A profile of European incubators: a framework forcommercialising innovations

Innovations are the basis for the development of different industries. Most of these innovations take place outside the laboratories of industry leaders in small companies. It is important to support innovators to utilise their talent and creativity. Incubators help entrepreneurs to bring their ideas to the market and lower the market entry barriers. This paper argues that essential for a successful incubator practice is understanding of innovations and industry evolution, and well-organised networking. Also due to its proven ability of accelerating the development of small business and providing value added to all stakeholders, incubation is a lasting business model.