|
APCTT plans two incubator centres
Our eFE Bureau
Bangalore : The Asia and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) plans to set up two technology business incubator centres in the country in collaboration with the Department of Science and Technology. Speaking to The Financial Express on the sidelines of the international workshop on technology business incubators (TBI), APCTT Director Dr Jurgen Bischoff said the cost and the venue of the proposed centres would be decided soon. "Most probably one in the North and the other in the South", he said. Though Dr Bischoff expressed the hope that both centres would become operational in the next six months, he, however refused to divulge the cost for the centres. "It is too early as this depends on the kind of facilities and other things", he said, adding that "seed money would be put in by UNDP and DST". The incubators will be in the area of bio-technology and IT.On an average, a world class incubator centre costs $1 million in terms of infrastructure and people, he added. Earlier addressing the three-day workshop on TBIs, Dr Bischoff said models of incubators in different groups of economies had to be different as resources, technological and industrial capacities were widely different in developed, industrialising, developing, least developed and economies in transition". The concept of incubators was witnessing radical changes with the emergence of more and more `extended and virtual incubators'. In extended incubators privately financed business parks join hands with traditional incubators based in universities and other research organisations. The collaboration of Oxford Trust and Milton Park was an example in this regard, he said. Virtual incubators has developed the concepts like networking, access to online resources and slew of new concepts. The workshop brought into sharp focus the paradigm shift taking place in the world of TBIs. The concept had changedwith more and more `incubating the incubator' ventures emerging in the market, experts participating in the workshop said. The concept of non-profit and profit-making incubators was fast disappearing, speakers pointed out. Copyright © 2001 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
|
