eca^bit members in Yerevan (Armenia), September 2007

eca^bit History
ECA stands for Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The ecabit Eastern European and Central Asian Business Incubators and Technology Parks Network as part of the global incubators network of infoDev was founded in May 2005 in Kiev, Ukraine. The start of the network followed regional networking activities including the CABIN Central Asian Business Incubators network started in 2003 and the first regional meeting at the First Global Forum in New Delhi 2004. Key milestones since its foundation include network workshops in Hyderabad, India (November 2006), the regional workshop “SME Education in Transition 2007” Kharkov, Ukraine (July 2007), and the regional workshop and conference “Advancing Innovation in ECA 2007” in Yerevan, Armenia (September 2007).

Innovation and Business Incubation in the ECA region
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.

One example is the Viasphere Technology Park in Yerevan, Armenia, which together with the EIF Enterprise Incubation Foundation in Yerevan has attracted substantial Foreign Direct Investment into the ICT sector of Armenia by addressing and facilitating Armenian diaspora support. The success of Viasphere has motivated the Armenian government to launch a national innovation cluster program on ICT. Other countries in the region have been responding the Armenian approach.

eca^bit Projects and Activities
The focus, performance and sustainability of incubators and technology parks in ECA varies according to their environment, ranging from new European Union member countries over conflict areas like the Caucasus and areas facing ecological challenges like the Aral Sea area to regions rich in natural resources. The ecabit network aims to strengthen the sustainability and impact of business incubators in ECA by raising awareness on innovation and entrepreneurship development among governments, universities and other key stakeholders, by strengthening the capabilities of incubator managers as well as their clients through focused training and learning, and by addressing new opportunities the globalization provides by initiating collaborative service and knowledge creation.

To focus its activities, ecabit initiated four thematic working groups in 2007, namely on Rural Innovation, Youth and Innovation, SME Education in Transition (addressing the specifics of the SME training and consulting sector) and on innovative incubation approaches in the working group Incubation 2020. For further information on the ecabit working groups and projects, please visit our projects website.

eca^bit Members and Partners
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 a full list of our members, please visit our members website.

How to get involved
ecabit welcomes innovative business incubators and technology parks from the Eastern European and Central Asian region (full members), as well as organizations and individuals from other fields of innovation development and geographic areas (associate members). For more information, please visit our membership website. Please find a full list of relevant contact information here. We are looking forward to hearing from you.