QUICK GUIDE

 

Business Incubation and Technology Entrepreneurship

infoDev's Incubator Initiative was launched in 2002, with support from the Government of Japan. Today, infoDev'S global business incubator network consists of nearly 300 incubators in over 80 developing countries assisting 20,000 enterprises which have created more than 220,000 jobs.

These organizations reflect the enormous diversity of business models for delivering business development services to ICT entrepreneurs, and the common and unique challenges faced in the respective local environments. infoDev supports these incubators with both financing and capacity building, and regional and global networking is facilitated through workshops and forums.

In 2006, regional networks were launched with the aim of bringing together these organizations to share lessons and experiences. Regional networks are now active in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe & Central Asia, Latin America & the Caribbean, and the Middle East and North Africa.  In 2010, following a request for proposals in 2008, infoDev provided grants for building three global thematic work groups as part of infoDev’s Global Incubation Network.

These work groups were set up to learn more about how to effectively serve women and youth through business incubation and about models for spurring high growth enterprises in ICT-enabled sectors in the poorer developing countries.

Youth Community of Practice

Women Community of Practice

High Growth Community of Practice

Agribusiness Community of Practice

Browse our Global Network of Business Incubators.

Global Forum on Innovation and Enterpreneurship

Visit infoDev Global Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship page.

Innovation and ICT Agriculture

infoDev has collected links to some useful online resources developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) focused on the use of ICT to strengthen agriculture and rural development:

• Bridging the Rural Digital Divide
  FAO, governments, and other international agencies are implementing a program on “bridging the rural digital divide.” The program website highlights new approaches to knowledge exchange, and offers a set of case studies, resources and links on ICT and rural livelihoods. http://www.fao.org/rdd/
• E-learning on Information Management
  The Information Management Resource Kit (IMARK) offers distance learning resources, including tools and online community sites, covering issues in agricultural information management. IMARK is being spearheaded by FAO in collaboration with over 30 partner organizations. http://www.imarkgroup.org/
• Information Management Standards
  Agriculture Information Management Standards (AIMS) seeks to provide a "one-stop resource" for agriculture information system methodologies, standards and applications. http://www.fao.org/aims/
• Agriculture Meta-Data Standards Initiative (AgMES)
  Provides schema to support interoperability among agriculture information systems. http://www.fao.org/aims/intro_meta.jsp
• Portals & Online Libraries
  The World Agricultural Information Centre (WAICENT) portal provides access to FAO’s websites, statistics, publications, maps, and multimedia resources. http://www.fao.org/waicent/
• Library and Documentation Systems Division (GIL)
  Provides access to FAO virtual libraries, document collections, and country related information. http://www.fao.org/gi/gil/information_en.asp
• Access to Global On-line Research in Agriculture (AGORA)
  Provides free or low-cost access to over 900 major scientific journals in agriculture and related sciences to public institutions in 106 developing countries. The site lists developing countries that qualify for access. http://www.aginternetwork.org/en/
• International Information System for Agricultural Science and Technology (AGRIS/CARIS)
  Provides access to over 2 million bibiliographic references. Information is collected from AGRIS resource centers in 100 countries. http://www.fao.org/agris/search/search.do
• Agricultural Network Information Center (AgNIC)
  This is a voluntary network of agricultural libraries around the world. http://www.agnic.org/
• Early Warning and Agricultural Information Systems
  The Global Information and Early Warning System on Food and Agriculture (GIEWS) compiles information that is essential for providing bulletins on food crop production and markets at the global level, and situation reports on a regional and country-by-country basis. www.fao.org/WAICENT/faoinfo/economic/giews/english/giewse.htm
• Fisheries Global Information System (FIGIS)
  Offers statistics, resource management systems, and information on aquatic species and aquaculture. http://www.fao.org/fishery/figis/en
• Information Network on Post-Harvest Operations (InPHO)
  Provides resources on post-production issues to assist in preventing the loss of millions of tonnes of harvest due to inadequate handling and storage. http://www.fao.org/inpho/isma?i=INPhO&p=index.jsp&lang=en
• LinKS (Biodiversity, Gender, Knowledge)
  Provides information on the linkages between gender, biodiversity, and local knowledge systems. http://www.fao.org/sd/links/home/prima.html
• World Information and Early Warning System on Plant Genetic Resources (WIEWS)
  Fosters information exchange by gathering and disseminating information on plant genetic resources. http://apps3.fao.org/wiews/wiews.jsp
• Rural Radio
  FAO's Rural Radio program works with the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC) to provide agricultural information and fact sheets on agriculture and food security for rural radio producers. This information is shared within a global network of radio producers and has regular interaction with 52 FAO trained focal points throughout Anglophone and Francophone Africa. http://www.fao.org/sd/ruralradio/en/index.html
  

Visit infoDev Innovation and ICT Agriculture page.