TBIXI3

displayed a commitment to the community over their
lifetime: volunteers from the non-profit sector, for example.
We try to put all of this together to offer our tenants a
comprehensive, caring, customised package. Fifty years later
this model still seems to be working.
How would you compare the public and private
business models in the management of the
incubation value chain, taking into account the
differences between developed and developing
economies?
I'm more familiar with the private model of incubation even
when we talk about development policies which are used to
define the business incubator sector. As an original member
of business incubator association in the U.S. I realised that
most incubators are public or university based. I personally
favour the market-driven model, but I understand that it has
to be different based on the available talents in the
community.
In developing countries, policies are aimed at increasing
investments in technology and attracting large enterprises.
All good, but 90 percent of businesses are small businesses
and are the the spinal cord of these economies. The public
sector may play an important role in the very early stage of a
business' life-cycle, when the business idea needs to be finetuned
and tested before competing in the marketplace and
the young entrepreneur may not have access to funds or
bank loans. For example, the city of Batavia has a
programme that gives the business owner up to thirty
thousand dollars, only half-repayable, provided that the
entrepreneur commits to getting some education in business,
develops a business plan and stays in business at least for
three years. We have periodically loaned money to
businesses, in addition to subsidizing them with rent. The
rental subsidy is actually a funding mechanism, but some
businesses that graduate from the programme are paying
market or above-market rent. The city has a revolving loan
fund and there are banks that grant loans. But sometimes
nobody will loan the money that the businesses need and
every now and then we get involved in that, thus providing
some kind of micro-financing for short periods of time. Even
though I favour the private model, there are several
advantages in the area of public-private partnership, at least
when the partnership is led by the private sector. I feel, in
these instances, the projects will be market-driven and
provide a timely response to the needs of the community.
38 February - May 2013
Based on your Sicilian roots and incubator knowhow,
can you suggest how we here, in Sicily, can
free ourselves from dependency on public
subsidies to support to our start-ups and spinoffs?
I would welcome the opportunity to help create more
businesses and jobs in Sicily. I think the process is much the
same as here. Based on a strong business experience and an
in-depth understanding of what the community is like, what
its unique needs are and what it can provide, we start firstly
by clearly defining what our goals are, that is to create jobs
and pay bills. Afterwards, we define what is successful and
try to carry on doing it. Our model used an existing building,
capitalising on an existing asset. I think in Sicily is much the
same. You find a building or a collection of buildings that
are big enough to spread the cost of the programme, then
you'll probably need some help either from investors or
benefactors who are passionately committed in the
community or some public investment, provided that the
management stays market-driven till you are self-sufficient.
We have a phrase we use to define our approach:cooperative
self-reliance.
You certainly have enough people and lots of businesses.
Focussing on your unique products, talents and strategic
assets of your community, whether it's a city like Palermo,
Agrigento or Noto, or a collection of little places like those
my family is from, would be a good starting point. I would
like to remind you and everyone in the Sicilian community
that the first business incubator in the world was created by
a Sicilian.
B Thomas Mancuso, SIOR
Mancuso Business
Development Group
Even though I favour the
private model, there are
several advantages in the
area of public-private
partnership, at least when
the partnership is led by
the private sector.
Alessandro Collura has more than 15 years experience in the field of development policy. He has
worked with Sviluppo Italia Sicilia since 2003 as a senior professional business analyst and market
analyst and is a member of the team responsible for the development strategy of Sviluppo Italia
Sicilia's business incubators network. His main skills and expertise include designing and
evaluation of feasibility studies related to development programmes in the fields of innovation
technology and renewable energy sources, management of foreign investor relations, designing of
financial incentives aimed at developing large industrial investments in developing areas and an indepth
analysis and reporting on Sicily's investment opportunities in different fields.