Flagship business and technology incubator, SoftstartBTI, has released a new model and implementation plan for tertiary education satellite incubation.
Formulated at the second Annual Tertiary Education Satellite Incubation Programme (TESIP) Workshop last month, the new model will make it easier for universities to set up incubation programmes and provide critical linkages to government and industry.
"We are delighted to have left the TESIP Workshop with a credible, concrete plan of action," observes Leon Lourens, CEO of SoftstartBTI. "Although we were determined that it should not be a talking shop, the response from attendees was tremendous and representatives of all four key players - the universities, government, the incubation sector and industry - all made positive, telling contributions."
In recognition of the benefits of harnessing innovation at universities and the potential of the new TESIP model, the SEDA Technology Programme has offered to sponsor bi-annual workshops and the next event will take place in Cape Town in March 2007.
"This is a very exciting step up," confirms Lourens. "The extra meeting each year will enable us to really drive the programme forward and gain momentum quickly."
Lourens is also keen to use the model to spread satellite incubation programmes into outlying areas and the rest of Africa. "This new model suits Africa in a way the European models of incubation don't," he maintains, "and it has been tailored to cope with the different skill sets, large geographical areas and severe funding shortages that are indicative of the wider African incubation landscape."
Noting that the response from government and the universities has been extraordinary, Lourens is keen to see even greater participation from industry.
"Universities are really starting to grasp the benefits of tertiary education satellite incubation now," he confirms, "and it would be fantastic to see a similarly unified response from the corporate sector. A lot of companies are involved in SME development, but often in quite isolated ways and we believe that this new model represents a great opportunity to make a much bigger contribution through a properly co-coordinated effort."
Copies of the official report on the second Annual TESIP Workshop - which details the proposed model and implementation plan - are available from SoftstartBTI and parties interested in obtaining a copy or attending the March 2007 Workshop in Cape Town should contact either Leon Lourens (leon@sbti.co.za on (011) 695 4800 or Leonie Greyling (leonie@sbti.co.za) on (012) 349 2355.
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SoftstartBTI is a real estate and networked technology incubator focused on the needs of early phase entrepreneurs in the ICT market. The incubator receives financial support from the Departments of Science and Technology, and Trade and Industry through the SEDA Technology Programme. SoftstartBTI supports hi-tech entrepreneurs in starting and growing their businesses by offering innovative products and services to the entrepreneurial community, backed by local and international partners and associates.
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