Title: Business and technology incubators in Autonomous Province of Vojvodina: from feasibility studies to evaluation of performance – case study of Business Incubator Zrenjanin

Authors: Duro Kutlaca

Addresses: Science and Technology Policy Research Centre, 'Mihajlo Pupin' Institute, 11000 Belgrade, Volgina 15, Serbia

Abstract: Innovation infrastructure is one of the crucial components of a national system of innovation (NSI), both as driver of business sector restructuring and link between different components of NSI. Creation of innovation infrastructure in Serbia is a painful process due to long period of economic and social struggles, political instability and still not finished transition toward market economy. This paper will explore the role of business and technology incubators in Serbia as infrastructure, which could accelerate transition toward knowledge-based market economy. One case study – process of setting-up a business technology incubator in Zrenjanin, Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, will be presented two-fold: a) firstly, theoretical point of view, will consist of presentation of main findings of feasibility study for creation of Business Incubator Zrenjanin; b) secondly, realisation, i.e., practical side of this process, will be presented through the setting-up procedure, selection of first tenant companies and preliminary evaluation of incubator|s performance.

Keywords: business incubators; technology incubators; Serbia; feasibility study; performance evaluation; technology commercialisation; innovation infrastructure; transition economies; national systems of innovation; national innovation systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTTC.2011.039132

International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, 2011 Vol.10 No.2, pp.168 - 186

Published online: 31 Jan 2015 *

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