ECAbit incubators and technology parks network aims to add value to its members’ activities by fostering and strengthening innovation and entrepreneurship support, exchanging information and knowledge, collaborating among incubators and entrepreneurs in the ECA region and on global level, and disseminating knowledge about national SME and innovation development policies and programs.

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32 organizations in 17 countries throughout Eastern Europe/Central Asia.

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iDISC - the infoDev Incubator Support Center - is a virtual networking and knowledge-sharing platform for incubators and technology parks leveraging ICT to facilitate entrepreneurship and new business creation in developing countries. More

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Eastern Europe/Central Asia

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ECAbit: incubating innovation. together

ECAbit stands for Eastern European and Central Asian Business Incubators and Technology Parks network.

Most ecabit network members are located in countries that have been undergoing a transformation from planned to market economies. Strengthening the market orientation, diversification and competitiveness of economies in the East European and Central Asian region by fostering entrepreneurship and innovation on all levels from rural to high tech has become a main feature of this dynamic region in its strategic triangle between the European Union, Asia, and Russia.

In many countries, business incubators and technology parks have achieved to initiate government programs addressing the need to build upon strategic strengths of the economies and to develop national and regional innovation clusters. By February 2008, ECAbit counts 30 full members from 15 countries, including associations from Russia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic and the Ukraine representing about 180 incubators.

For more information, please download the following information:

ECA Regional Briefing Sheet

Инкубация бизнеса в Восточной Европе и Центральной Азии (ECA)

Please also visit us at http://www.ecabit.org.

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РУССКИЙ

Чтобы получить более подробную информацию и новости, пожалуйста, посетите сайт: http://www.ecabit.org (English и Русская версия)

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Highlights

infoDev launches new report "Financing Technology Entrepreneurs & SMEs: Challenges and Opportunities"

A key finding from infoDev's Incubator Initiative and our country work on growth and competitiveness is that there is little available financing for technology entrepreneurs. This study assesses the current efforts by multilateral institutions and investors to address the financing needs of ICT and ICT-enabled SMEs in developing countries, and identifies the key challenges and constraints to meeting these needs. More

infoDev announces awards for the establishment of Working Groups and Regional Networks on Business Incubation that promote South-South Knowledge Sharing Proposals were submitted in response to RFP "Promoting ICT-enabled Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries through Business Incubation".

infoDev Global Network member announces tenant company success in winning government tender One of the first tenant companies of YES Incubator, a member of the infoDev Global Network of Business Incubators, won a large-scale tender of the Government of the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia in July 2008 aiming to provide free ICT trainings for more than 7000 citizens. The “Macedonia – Country of Information Technology“ program aims to extend ICTs to citizens by increasing the Internet penetration rate, PC literacy and PC access.

Pre-Press Release: "Advancing Innovation in ECA 2008" Conference in Tambov, Russia A regional conference of the ECAbit network examining the Role of Business Incubators in Innovation Development in Small and Medium Sized Towns (SMESTOs) and Rural Areas will be held on October 09-11 in Tambov, Russia. The conference is supported by infoDev, the Ministry for Economic Development of the Russian Federation, VTB Bank 24 and the Government of Tambov region.

Business Incubator Network in ECA Region conducts survey on internationalization and networking The infoDev Network of Business Incubators and Technology Parks in Eastern Europe and Central Asia conducted a survey to better understand the motivations behind the internationalization opportunities that business incubators face as a result of globalization. The findings were presented by ECAbit members at the International Conference for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Regional Development 2008 held in Macedonia.

EBRD Publication "People & Projects 2008" highlights entrepreneurial spirit Read about: Turning refugee women into entrepreneurs in Bosnia, Developing telecommunications in Moldova, Creating jobs from cookies in FYR Macedonia. These stories speak of hope, imagination and entrepreneurial spirit and includes a special focus on Ukraine where the EBRD is holding its 2008 Annual Meeting.

Kyrgyz Business Incubator celebrates Chingiz Aitmatov's 80th Birthday The Congress of Women of the Kyrgyz Republic, the first women-focused business incubator in the country, was opened in Kyrgyzstan in 2004. Since then, the incubator has organized several events to bring together important thinkers and change agents who contribute to the social and economic development of Kyrgystan and the region.

Youth from Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova Innovate and Collaborate to Resolve Development Challenges Thirteen youth organizations from Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus received $232,000 in grants on April 4, 2008, from a World Bank led initiative supporting innovative development projects. The organizations are the winners of Youth Development Marketplace (DM) 2008, a competitive grant program of the World Bank.

infoDev Global Working Groups Begin Collaboration An opportunity to become a member of a virtual think-tank on business incubation working groups on Women, Youth, and High Growth. Make sure to submit a proposal by April 15th, or become a general member by contacting one of the infoDev focal points.