Incubator successes. Lessons learned from successful incubators towards the twenty-first century
| Published date | 01 April 2014 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/WJSTSD-08-2013-0030 |
| Date | 01 April 2014 |
| Pages | 44-52 |
| Author | Hanadi Mubarak AL-Mubaraki,Michael Busler |
| Subject Matter | Public policy & environmental management,Environmental technology & innovation |
Incubator successes
Lessons learned from successful incubators
towards the twenty-first century
Hanadi Mubarak AL-Mubaraki
Kuwait University, Nuzha, Kuwait, and
Michael Busler
School of Business, Richard Stockton College, Galloway, New Jersey, USA
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, discuss and analyse the successful adoption
of incubators worldwide; and second, the lessons learned from successful incubators towards the
twenty-first century.
Design/methodology/approach – The research methodologies adopted in this study are a
mixed-methods approach: quantitative (survey) and qualitative (five international case studies).
Findings – Incubators contribute to the international economy and play a vital role not only in the
economic recovery but also in smart growth and economic development. These findings will assist
incubator managers, policy makers and government parties in successful implementation of incubator
policies.
Research limitations/implications – This research focuses on specific lessons. More in-depth
research may find additional positive traits.
Practical implications – This research will be of benefit to countries establishing business
incubators in order to avoid mistakes and increase the likelihood of success.
Originality/value – This paper contributes to the current literate on the best practices worldwide.
Furthermore, it presents future perspectives for academicians and practitioners.
Keywords Innovation, Technology transfer, Incubators, Job creation
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Internationally, incubators have been proven to be an extremely successful model in
economic development and employment growth. Today, an estimated 7,000 incubators
exist worldwide. Among those, approximately 1,800 are in the USA and 900 in Europe.
Business incubation has been defined as the endowment of high-level business/supp ort
services, including networks for contacts, to accelerate the development of
entrepreneurial companies.
The rapid growth of business incubators is due to the confirmed track record of
successfully generated new entrepreneurs, which has be en achieved by the provision
of services to support the entrepreneurial process and helping to increase success
rates for generic start-ups or for technological start-up companies. Business incuba tors
have become progressively i mportant for econom ic development, parti cularly
in relation to small business creation and to employment opportunities. Interest in
business incubation comes from a variety of sources, which include local and regional
governments, universities, chambers of commerce, science parks, private companies,
private real estate developers and non-profit organizations.
The objective of this paper is twofold: first, discuss and analyse the adoption of
incubators in international countries as success case studies; and second, identify
the lessons learned from successful incuba tors. The issues addressed are: first, what
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/2042-5945.htm
WorldJour nal of Science, Technology
and Sustainable Development
Vol. 11 No. 1, 2014
pp. 44-52
rEmeraldGroup PublishingLimited
2042-5945
DOI 10.1108/W JSTSD-08-2013-0030
44
WJSTSD
11,1
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