In both developed and developing economies, policies supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are widely promoted and universally recognized as their role for economic and social development. In most developing countries, although figures may vary considerably across countries and over time, micro- and small-scale enterprises account for the majority of firms and a relevant share of employment, and play a crucial role for economic growth.
Support programs range from technical assistance to tax incentives, from direct supply of capital to regulatory provisions, training, support to innovation and other types of incentives. One of the mechanisms employed to nurture small firms for more than two decades is “business incubation”.
Business Incubation can have several definitions and approaches. According to the National Business Incubators Association (NBIA), “Business incubation catalyzes the process of starting and growing companies, providing entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools they need to make their ventures successful. Incubation programs diversify economies, commercialize technologies, create jobs and build wealth.”
Incubators are generally characterized by some relevant features, which generally include : A managed work space providing shared facilities, advisory, training and financial services, and a nurturing environment for tenant companies; A small management team with core competencies ; Selection of start-up companies entering the incubator, (--) to (--) in the average, to be graduated generally after (-) years
Incubator models may vary according to : their mandate (for-profit or not- for-profit); the type of sponsorship they have (public – private – mixed); their focus (mixed-use – niche). The most frequent types of niche incubators are related to technology (technology incubators) and bio-technology (bioincubators). More recently, and especially in the U.S., a new generation of dot.com incubators emerged, although their number considerably decreased after the so-called ‘internet bubble’ in early 2000.
Incubation programs may also have a wide range of goals, including: economic development and generation of new jobs marketing of research investments property venture/real estate development creation of entrepreneurship in transition economies opportunities for national immigrants and nationals graduating abroad development of export production.
Most not-for-profit incubators are supported by central or local government resources, although some resources may also be provided by other sponsors or partners, including from the private sector. For-profit incubators are funded by private investors. Venture capital firms are mainly interested in the equity investments in ventures of for-profit incubators, especially in the Internet sector. Large high-tech corporations tend to invest in incubators to foster their R & D activities, in the hope some of the incubated ideas may become successful marketable products and/or profitable start-up companies.
In developing countries, most incubators are not- for-profit, with funding generally provided by public resources. Over the last ten years, support has also been provided by multilateral and bilateral donor organizations, especially for the feasibility and planning activities associated with new incubator creation. It should be said, however, that in several developing countries the incubator industry is evolving rapidly, and in some cases incubators show levels of dynamism and innovation, as well as models of partnership and funding, which are comparable to the ones currently observed in industrialized economies.
TIC Clients
In order to focus its energies at areas of maximum return TIC has adopted the role of a Technology Incubator. The resident companies of TIC operate in three industrial sectors namely ICT, Engineering, and Technology-based Services. Below here is a list of tenant firms hosted at TIC:
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Aviation MRO
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Graduated Companies from TIC |
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| Dual Matrix Corporation (DMC):
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Nouvea Energy Management Services (NEMS)
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Maalik Creative Engineers Pvt. Ltd
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Vibrant IDX VIBRANT - IDX launched its Engineering Development Program in 2006 (with the name of COSMOS then) and developed high-profile projects like Fire Control Computer (FCC) for Armoured Tank, Digital Driver Panel (DDP) for Armoured Tank, Small-arms Pop-up Targeting System (SPTS) and Indigenous Development of Fire Control System (FCS) for Armoured Tank.
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Somdata Somdata is a group of highly talented professionals passionate about innovation, offering high quality and wide range of technical services for: a) The Telecom sector in general and Mobile Operators in particular. What differentiates Somdata from other companies is that we have developed, tried and tested processes for a wide range of technical services which are being deployed by some major wireless service providers. b) The companies which are planning to launch web or mobile based products, applications and services, tap the vast Pakistani market, target and locate customers based on specific geographic areas and offer location based services. |
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Current Research Projects.
· Wireless Technologies · Geomatics and GPS systems
· Mobile Asset Management and Tracking systems
· Urban Asset Management and GIS systems
· One Call Centre and Emergency Response systems
· Maritime Logistics Systems · RFID Technology
· Wireless Work Order Management Systems
· Utility Asset Management Systems
· Electronic Global Trading Business Systems
·Virtual Wireless Networks
