Recursos sin cadenas

The small and medium business (SMB) in Lithuania, EU countries and other countries occupy almost 99 percent of all registered companies. Therefore, special attention from the state and promotion, coming in the norms of competition, have a very solid weigh in expanding and strengthening SMB, which always remains innovation-intensive and easily conforms to market changes.

There exist various promotion structures for SMB in the world. One of them is so called business incubators (BI) that have recently spread in a number of countries; they are also called technology/innovation centres (13).

Business incubators in developed countries come to the help for business beginners or start-ups. Business incubators have proved their ability to help solve their problems by reducing the risk of activity and failure of newly-established and growing companies. The concept of business incubators is rather flexible in order to adjust to different requirements and environments. In industrial countries business incubators started operating by promoting new technological companies. A classic business formula starts from the initial capital, however in Lithuania it is blocked at the very beginning of a cycle: the very idea of business establishment or development appears at the dead-point possessing no rooms,

finances, informational background, experienced specialists and consultants, etc. Here comes again business incubator ready to solve these problems. The purpose of a business incubator – help establish scientific innovations as well as promote small and medium business. Here business starters receive rooms, technical and administrative services.

The principal task of a developing country is general promotion of enterprise. As long as the main structure of companies to function is developed, thus the basis is given for high-technology companies. Incubators, as instruments of promotion of local economy development, have been spreading already for several decades in the entire world. The USA is considered to be the motherland of business incubators. In 1959, having lost their jobs in closed factories, workers started establishing small companies. This kind of business later proved to be very successful – new workplaces were created and occupation of residents was increasing. Business incubators are mediums for scientists’ innovations to pass into industry where they are commercialised. Therefore the USA government was encouraging the development of this idea in the entire country. Thus, in 1959 the first business incubator appeared in the USA.

Pioneers of European business incubators, the activity of which is based on the concept of science parks and focuses on the promotion of new technological companies, are Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh (started its activity in 1969) and Cambridge University. In 1983 the first business incubator of Germany opened its doors in Berlin. In 1986 in Latin America the first project was implemented, after which in 1990, similar projects followed in Eastern and Central Europe after some political changes, which allowed some possibilities for private business. At the same time business incubators started working in Africa. Although there are huge differences among projects taken separately from seven continents, they are united by a common goal – the promotion for start-ups.

Currently there is a great deal of such structures in the entire world: there are around 1,000 of them in Europe. BIs become popular for they provide rooms for companies applying a flexible rent system, enable cooperation or common use of the office or business administration services. Business incubators mediate in order to get financial support to pay for these services.

Mid-1990s is considered to be the coming of BI in Lithuania, when the Innovation Centre of Kaunas University of Technology, led by Dr. P. B. Milius, started upholding the idea and prepared a project of Business incubator.

Considering the fact, that the aim of a business incubator is not to make profit but to offer help to newly established companies, an incubator could be founded only following one law, which regulates the establishment and activity of non-profit-making organisations. To this end, Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Lithuania together with the Lithuanian Development Agency for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises prepared a model project of regulations for a public institution – Business incubator. What is more, Ministry of Economy, considering the significance of this project to the development of the state economy, became a founder of the first business incubator in Lithuania. Kaunas University of Technology also supported the idea of establishment of such structure, in order scientific innovations were actively applied in production. Thus, on June 11, 1998, after an agreement of establishment had been signed, a public institution ‘KTU Regional Business Incubator’ was born. Kaunas University of Technology provided the incubator with rooms in the students’ town, whereas Ministry of economy assigned more than 2 million Lt. from the Small and Medium-Sized Business Promotion Fund for the reconstruction of the rooms.

centres organise seminars, trainings and events on business spread raising relevant topics for businessmen. The majority of BIC services are free of charge or on easy terms.

Business information centres and business incubators are part of the network of institutions for business services – a state established infrastructure for business promotion (picture 1), which would aim at encouragement to establish and develop small and medium-sized companies as well as to secure the access of qualitative business services provided on easy terms for businessmen of all Lithuanian regions.