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
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
EBN’s 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
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
Concrete Activities (Discussion)
Creative Network – issues to discuss
• Recruitment of companies to the Network– what’s 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
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
Pilot Actions 1.2– Overview
New Product Design & Development
This pilot action will locate an external
NPD&D 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 NPD&D services
& supports to the incubators’ startups to improve their design processes
allowing them to grow more towards
export status.
3 main outputs:
•
1. Provide NPD&D 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 NPD&D supports in
specific areas where the partner
incubators Knowledge intensive
start-up firms have identified
gaps.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
Pilot Actions 1.2– Outputs
The composite outputs are :
• No. of incubators taking part– 13,
• No. of client companies availing of NPD&D
services – 55,
• No. of NPD&D expert days provided to firms 220.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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 TESLA’s website
• Publication of all relevant information
• Publication of case studies/success stories
• Creation of strong links to local multi media
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
Finance & budget
 Indicative budget for WP1 = 670,677€
• Questions/comments on financial resource
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN’s 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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
Soft Landing programme
• EBN will design the programme and portal for the
TESLA project
• The programme will be built on EBN’s experience
in similar initiatives
• The following slides present an overview
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
What if there was a way of making it easier?
EBN’s Soft Landing Club
OBJECTIVE
to offer companies easy and practical
solutions to go international
 Ensure that businesses entering or expanding into a new country are
introduced to that country’s 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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
It’s an open club, with global connections
EBN’s 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).
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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:
company
BIC
BIC
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
How BICs/incubators are involved
How does it work?
1. Company in country A asks its BIC (A) for
Soft Landing support
2. BIC (A) contacts BIC (B) in country B:
- dialogues with BIC (B) to organise the visit
- provides client company profile and details of the request
BIC
informs
3. BIC in country B organises the visit and
delivers Soft Landing services
4. Evaluation, and other follow up
BIC
informs
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
3 main types of services
Core Services
Logistics
Fast Track
access to local
business
community
Specialised
support
•Access to office
•IT package
•Pre-arranged meetings
with companies/partners
• 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.
•Meeting with specialised
experts, business advisors
At the end, companies will be asked to
assess the services provided by the
receiving BIC.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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 driver’s licenses
•Cultural training
•Immigration and visa assistance
•Housing assistance
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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 coincubation 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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
Partners involved:
•
•
•
•
•
EBN
INI-INOV
LIONRA
CIT
Laval Mayenne
Technopole
Timeframe
Jul/2012 – Oct/2014
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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 coincubation training courses; 30 companies taking
part in the scheme; 10 networking events
identified for companies.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
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.
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
Finance & budget
 Indicative budget for WP2 = 693,672 €
• Questions/comments on financial resource
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu
To be decided:
• Basic timeframe/actions
• Next steps…
EBN – European BIC Network
Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles
Phone: + 32 2 772 89 00 - Fax: +32 2 772 95 74
E-mail: ebn@ebn.eu – Internet : www.ebn.eu