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Business Incubators in the Czech Republic – Opportunity for

Collaboration and Joint Ventures

Karel KlusacekTechnology Centre AS CR, Prague, Czech Republic

klusacek@tc.cz3rd Czech-Japan Science and Technology Days

Tokyo, May 22-24, 2007

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Business incubators in the Czech Republic

• Business incubators are often „embedded“ in science and technology parks

• Incubation function is one of the prerequisites of successful certification of S&T park by the Science and Technology Parks Association of the Czech Republic (www.svtp.cz)

• Two primary functions of business incubators = two types of business incubators:

• incubators focused on „job creation“ – less developed regions with high unemployment rate - usually a consequence of a collapse of strong local industry due to structural economic changes in recent years (e.g. textile, mining, heavy machinery, ...)

• incubators focused on „products and processes with high-added value“, realization of research results – located in regions with strong R&D

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Science & technology parks in the Czech Republic (1990-2006)

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5

10

15

20

25

30

35

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

200

6

Year

Num

ber o

f Par

ks

Planned

CertifiedOperated

Source: Science and Technology Parks Association of the Czech Republic

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Science-based incubators• Science-based incubators are designed to stimulate

technology commercialization through new company formation and development

• An effective collaboration with universities and research institutions is essential – graduated students or researchers are supported into taking risk of initiating a company

• For purpose of this presentation two types of incubators were selected:• operational incubators with proven track record of

cooperation with research institutions (5 incubators)• incubators under construction supported directly by an

university and/or research institution (2 incubators) planned to open space for start-ups by the end of 2007

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Business incubators in the Czech Republic (2007)

Source: Science and Technology Parks Association of the Czech Republic

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Science-based business incubators in the Czech Republic (2007)

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Case example:Business Innovation Centre in Pilsen (1)

• City of Pilsen - strong industrial base (tradition: mechanical engineering, food processing)

• BIC Pilsen established in 1992, fully owned by the city of Pilsen, 2500 sq.m of space

• Since its establishment BIC supported more than 50 companies

• Cooperative links with the University of West Bohemia• Technology focus: mechatronics, ICT, electronics, new

materials• Strong inflow of foreign direct investment placed into

Municipal Industrial Park of the City of Pilsen (one of the most successful projects of this kind n the Czech Republic):• Daikin Industries Czech Republic, Fuji Koyo Czech, JKET

Automotive, Panasonic AVC Network Czech, Technocrane, Yazaki Wiring Technologies Czech

• Panasonic Europe Software Development Laboratory opened in 2001

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Case example:Business Innovation Centre in Pilsen (2)

• Next development – expanding into Science and Technology Park Pilsen (12 300 sq.m)

• Futher information: www.bic.cz

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Case example:South Moravian Innovation Centre in Brno (1)

• City of Brno – the second largest city in the Czech Republic, several prestigious universities (26 faculties in total)

• SMIC Brno established in 2003, 1 000 sq.m of space (expanding into 7 000 sq.m. by the year 2008), 29 innovative companies supported (2003-2007)

• Relatively short history but one of the most active and dynamic components of the Czech innovation infrastructure

• Cooperative links with the Brno University of Technology and Masaryk University

• Close collaboration with the city of Brno and regional government

• Technology focus: biotechnology, ICT, electronics, research and medical equipment

• SMIC operates a biotechnology portal - www.gate2biotech.com – a complex information about biotech sector in Central Europe

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Case example: South Moravian Innovation Centre in Brno (2)

• Next development – expanding incubator in 2008 (additional 7 000 sq.m for innovative start-ups)

• Futher information: www.jic.cz

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Case example:Technology Innovation Centre of the Czech

Technical University in Prague• TIC is a part of the Business Innovation Centre of the Czech

Technical University (CTU) in Prague (established in 1991)• CTU in Prague is the largest and oldest technical university

in the Czech Republic (25 000 students, 300 years of history)

• Incubator offers 700 sq.m of space mostly to university spin-offs

• Technology focus: ICT and electronics

• Further information: www.inkubator.cvut.cz

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Case example: Centre of Biological Technologies in Nove Hrady

• Incubator is hosted by the Centre of Biological Technologies in Nove Hrady (South Bohemia)

• Centre uses research capacities of the University of South Bohemia

• Incubator includes technology hall, clean room , laboratory facilities, rooms for testing and cultivation of microorganisms

• Further information: www.greentech.cz/cbt

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Case example: Technology Innovation Centre CKD Prague• Joint project of an electrical engineering factory „CKD NE“

and the Technology Centre AS CR• Utilization of brownfields in Prague, collaboration with

Academy of Sciences and Czech Technical University• Multifunctional building (offices, test laboratories, small

workshops) with total floor area 5000 sq.m will open its spaces in January 2008

• Technology focus: energy sector (particularly renewable energy sources), new materials

• Further information: www.tc.cz

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Structural Funds for research and innovation infrastructure

• EU Structural Funds for the time period 2007-2013 (€ 308 billion) are the greatest investment ever made by the EU through cohesion financial instruments

• Most of the Funds will support regional development and job creation (directed towards economically weaker regions)

• 16% of the total amount supports development of new research capacities and new innovation infrastructure (€ 5 billion for the Czech Republic)

• New incubators and centres for technology transfer are included in a financial scheme of Structural Funds

• Preliminary screening of projects considered for this type of financing has recently been completed in the Czech Republic by the Council for Research and Development

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Structural Funds for the development of new research and innovation infrastructure in the

Czech Republic (2007-2013)

Source: Council for Research and Development

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Conclusions

• Existing science-based business incubators in the Czech Republic offer a wide variety of collaboration possibilities for their counterparts from Japan

• Cooperational capacity will be further enhanced by investments into research and innovation infrastructure from the EU Structural Funds in the time period 2007-2013

• For contacts please see proceedings of the 3rd Czech-Japan Science and Technology Days