15 September 2008
Economic growth and social wealth in the Eastern European and Central Asian region increasingly depends on the ability to foster economic and social development and innovation in small and medium sized towns and rural areas, where business incubators, other business development instruments and the government play a key role. Sharing international experiences about such innovation development is the objective of this international conference.
Advancing Innovation in ECA 2008: "Role of Business Incubators in Innovation Development in Small and Medium Sized Towns and Rural Areas" will create an excellent platform for discussing:
- Policies fostering commercial and social innovation in small and medium sized towns and rural areas existing in the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia ,
- The role of business incubators and technoparks as drivers of such innovation development policies,
- Financing mechanisms for innovation in small and medium sized towns and rural areas,
- ICT-enabled mechanisms to foster innovation and collaboration in small and medium sized towns and rural areas.
The Conference will bring together more than 80 international and local high-level policy makers and experts in business incubation and innovation promotion from more than 20 countries of Eastern Europe, CIS, US and EU as well as business players.
Conference program highlights:
- Social Innovation in SMESTOs and Rural areas
- Education and Innovation in SMESTOs and Rural areas
- Industrial development and innovation in SMESTOs and Rural areas
- Tourism innovation in SMESTOs and Rural areas
- Innovation in Agriculture in SMESTOs and Rural areas
- Investment policies in SMESTOs and Rural areas
- Innovation and SME Financing in SMESTOs and Rural areas
The conference is organized by the ecabit Eastern European and Central Asian business incubators network supported by the infoDev program hosted by the World Bank, the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, VTB24 Bank, and the Tambov regional government.
For further details about the conference program, please visit the conference website by clicking here and contact infoDev's Regional Facilitator for the EBAbit network, Mr. Stefan Schandera by e-mail at s.schandera(@)schandera.de.
For more information about the ECAbit network, please visit the network website as well as the iDISC Global Network Directory for the ECAbit network.
Conference outcomes and key papers will be posted here after the event - stay tuned!