Advancing Innovation in ECA 2008: Role of Business Incubators in Innovation Development in Small and Medium Sized Towns and Rural Areas, 09 – 11 October 2008, Tambov, Russian Federation

Advancing Innovation in ECA is the annual conference of ECAbit network (Eastern European and Central Asian Business Incubators and Technology Parks Networks). ARC Fund serves as coordination office for the ECAbit.

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. Small and medium sized towns become increasingly interesting for investors and innovative entrepreneurs. Business incubators and other business development instruments together with the government play a key role in this process. Sharing international experiences about innovation development in small and medium sized towns 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.

Key topics of the conference will be:

• 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 confernence 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.