University-Based Incubation, May 2010

UTEN Training Week #3:
University-Based Technology Business Incubation
24-25 May 2010
Avepark, Guimarães
Speakers | Program | Photos

UTEN Portugal is organizing, with the support of UTEN@Austin and AvePark as local host, the 3rd UTEN Training Week 2010, 24-26 May, that will take place at Avepark (GMR), dedicated to “University-Based Technology Business Incubation: Internationalization and soft-landing”, featuring three experts from UTEN Austin, Texas:

- Laura Kilcrease – Founding Director, ATI (Austin Technology Incubator)
- Aruni Gunasegaram, Director of Internal Operations, ATI (Austin Technology Incubator)
- Omar Hakim, General Manager, Research Valley Innovation Center

Learning Objectives/Areas to be addressed:

• How do we move beyond the current paradigm of business incubation to launch more high-growth global companies?
• How do we select and service companies for success?
• How do we utilize international partnerships to leverage commercialization resources, capital, research, technology, infrastructure, market access, and talent?
• How can we best support portfolio companies to prepare to go global?
• How can we facilitate successful engagements between companies and international partners?  Landing pads?  Commercialization partners?
• What is required to foster trust with international partners?
• How can we prepare our companies so that they are able to form partnerships quickly and minimize time-to-market internationally?

In order to accelerate the learning process and maximize interaction and networking between the participants and the invited speakers, TTOs and University Incubator managers are invited to participate in the following events:

• 2 days workshop on “University-Based Technology Business Incubation: Internationalization and soft-landing”: 24-25 May (Monday and Tuesday), and/or
• meetings with speakers/experts: 26 May (Wednesday). The scheduling of the meetings will be done in a “first to register-first served” basis.

The 2-days workshop  will present different perspectives and practical overviews of trends in incubation models and key tasks and responsibilities of incubators and TTOs regarding company growth and internationalization.

Brief presentations will be augmented by group discussions and hands-on assignments focusing on:

(1) Internationalization and soft-landing

(2) Incubator formation, growth, and sustainability

(3) Regional context and business incubation

(4) Company selection and growth: Challenges and Successes