Incubator News

NBIA Releases Revised Business Incubation Guide

The National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) last week released an updated version of its business incubation manual. The revised second edition of A Comprehensive Guide to Business Incubation includes 71 chapters geared toward helping small businesses grow and offers the advice of more than 200 incubation professionals. The guide is divided into four main sections: fundamentals of incubator development, best practices in incubator management, working with clients, and special topics in business incubation. To purchase a copy, visit the NBIA online bookstore at http://www.nbia.org/store.

Albany, N.Y.

Officials looking to convert an empty Department of Transportation building in Albany, N.Y., into a business incubator are hopeful it will bring 8,000 scientists, researchers and office workers in 20 years, according to a Times Union story. Located at the W. Averell Harriman State Office Campus, the building features 133,000 sq. ft. for prospective tenants. The managing board overseeing the campus's transformation to a tech park for private companies are considering leases for four tenants, likely to come from the University of Albany.

Hilo, Hawai'i

Five years after the donation of a Bank of Hawaii building and proponents are beaming over the prospects of finally bringing tech-based companies to the Big Island. The Hononulu Advertiser reports the Hawai'i Innovation Center opened late last month at Hilo, a former branch of the bank. The small business incubator is a reality, thanks in part to $2.75 million in state and federal money spent by the University of Hawai'i-Hilo. The High Technology Development Corp. will manage the 8,000-square-foot incubator, which can situate up to nine start-up businesses.

Milwaukee

The IT Fusion Business Center, Milwaukee's first business incubator, was started earlier this month with help from the mayor's office and Towne Investments and Kuhlfusion LLC, according to the Daily Reporter. The center, which has 6,000 sq. ft. available for office space, reportedly offers a range of communications and data services. Contracts with three or four companies - nearly all of which were of the IT field - were in progress when the Daily Reporter ran its story. Center proponents also hope to attract medical imaging software companies and other tech firms.

San Diego

A creativity center planned for the San Diego region could be the key to overcoming the area's struggling manufacturing jobs situation, a North County Times article suggests. The center will tap the resources of Cal State San Marcos toward the goal of nurturing businesses with high-value, high-paying jobs. Although no physical location has been set for the center, plans are underway for the center to be digitally connected to local city libraries. Supported by the San Diego North Economic Development Council, the center is expected to open in early 2005.

Syracuse, N.Y.

A biotech company will be the first occupant of the newly opened Syracuse Technology Garden, the Post-Standard reported last week. Plant Defense Boosters, Inc. will be among those young technology companies benefiting from the 32,000-square-foot facility. The center was built with $3.25 million in federal, state and local funding. All occupants will have, among other services, easy access to NASA's Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program and some free technical assistance provided by NASA contractors therein. The program, which helped start the center with a $1 million grant, will join Plant Defense Boosters as one of the first tenants.

SSTI spotted at least nine other instances of incubators either recently opening or in progress:

• Buffalo, N.Y. - University at Buffalo Technology Incubator (plans for expansion)
• Calverton, N.Y. - Long Island High Technology Incubator at Stony Brook (opened)
• Cheyenne, Wyo. - Wyoming Technology Business Center to open in Spring 2005
• Pittsburgh - National Center for Bridge, Highway and Transportation Technologies (opened)
• Rockville, Md. - Bioinformatics incubator planned
• St. Paul, Minn. - Biotech incubator planned
• South Portland, Maine - Center for Environmental Enterprise (graduated three companies)
• Tifton, Ga. - Center of Innovation for Agriculture at University of Georgia (opened)
• Viera, Fla. - Incubator planned for Melbourne International Airport
  California