EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : The EC-BIC label & the European Business Innovation Centre Network EBN Kosice, 3 June 2011

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : First BIC created in Liege, Belgium EBN Created 1991 First non- EU BICs created in the Czech & Slovak Republics 1999 Positive independent evaluation of the BIC instrument BICs integrated into mainstream Structural Funds 2002 Outsourcing of the EC- BIC Label to EBN by the EC 2010 Over 250 Members (EC- BICs and Associate) Deployment of the ESA-BIC label in partnership with ESA 2000 – 2002 Re-engineering of the EBN Association The Story Line

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet :

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : Launched in 2004 and revised in 2008 The BIC Quality Mark Criteria the main characteristic that distinguishes the European BIC Network from others around the globe… they relate to the General Mission … innovative, innovative and innovative entrepreneurship, the Organization … visible, adequate, ppp, sustainable independent... Services... To entrepreneurs, SMEs, Signposting... Quality, tracking, benchmarking, improving... Performance and Efficiency... of the services, performances and processes

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : General Mission: innovative, innovative and innovative local and sustainable entrepreneurship!!! ProfessionalInnovationIncubationBSO Territory Regional/localEconomic development GrowthCompetitivenessSectors Technological innovationR&DEntrepreneurs SMEs TAGs: The EC-BIC Criteria

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : Organization: visible, adequate, ppp, represented, sustainable, independent!!! Catchment areaPublic sectorStrategies Adequate Coordination PremisesVisibility StaffAutonomous Private sector Financially Sustainable Positioning TAGs: The EC-BIC Criteria

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : Services: To SMEs, to entrepreneurs, to start-ups... Signposting!!! The EC-BIC Criteria IncubationStart-upsPre-incubation Post-incubation Financial planning CoachingNetworking IPR Access to finance Business modelMentoringTraining TAGs:Business plan Hosting Follow-upDiagnosisProjects Innovation profilingSignposting

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : Activity measurement and evaluation of performance: Tracking, Benchmarking, continuous improvement The EC-BIC Criteria ReviewCommon indicatorsObservatories Reputation Benchmarking TAGs: Self-evaluation questionnaire

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : Quality: Giving to the community of entrepreneurs and BICs to get positive returns!!! The EC-BIC Criteria Quality system TQMComplianceProcess BQMC On-site visits TAGs: Self-evaluation questionnaire Customer satisfaction surveys Management information systems

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : The portrait of a BIC A light and flexible structure (10 to 15 staff + outsourced experts) Predominantly a public body, but highly representative of the private sector as well! (Legal status: 51% public, 14% mixed private- public, 35 % private) A regional and international “networker” : Universities, Science Parks and R&D institutions Chambers of Commerce & Regional Development Agencies Large Companies and Investors Public Institutions Highly focused on innovative entrepreneurship, increasingly in: ICT, Telecom and Mobile Apps Energy, Environment and Cleantech Life Sciences and Biotech Mecatronics and Software Apps

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : The portrait of a BIC Providing added-value services to entrepreneurs: Business planning and modeling Scenario building and financial simulation SME Financing, Seed capital and venture capital, growth financing International cooperation and partner search Hands-on customized support to high-growth gazelle (post-incubation) Legal business advice, commercial contracts, Intellectual Property Rights Stimulating the eco-system Offering “incubation facilities” (average of 30 companies, creating 155 Jobs, living together in 3000 m2) Animating clusters and helping collaborative projects to succeed (poles of competitiveness, local clusters, etc.)

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : Managing the Network

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : Management of the EC-BIC trademark on behalf of DG Enterprise (quality process) Deployment of Technical Assistance Programmes Data collection and Elaboration of statistics: Network Observatory Country and Regional Observatories Customized benchmarking report Publications (i.e. The Smart Guide to Innovation-Based Incubators; quality eMag) Membership Development Helpdesk What does the Quality team do?

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : Management of European projects (for and with EBN members) Proposals’ development (including supporting BICs biding) Tender Watch (selected opportunities for BICs and their client SMEs) Advice (in depth assistance for BICs in preparing, implementing and reporting EU projects) Consortium building (Partner searches, connecting stakeholders) Promotion of opportunities for BICs’ client SMEs Thematic working groups: ESINET, Maritime BICs, FOOD-BICs, Cleantech BICs What does the Project team do?

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : Organization of EBN Events: The Annual Congress ( ) The Annual Conference The training workshops BIC Master Classes Project Seminars The Thematic Working Group meetings What does the Event team do?

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : by dream teams, guided by visionaries, endorsed by leading stakeholders, totally credible to the private sector, mandated by the public sector, sustainable and politically independent, making impact on the civil society, stimulating the entrepreneurship culture, embedding innovation by all means and with all (from academic sources or not), serving a multi sectors entrepreneurs communities, open to external partnerships and a connectors of small businesses to the global landscape, acting as an idea-lab and development centre for growing firms, providing knowledge and creativity centres facilities, finally an interactive cross- road for people, projects, know-how, technologies, IP, Investment, researchers and entrepreneurs. The Perfect BIC

EBN – European BIC Network Avenue de Tervuren, 168. B – 1150 Bruxelles Phone: Fax: – Internet : EBN-European Business Innovation Center Av. De Tervuren Brussels Phone: Quality Department Giordano Dichter Projects Department Robert Sanders Events Department Silvia De Pasquale