The Business Incubator Initiative, which is part of infoDev's broader work on Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Growth, is currently supporting a network of about 50 business incubators and similar institutions that facilitates local innovation and entrepreneurship by incubating new businesses in developing countries.

This new round of grants aims to: address the challenges identified by business incubators currently supported by infoDev and raised during a 2004 Global Forum on Business Incubation, and support the development of a vibrant and sustainable network of innovators and business incubators globally.  In particular, this round will help to build capacity within business incubators and similar institutions that provide services to entrepreneurs, and share lessons on issues such as:

• the enabling environment
• policies and regulations
• strengthening national, regional, and global networks
• developing knowledge resources for incubator managers
• collaborative work to address the financial constraints faced by entrepreneurs and new businesses
• projects that leverage the use of ICTs for fostering innovation and business support programs

We expect to complete the review process over the next few weeks, and announce a shortlist of proposals that will be considered for grant funding by the end of January 2006.