The European Business

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The European Business Innovation Centre Network

• Transnational Ecosystem Laboratory and Actions
• Kick-off-Meeting on TESLA Project
• Cork IoT 17th-18th May 2012
• Robert Sanders Laura Lecci

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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

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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
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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

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EBNs 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

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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

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Pilot Action 1.1 Creative Industries

• 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Concrete Activities (Discussion)

• Creative Network issues to discuss
• Recruitment of companies to the Network whats
  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

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Pilot Actions 1.2 Overview

• New Product Design Development
• This pilot action will locate an external NPDD
  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 NPDD 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 NPDD 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 NPDD supports in specific areas where
  the partner incubators Knowledge intensive
  start-up firms have identified gaps.

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Pilot Actions 1.2 Outputs

• The composite outputs are
• No. of incubators taking part 13,
• No. of client companies availing of NPDD
  services 55,
• No. of NPDD expert days provided to firms - 220.

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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.

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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.

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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 TESLAs website
• Publication of all relevant information
• Publication of case studies/success stories
• Creation of strong links to local multi media

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Finance budget

• ? Indicative budget for WP1 670,677
• Questions/comments on financial resource

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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.
• EBNs 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.

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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

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Soft Landing programme

• EBN will design the programme and portal for the
  TESLA project
• The programme will be built on EBNs experience
  in similar initiatives
• The following slides present an overview

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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 programs are 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.
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What if there was a way of making it easier?
EBNs 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
  countrys 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.

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Its an open club, with global connections
EBNs 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).

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

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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 drivers licenses
• Cultural training
• Immigration and visa assistance
• Housing assistance

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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.

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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.

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• Partners involved
• EBN
• INI-INOV
• LIONRA
• CIT
• Laval Mayenne Technopole

• Timeframe
• Jul/2012 Oct/2014

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Finance budget

• ? Indicative budget for WP2 693,672
• Questions/comments on financial resource

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To be decided

• Basic timeframe/actions
• Next steps