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| The Business Incubator Development (BID) Program is managed by International
Technology Research Institute (ITRI) of Loyola
College in Baltimore, Maryland. The BID Program's operations began
on 1 September 1997.
Loyola College is one of over 50 Jesuit universities around the world,
some of which date to the sixteenth century. Its International Technology
Research Institute contributes to the education, research and service goals
of its parent institution by conducting programs to:
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evaluate science and technology in the U.S. and abroad to meet national
goals for world leadership,
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encourage technology transfer for the benefit of science and industry,
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provide education in technology transfer and related subjects, and
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provide research and development in technologies for education, research
and service to the Nation
ITRI is directed by Duane Shelton
and houses three divisions. The World Technology (WTEC) Division, headed
by Geoff Holdridge, conducts international technology assessments with
funding from several Federal agencies through a cooperative agreement with
the National Science Foundation. The Technology Transfer (TTEC) Division,
headed by George Gamota, conducts general research and development for
several agencies including the Office of Naval Research, plus education
research grants from the NSF. The Business Development (BD) Division, headed
by Bob Margenthaler, operates the Business Incubator Development (BID)
Program in Ukraine, with funding from a cooperative agreement with the
U.S. Agency for International Development.
The BID Program is creating opportunities for small business growth
in Ukraine by establishing incubators that will provide consulting services,
access to office equipment and training, assistance in accessing credit,
and physical building space. The BID Program currently has offices in Kiev
and Kharkiv with plans to expand the incubator concept to other Ukrainian
cities. Three incubators are fully operational. In Kiev, there are over
53 client companies and over 32 in Kharkiv. The Kiev incubator has been
operating since January 1998, and the Kharkiv incubator opened in April
1998. A third business incubator was founded in Slavutich in 2000.
Slavutich is the town where the Chernobyl workers live, and this incubator
was a partly effort to close that plant.
While business incubators can be effective in any economic sector, the
rapidly expanding technology area offers the greatest potential for economic
development, and the BID Program is targeting this area plus the light
manufacturing sector that implements these innovations. The many R&D
centers, such as the Ukrainian Academy of Science institutes, the national
and polytechnic universities, R&D centers of the ministries, and industrial
centers (zavody) provide a rich talent pool for identifying qualified entrepreneurs.
Dr. R. D. Shelton
is the Director of ITRI
and the Director of
BID Program
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Dr. Robert Margenthaler
is director of the ITRI Business
Development Division that manages
the BID Program incubators in Ukraine
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Bo Denysyk
is Vice Chair of the
BID Program advisory board.
He is senior vice president of
Global USA, Inc. of Washington, DC.
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Frank Lindsay
serves as Chair of the BID Program
advisory board. Among many other
senior positions, served and CEO
of the ITEK Corporation.
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| Worldwide
Incubator programs have been established in many countries to stimulate
creation of technology-oriented small businesses. Incubators have been
shown to reduce the failure rate of small businesses by providing training
and guidance to such companies in their initial stages. Small businesses
have been responsible for creating wealth and jobs worldwide. High-technology
incubators have been particularly successful in U.S., Israel, and China.
Businesses being incubated around the world today (over 1500 incubators
exist worldwide) are at the forefront of developing new technologies, and
are producing new products and services to create economic development.
More than 80% of incubator clients in both industrialized and industrializing
nations successfully transition from the incubation program to profitability.
The United Nations Development Program sponsored a review of nearly
200 incubator programs in seven nations undergoing industrialization, which
found that the incubators are having a significant impact. A total of 26,000
jobs were created by 78 incubators. In the Czech Republic 17 incubators
were associated with the creation of 440 enterprises.
In Ukraine
One of the greatest assets Ukraine possesses is its large well-educated
technical community. The BID Program seeks to focus this talent by using
two types of incubator models. The traditional "physical" incubator, typically
found in the West, co-locates all activities including laboratory and office
space for the new start-ups. The second type is called a "distributed incubator",
which allows entrepreneurs to continue operations in their current environment.
This "distributed incubator" concept allows businesses to be developed
through the use of existing space, equipment, and facilities, such as at
large laboratories or universities where the entrepreneurs may work, often
in rural or suburban locations. The BID Program accommodates both approaches
wherein space and logistical support is provided in a manner that best
suits the entrepreneurs' needs. |
| The BID Program provides selected entrepreneurs who have passed a rigorous
technical and business review process with a full range of business resources
and services. Basic business training (management, marketing, accounting,
finance, etc.), and connections to external sources of financing, are included.
Selected companies undergo a financial and technical review process that
determines the market potential of their product or service. Emphasis is
placed on those organizations that have the best growth potential, ability
to attract private investment, and ability to provide employment opportunities
for Ukrainians. The BID Program provides a limited amount of financing,
but availability of matching funds is a factor in selecting client companies.
Additionally, the program conducts workshops, seminars, and conferences
at which incubator clients can present their business plans to potential
investors. |
The U.S. Headquarters for the BID Program is at Ocher House on the
campus of Loyola College in Baltimore, Maryland.
Loyola College
International Technology Research Institute
Baltimore, MD 21210
Tel: (410) 617-5001
Fax: (410) 617-5123
http://itri.loyola.edu/itri/
Contact information:
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BID
Program 
