Incubator Initiative, Australia.

Incubation as with any business needs finance and a plan for financial sustainability. With a global perspective, the workshop considers the resources and financing needed to establish a business incubator and the varied ways this is achieved. Sustainability is considered along with a discussion about the reality and options for independent self sustainability.

The Resources module looks at:

• Capital and operating costs;
• Common revenue;
• Appropriate business models;
• Budget for an incubator’s establishment;
• The finance needed to take it to break even;
• Accurate forecasting (budgeting);
• Cash flow management;
• Tactics to address short term cash flow needs;
• Basic tools for financial management;
• Appropriately skilled staff for financial management.

The Funding module looks at:

• Main funding options from country to country, for both incubators and government/donor programs;
• Strengths and weaknesses;
• Examples and case studies will be considered.
• Exercises are undertaken and participants will be encouraged to share their learning and engage in discussion.

Impact Measurement, by Jack Malan, Centre for Strategy & Evaluation Services (CSES LLP) United Kingdom, author of a major study for the Euroepan Commission 'Benchmarking of Business Incubators' and many other studies on impact measurement. Several incubator managers will also present their experience.

The purpose of this workshop will be to examine the most effective ways of measuring business incubator performance. Being able to demonstrate positive outcomes is critical, especially in difficult economic times when stakeholders, whether from the public or private sectors, have many demands on their resources.

Moreover, meaningful performance indicators should relate to impacts, for example, the contribution to economic competitiveness and growth, rather than to purely financial or operational factors such as incubator occupancy levels, as important as these factors are. But measuring incubator performance in this way presents a number of challenges.

The workshop will focus on the folowing themes: 

• Experience with regard to measuring incubator impacts.
• Methodological techniques for impact measurement, examples, pros and cons.
• Performance measurement toolbox for business incubators.

Date: Thursday December 1st, 2011

Fee: €345,-

These workshops have been combined to form a full day program. We now offer these two workshops for the price of one!

In addition to these workshops, The World Incubator Network (WIN) organizes a training for incubator and accelerator managers.

The Fundamentals of Business Internationalization Strategies, by Thomas Strodtbeck, Director of Events and International prgrams NBIA, United States & Klaus Plate, President Advisory Board WIN, Former CEO Heidelberg Technology Park and IASP, Germany.

Topics include:

• Introduction to overseas business development strategies;
• Assessing a business’s readiness to enter overseas markets;
• Analysing international markets: where do the best opportunities lie?
• Finding appropriate partners and support systems;
• Pre-conditions for soft landing;
• How to distinguishes your soft landing facilities from others?

Date: Sunday November 27th, 2011

Fee: WIN-Member: Free (and the possiblity to take someone along for €295,-); Members of The Technopolicy Network or NBIA: €395,-; Non-members €495,-.

For more information on the program please check out our the complete brochure.