An Introduction to the Incubator Concept - Technopark
Technoparks originated in 1950 with the wishes of entrepreneurial minded
university academicians
in the U.S.A. who wanted to convert their knowledge and
R&D findings into economical values - namely
production and marketing. The first
technopark was founded with the leadership of Stanford University
in California.
Today that technopark is the famous
Silicon Valley
which houses 200,000
qualified people earning high salaries who work in producing products with
high
added values. According to the "Business Week" August 18-25, 1997 there are 7,000 electronics
and software companies and thousands of startups, with 11 companies being created every week
all in 80 km.long technology corridor.
Last year, on average, a Valley company went public every
5 days, making 62 millionaires every day. It is a seven-day work-weeks have turned companies
into 24 hour communities. For further information
Business Week News about Silicon Valley
Countries should try harder to find logical and rational ways to create a
technological society
to prepare itself for the tough competition of the 21st century.;
we cannot afford to be left out of this race. Research in communication, in
computers,
in biogenetics and in gene manipulation is growing rapidly. Creating the " perfect man"
is actually a work in progress. It seems to us simply impossible
even dangerous to stay out
of these exciting activities and to be left to the monopoly
of others.
Creating new knowledge that will lead to new inventions and attracting
businessmen's
attention and attain their support in order to add economical value
to these discoveries
stimulates more interest. This rational work chain can be
established naturally
and conveniently in organized technoparks. A technology park
brings together the government,
the academic community, the business and
financial sector in a well planned development which
integrates commercial
buildings, with research facilities, residences, recreational areas and
a hotel and
conference center.
When the author visited the United States back in 1964, he had the chance to visit the famous
Silicon Valley.
Even though he spoke of the lifestyle he saw there many times, he did
not know that it was a
technopark. This work is the result of an effort to make up
for that deficiency:
and we hope that it is read and evaluated over and over again by
interested parties.
Changes take long time. we think it would be appropriate here to use the great leader
Ataturk's words now: When told that the alphabet revolution would take a long
time in 1928;
he replied,
"Then we should start right now".
Definition of Technopark
A Technopark;
is on an appealing land and contains beautiful architectural buildings scattered spatially
where carefully selected science and technology or R&Dcompanies function, for new or applicational
research,
conducts joint R&D with renowed close-by universities profiting extensively from their
technological resources,
realizes strong technology transfer among universities, research laboratories and industry,
systematically draws support from the technopark's management in order to develop its
management skills, finds solutions to financing at all levels of the innovation process,
and makes extensive use of all modern office facilities and consulting services.
The concept of "Science Park", "Technopark", "Business Park", "Technopole", "Technopolis", "Science City"
"Technology Zone", "Silicon Valley", "Technology Corridor" represents different meanings
for the organizing committees, managers and the size and needs of the countries.
Whatever the meaning, contrary to industry zones, the technopark concept carries a totally different
definition, with its
lifestyle, suitable environment, incubator, development of prototypes, preparing
the carefully selected entrepreneur for life under a protected environment angel capital capital supplied by parents and close
people,
seed capital capital supplied against some kind of written plan
,
venture capital capital normally supplied after incubation,
for commercialization at final stage,
its high value contribution to the national economy through R&D, and its attraction for the upper
income people because of its beauty and convenient location.
The main goal of technoparks is to bring together ideas and people with knowledge and
financial strength. The idea is to maximize development by minimizing the time between invention
to marketable product stage with high economic return.
Preparations for Turkey's first technopark
were launched in 1992 by
U.S. Senator Charles H. Percyand are
still underway. As Senator Percy states in his letter, if the technoparks are built and managed
correctly, they will not only play a catalyzing role in the technological innovations but also
provide countless other benefits. Silicon Valley, setting an example for the whole world,
contributes 1.7 billion dollars to its surroundings with around 40 billion dollars turnover
annually and with a market value $452 billion in 1997. This value is 4 times the value of
Detroit whole American auto market value. Silicon Valley extends about 80 km. and covers an
area of approx. 105,000 hectares with about 6,000 Ph.D.'s and over 350,000 technical people.
The technology corridor planned between
IYTE-Izmir (Urla) High Technology Institute
and Alacati - Cesme will have environmental and space and satellite related technologies,
teaching, research and high tech production. Software development and related technologies,
telecommunication industries, electronics, bio-genetics etc.
Contacts are going on with several prestigious
universities and foundations to take their place in the zone.
The lifestyle planned here will attract local and foreign academic circles, technology experts
and inventors, businessmen and institutions so that they come together adding synergy and power
to the economy.
The secret to success for the society and government is to support and encourage this unique
model. In this model there is careful selection of R&D base companies
to settle in the Technopark to develop marketable, suitable technologies for business world as
well as carefully selecting of the projects to be given incubator facilities,
to organize and promote partners, sponsors for innovations, obtaining without delay the
technical knowledge and other needs of entrepreneurs. Management creates incubators by
allocating some part of the physical buildings to the new establishment in the park as well as
help the formation of venture capital groups. There exists many established venture capital
firms especially in the U.S.A.
Price Waterhouse survey of the Venture Capital in U.S.A.
functioning some of which have home pages in the Internet..
Venture Capital Firms
Established firms have company cultures. In some cases, it may be an oppressive one where the
strong destroys or overpowers the weak. But it is possible to work together with small
ones and create wonders as well. This is actually one of the most difficult tasks of
the technopark management. Technopark management brings together those entrepreneurs fit for
completing the missing links of the business chain and stands by them to ensure their success
by allocating land and capital, providing legal and financial consulting, offering them help
and services in obtaining permits and guides them in choosing the right partner. In the
management of Industrial Zones this concept does not have the priority as much as high earning
from the real estate as business alone.
EGETEK is aiming to increase the
Existing Incubator Projectsfrom 40 today to 4,000 in the next few years.
We started a campaign by first making a 32 minutes video film of technology innovation process
stages and where we are to day and the future need for many new project graduations every year.
Comparing 13,000 projects in 550 different incubators in U.S.A. to around 300 projects in 30
incubators in Israel.
Turkey lagged behind in creating technoparks. However this could create opportunities as well
for the experienced technopark companies.
A letter from Kaya Tuncer
Turkey has a lot of educated man power many of whom
seeking new horizons of becoming entrepreneurs themselves other than just being or staying as
an employee in a company.
There are also many innovations or technologies in the world need to be commercialized
after a short incubation period in the applicational research. EGETEK, ITAS now ESBAS in Izmir
are acting also in this direction
Alacati-International Environmental Technology Park
as intermediary between different researchers and technoparks
of other countries.
Affluent people in the Aegean Region (within 2 hours by car reach from Izmir) has a
population of approx. 12,000,000 people who prefer to come to Cesme to build their summer houses;
and the Izmirians are also gradually coming to live there all year round.
Keeping close contact as a policy of EGETEK with the academic circles, information, money and
experience will bound to effect naturally one another synergetically in this region.
Translating knowledge into economic value will satisfy academic circles as well as business
circles and motivate them to work harder. Thus, The Cesme Peninsula eventually in the next
generation life span will turn up to be more than a technopark; it will be a Techno-Peninsula
which will help increase our country's globalization and therefore increase affluence rapidly.
The developed nations promote and make use all kinds of technology inventions and development
policies, incentives, supports and encouragements to reach the ultimate goal. The governments
of developed countries are gradually shifting their encouragements towards R&D projects.
This is the only way that a society is able to produce high value goods to increase wealth and
export-incomes. We see this rational shift - increasing R&D expenses and promotions
- take place already in Turkey as well. Especially this region with its modern planning
and concepts will move to the level of contemporary technological societies.
