www.transact-innovation.com transact – the transfer of start-up support mechanisms to different...
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www.transact-innovation.com
TRANSACT – the transfer of start-up support mechanisms to different contexts, project results and conclusions
Petra Brüning
The European Day of the Entrepreneur
Sofia, 5th November 2004
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aims at the transfer of successful university based start-up support schemes, which have proven their excellence in regional, national and European evaluations to partner universities in the Candidate and Accession Countries.
Project Background
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TRANSACT contributes to
- the successful integration into the EU enlargement process by transferring best practice,
- the dissemination of knowledge,
- the enhancement of an entrepreneurial culture
- the promotion of business ideas and
- the strengthening of the Accession Countries' regional and international linkages.
Project Background
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European Incubators:
Innovation und Bildung Hohenheim GmbH, Germany
Attempto Service GmbH, Germany
Universidad Politecnica de Valencia, Spain
CREALYS, France
Internal project evaluation:
Fraunhofer Institut für Systemtechnik und Innovationsforschung, Germany
Partners
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AC partners:
Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech
Republic
INNOTECH, Innovation Park of the Technical
University of Budapest Ltd., Hungary
University of Tartu, Institute of Technology,
Estonia
University of Agronomic Sciences and
Veterinary Medicine, Romania
Partners
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TRANSACT Process
Funding ends
Fu
nd
ing
Su
sta
ina
bil
ity
Identification
Definition
Exe-cution
Evaluation
Expansion within the university/region
Spreading to other universities/regions
Idea
Plan Outline Draft
Completion
EvaluationContinuation
Improvement
Identification
Development
Implementation
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Project Process and Methodology
- THE best-practice doesn’t exist!
- all good practice examples are best practice under the given preconditions – and at a certain time at a certain location
- a one-to-one transfer is rarely possible and depends significantly on cultural and socio-economic differences between the provider and the receiver of a measure
TRANSACT follows the approach of collaborative planning instruments (especially Open-Space-Technology)
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Project Process and Methodology
Collection and
evaluation of data
Decision on critical success factors
Pre-selection of approaches
Establishment of a network of relevant
players
Collaborative planning:
Conferences
Feasibility Study
Implementation
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Conferences and Open-Space-Technology
In order to fulfil the needs of the partners in the accession countries at the best possible rate a conference was held in each of the participating countries.
May: Tartu/Estonia
September: Bucharest/Romania
January: Prague/Czech Republic
March: Budapest/Hungary
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Conferences and Open-Space-Technology
- the most important topics to the participants were raised and discussed
- TRANSACT partners, experts and relevant decision makers were brought together in one place, integrating them into the planning process
- all relevant parties are committed to the project
- planning is facilitated, knowledge is shared and approaches are selected
- "action teams” were established.
During these conferences the Open-Space-Technology was used to make sure that
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Most Important Results I
Business Simulation Competition
One of the identified problems is the lack of awareness among potential entrepreneurs in the Accession Countries.
Therefore a business simulation competition was proposed during the TRANSACT Conference in Budapest, in which students from all partner universities can participate.
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Most Important Results I
Business Simulation Competition
The International Business Simulation Competition is a computer based simulation for students interested in starting their own business.
It focuses on the reproduction of the typical phases a start-up company is going through facing business, technical and social challenges.
Participants have to go through different stages of business activity:
Business
IdeaBusiness
PlanMarket Entry
Business Operation
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Most Important Results II
Contacts to Student Organisations
Entrepreneurial awareness among students has been raised by
- contacts to student organisations- presentations concerning start-up support measures that have been or will be held.
Additionally, information and success stories of young entrepreneurs are being sent to the students directly via the student newsletters, e.g. in the newsletter “MÜHELY”:
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Most Important Results III
Strengthened Network at the partner institutions
Integrating relevant decision makers from inside and outside the universities into the planning process of the conferences and the conferences themselves has helped the partner to gain greater power in order to improve their start-up support. It was possible to integrate into all of the conferences representatives of
- Universities (rector, professors, teaching staff, students)- Ministries (e.g. Ministry of Economic Affairs,.....)- Government (e.g. City Government)- Science Parks, Innovation Centres, Patent Centres, Business Advisory Centres, ...- Research Institutions- Chambers
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Most Important Results III
Strengthened Network at the partner institutions
Together with this enlarged network and supported by the TRANSACT partners
- new proposals for start-up support,
- structural changes in the partner institutions and
- new collaborations
are on their way.
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Most Important Results IV
Establishment of Academic Incubator
In Bucharest, an Academic Incubator has been started. Students with business ideas and professors, who are supporting them in writing their business plans, are given the necessary infrastructure to start their projects, e.g. rooms.
On the conference, an action team on the Academic Incubator was launched in order to extend the start-up support activities to an integrated approach.
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Thank you for your attention
Petra Brüning
Innovation und Bildung Hohenheim GmbH, Stuttgart, Germany