The Enterprise Europe Network offers support and advice to European small and medium-sized businesses, helping you to make the most of business opportunities beyond national and European Union borders.

The Network is made up of 570 partners in 44 countries. It’s Europe’s largest business and technology network – so it’s well placed to help you find suppliers, distributors, trustworthy export partners and ways to source or sell technology

Strongly rooted in local communities and regions across Europe, the Network provides information on EU legislation and funding, helps companies find business partners, especially in other countries, and offers advice on how to develop an innovative idea.

Some of the ECABIT members are also part of the Enterprise Europe Network  as ARC Fund is coordinating the network and Bulgaria, from Russia and AITT from Moldova joined the network recently.

The synergy between the two Networks is very important in terms of exchanging  information on innovation, business development, opportunities for business matchmaking and business incubation.

We recommend you the recent newsletter of the Romania partner – IPA Craiova, Ro 4 Europe with information on forthcoming networking events in different sectors and countries and details of the forthcoming call for proposals under the EU FP7 programme.

Introduction

This training program is designed for business incubation managers and other business incubation stakeholders wishing to increase their understanding and know-how of the business incubation process. It consists of 12 training modules ranging from basic introductory topics designed for professionals new to business incubation, to specialized topics such as Technology Commercialization and Virtual Business Incubation Services.    The training modules have been grouped in terms of subject complexity, namely Group A Modules being of an introductory and intermediary level, and Group B Modules being of a more advanced level, as reflected in Table 1 below.  Furthermore, it is recommended that Modules 1, 2 and 3 should be presented sequentially, as should modules 5 and 9, whereas the other modules can be offered as stand-alone presentations.

Table 1:  Module complexity overview

Selection criteria for Trainers

Trainers must be self-motivated and able to demonstrate strong pedagogical abilities and skills in transferring knowledge.  They must be good communicators with strong presentation and explanation skills.  They should have:

• A minimum of 4 years experience in business incubation or equivalent, and experience in the area of the specific training module(s) for which accreditation is sought
• Evidence of the introduction of innovation/innovative practices as an incubator manager or equivalent
• Exposure to a range of business incubation models internationally, especially in developing countries and emerging markets, and knowledgeable about examples that can be cited to illustrate the teaching
• Experience in delivering training to adult professionals
• Highly effective communication skills

Becoming a Certified infoDev  Trainer

Trainee Trainers need to apply to infoDev, via ECAbit, using the application form below. Deadline for applications is December 15, 2011.

Review of Applications and Selection of Trainee Trainers for the Istanbul ToT in February 2012 will be coordinated and conducted by infoDev based on the selection criteria for trainers listed above. Additional criteria for the selection of trainee trainers will be the regional needs and market potential for the infoDev Incubator Manager Training that has been indicated by the market survey conducted by infoDev and ECAbit / MENAinc coordinated by Todor Yalamov, ECAbit network coordinator.  Shortlisted applicants might expect an additional interview as part of the application and selection process.

Applicants will be informed about the results of the selection process until January 10, 2012.

The train the trainer program will be conducted in Istanbul, Turkey from the evening of Sunday 19^th February to the end of Saturday 25^th February 2012, after which participants will qualify for certification by infoDev to deliver all modules, subject to satisfactory completion of the train the trainer program.  Modules 1 to 8 do not require any specialist knowledge. Modules 9 (Finance for Clients), 10 (Commercialization), 11 (Virtual incubation) and 12 (Agribusiness incubation) however need specialist understanding.

Cost: Travel costs to and from Istanbul will be covered by trainee trainers. All costs in Istanbul related to the ToT including hotel, living and ToT materials will be covered by infoDev.

Qualifying for Certification:

After the Train the Trainer program in Istanbul/Turkey, the trainee trainers will be eligible for certification by infoDev, to deliver all or a selection of modules.  InfoDev will certify people based on a recommendation from 2 of the Master trainers who conducted the train the trainer program. The certification might be issued under certain conditions.

Once certified:

1. Trainer must always train with a co-trainer, in order to ensure a participatory training experience for learners.
2. If training is offered within the home country of the certified trainer, the co-trainer does not need to be an infoDev certified trainer.
3. If training is offered outside of the certified trainer’s home country, the co-trainer also must be a certified infoDev trainer

To Maintain certification, certified trainers must:

1. Collect module training evaluation questionnaires from participants at end of each training session, and forward to ECAbit / MENAinc respectively as the infoDev appointed “host” of the training/regional network
2. Score > 75% positive rating feedback on module evaluation questionnaires from the participants
3. After delivering training, forward to infoDev 2 relevant examples, using the “New Examples Template” for inclusion in each module delivered
4. Identify and convey to ECAbit  one new training opportunity per annum, i.e. conduct training with infoDev material at least once per annum

Annexure 1:  Responsibilities of infoDev trainers

The Trainee Trainer will:

1. Apply to infoDev, via the ECAbit network, to undertake train the trainer activities to eventually become a certified infoDev trainer
2. Prepare for the training session by reviewing training material provided in advance (for 3 modules) and conducting a short training needs analysis exercise.  The infoDev training material may not be changed/altered without written permission from infoDev.
3. Be responsible for their own travel costs to attend the Train-the- Trainer program in Istanbul/Turkey. Once at the hotel in Istanbul, all costs will be covered.

Upon receiving the infoDev Trainer Certification the Trainer:

1. Will offer his/her services to ECAbit as an accredited infoDev Trainer
2. Negotiate a licence fee with ECAbit to promote and deliver the training using  infoDev material, whereby ECAbit will receive a minimum fee per module for each participant.  While a minimum fee will be determined, there will be no maximum fee for participants (i.e. hosts of training and trainers can set their own fees for participants in the training, so long as it is higher than the agreed minimum fee).
3. Oversee the logistics of training workshops, liaising with ECAbit as required
4. Collect evaluation questionnaires for each module, aggregate responses, and submit the aggregate responses to infoDev via ECAbit.  Trainers receiving less than a set percent evaluation rating more than twice will lose their infoDev Trainer Certification.
5. infoDev will issue completion certificates to trainees in conjunction with ECAbit and these are to be given to trainees as and when they submit their evaluation questionnaires at the end of each module.
6.  InfoDev  Certified Trainers will be listed on the infoDev website.

 Application form

VIth International Conference of the Eastern European and Central Asian Business Incubators and Technology Parks Network (ECAbit)

November 6-8, 2011
Chisinau, Moldova

Organized by

Eastern European and Central Asian Business Incubators and Technology Parks Network (ECAbit)

infoDev, World Bank

State Agency for Intellectual Property

Academy of Sciences of Moldova

Agency for Innovation and Technology Transfer

Moldovan Technology Transfer Network

PARTNERS

Technological Park Academica

CredInfo LLC

Ministry of Information Technologies and Communications of Moldova

PROGRAM (Please, download the full AIECA 201program as PDF file, 323 KB)

The IT-JUMP Competition 2011 – organized by Hi-Tech Park Minsk and BAVIN – is aimed at increasing the popularity of innovative entrepreneurship in IT among young people through identifying and supporting promising innovative projects and the best IT-startups created by young people. The $40,000 IT-JUMP is an investment pitching competition established in 2011 by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, the Administration of the Belarus Hi Tech Park and Business Angels and Venture Investors Network “BAVIN.

IT-JUMP is focused on helping innovators and entrepreneurs commercialise I.T.-based ideas, concepts, start-up and early stage projects. Young individuals (age: 14-35 years) and small-to-medium sized businesses based in Belarus will be eligible to enter the competition. The Competition is carried out in the following nominations:

• Best IT-idea
• Best IT-project
• Special nominations: Best gaming project

In the BEST IT-IDEA nomination the prize is awarded to an individual – the project leader. Business ideas, business plans and ready-made prototypes, not derived in the public domain are welcomed for submission in the contest’s nomination.

In the BEST IT-PROJECT nomination the prize is awarded to an individual – the leader of the project that resulted in the release of new software (technology, service) which has users. The company implementing the project should be mentioned in this nomination.

In the special BEST GAMING PROJECT nomination the prize is awarded to an individual – the project leader. Business ideas, business plans, ready prototypes as well as realized gaming projects can be submitted to the contest in this nomination.

The winners of the Contest will pitch during INVESTMENT FORUM on the 16th of November and receive their prizes at award ceremony on the 17th of November, 2011.

The $40,000 IT JUMP 2011 prize fund will be allocated to the winners in the following way:

• $10,000 cash for the winner in EACH nomination.
• $10 000 cash total for the second and the third places in all the nominations.
• 1-week Entrepreneurship Courses for the 15 best entries.
• A potential opportunity to pitch to an Angel Investor group.

Application deadline is October 15, 2011, 10AM Minsk time. For further information, please visit: http://itjump.by/en-about/index.php.

Partners are welcomed on board! For more information about sponsorship please contact Valeryia Sudzilouskaya. Contact details at: http://itjump.by/en-contact/index.php

International Innovative Camp was held for the first time in Tambov on August 24-26, 2011.

The main activities of the camp were:

The main organizer of the camp is the management company of Tambov Innovative Business Incubator NGO "Regional centre of management  and culture" with the support of the administration of the Tambov region, Tambov regional office "OPORA ROSSII" and the Business Angels Club of Tambov region.
JSC "Pigment" (trade mark "KRATA") and  JSC " Tambov Communal Systems " have provided the great assistance  in organizing the International innovative c international support was carried out by German Biomass Research Centre and the network of business incubators and technology parks in Europe and Central Asia (ECAbit).
We thank Stefan Shander (Germany), an innovation expert of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (infoDev, World Bank) for the support and organization of the section "Bioenergy and eco-innovation", Daniela Tchonkova (Bulgaria) and Marina Gil (Belarus) for participation in the camp.

Section "Bioenergy and eco-innovation" was full of  presentations and discussions of participants’ projects, as part of the section a teleconference with members of the German Biomass Research Centre was held. The result of the work was the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the two research institutes – "All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for the use of  technology and oil products" of the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the German Biomass Research Centre, which provides opportunities for the development of international relations.

Section "Information Technology" brought together experts from small and large industrial companies as well as future professionals and graduate students. The participants were able to not only familiarize t with the web-service prototype for scientific and technical information search, but to test it yourself on their own search tasks in computer classes of Tambov Innovative Business Incubator.

The section "Social Entrepreneurship" included master-class, panel discussion and the business game, which aroused great interest. Three projects, aimed at solving social problems in the region, were presented at the end of the business game. The participants were able to visit Science City- Michurinsk and learn with innovative projects implemented here. The section was prepared and held by the leading professors of the Department of Juvenology and management in the social sphere of Tambov State University named after G.R. Derzhavin.

At the end of the camp the results of the projects competition have been summed up.

Of seven applications, submitted for the competition, there were only 2 projects presented in a final public defense:

The authors of these projects were encouraged by jury and did not go without rewards:

Besides the already mentioned results, should be noted that the Tambov Innovation Business Incubator agreed with members of the network ECAbit from Belarus and Bulgaria on an exchange of internships for managers of business incubators.

Third International Conference of Fashion Incubators to be held in Perth, Western Australia between the 11th and 13th of September 2011

Conference Registrations are now open at www.fashionincubators.com

The conference will offer new opportunities for fashion & business incubators, small business advisors, educators, governments, fashion trade events from around the globe to network, discuss best practice and expand global designer marketing and promotional opportunities.

Building on from past successful conferences of International Fashion Incubators held in the UK and USA, the Perth conference  will present challenging speakers at the forefront of the fashion industry as well as a range of practitioners willing to share their experiences and expertise, exhibitors and great opportunities for global networking.

The conference will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Perth and is supported by Textile Clothing Footwear Resource Centre of WA Inc,  designedge Fashion Incubator, TCF Australia, TCF Global and numerous local and international supporters.

I would be delighted if you could attend our conference and join us as a delegate, there is also an opportunity to nominate as a speaker by submitting a Paper for consideration, host an exhibition space or be recognised during the conference by providing delegate scholarships or sponsorship to the conference.

I look forward to hearing whether you can accept our invitation, and if you would like any more information about the event, please contact me on carol.hanlon@tcfglobal.com

Please download the Registration Form

Conference Brochure

October 10-11, 2011
Armenia Marriott Hotel | Yerevan | Armenia

Connect with Armenia’s Emerging High-Tech Sector and Explore Business and Investment Opportunities

The two-day conference program includes session tracks addressing critical high-tech industry and business topics including:

• Business environment in High-Tech and IT sectors of Armenia,
• Role of Higher Education in High Tech Industry
• Telecommunication
• E-society
• ArmTech strategy

High-tech business professionals, foreign investors, venture capitalists, Government agencies and NGOs, International trade & outsourcing executives are welcome to attend the conference.

For further information and registration, please visit www.armtechcongress.am

Contacts:
Enterprise Incubator Foundation
Address: 123 Hovsep Emin str.
Yerevan 0051, Republic of Armenia
Tel.: +374 10 219797
        +374 10 219730
Fax: +374 10 219777
E-mail:    info@armtechcongress.am
    register@armtechcongress.am
Web:    www.armtechcongress.am

We are happy to announce the winner in Y2I 2011 competition: Informator LTD from Moldova! Congratulations!

Second place goes for CodeWell from Macedonia and third for DevelopWay from Armenia!

Thanks are due to YES Incubator who managed this years competition, InfoDev for providing funding for the winner to join us at the 4 Global Forum in Helsinki and all members who participated in one way or another in the competition. I believe that all three companies have a lot to offer for our internationalization program. Look forward to iDisc’s featuring their success case interviews.