© Donato IacobucciUniversità Politecnica delle Marche Fostering high-tech start-ups for regional...

© Donato Iacobucci Università Politecnica delle Marche

Fostering high-tech start-ups for regional transformation:

tangible to intangible factors

Donato IacobucciUniversità Politecnica delle Marche

KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY FORUM VIITechnology Absorption by Innovative Small and Medium Enterprises

Ancona, Italy - June 17-19, 2008

© Donato Iacobucci Università Politecnica delle Marche © Donato Iacobucci Università Politecnica delle Marche

Presentation outline

• Policy in context: the Marche region• The role and place of tangible factors• From tangible to intangible factors • Lessons and recommendations


High-tech startups

• What are they?– new companies that have evolved from

universities and research centers, as a result of a technology transfer process from research to the commercialization of products or services

• Why promote them?– they create jobs for highly educated people– they facilitate entry into high growth sectors– they transform the regional economy


Policy in context

• The role of technology start-ups (and regional policy to sustain them) varies according to context

• In this presentation I refer to the experience of the Marche region


From agriculture to industry

1951 1971 1991

Agriculture 60.2 25.3 7.8

Industry 21.9 40.8 41.7

Services 17.8 33.8 50.5

Source: Industry census

Over 40 years the Marche has gone from an agricultural area, to one of the most highly industrialized regions in Italy and Europe

Percentage of employees by sector in the Marche region


Manufacturing LLS by firm size

“The Third Italy”

Features of the model:

• fast growth during the ’60s and ’70s

• prevalence of small and medium sized firms (high rates of entrepreneurship)

• high degree of internationalization (export)

• spread of activity across the territory, reducing population migration and urban congestion Small firms

Medium-sized firms

Large firms

Non-manufacturing areas Source: ISTAT


The industry model

Textiles and clothing

Leather and footwear

Furniture

Musical instruments and goldsmithing

Food

Mechanical equipment and machinery

Primary metal industry

Coke, oil refining industry

Transportation equipment

Paper, printing and publishing

Non-manufacturing areas

Small-sized firms

Medium-sized firms

Large firms

Non-manufacturing areas

Industrialization based mainly on the agglomeration of small firms in industrial districts

LLS in 2001



Industry specialization

FoodTextile and ClothingLeather and FootwearWood and FurnitureMechanicsOther sectors

Employees by industry in 2001


The manufacturing industry is dominated by traditional industries and small firms

The average size of manufacturing firms in 2001 was 9.2 employees


The new challenges

• Diversifying the industrial structure from traditional industries to high-tech activities

• Changing the innovation model from “innovation without research” to “R&D based activities”

High-tech start-ups are critical to both objectives


The first attempt:building a tangible infrastructure

The 1990s• EU, national and regional funds used to build a

network of business innovation centers (3 EuroBICs) and a technology park (TecnoMarche)

• They had almost no effects on the development of high-tech firms or high-tech clusters in the region


Why was this?

• No close relationships with research centers (universities)

• Location: they were located in less developed areas of the region

• Sequence: it was too early to build the ‘tangible infrastructure’ for high-tech start-ups


The second attempt:reconsidering the role of the university

At the beginning of this decade our university redefined its Mission

Talent: attract and educate the best peopleTechnology: excellence in research and technology transferTerritory: serve the needs of firms in the region

and its Name

from “Università di Ancona” to

Università Politecnica delle Marche


Technology transfer

• To foster TT activity UPM created an industrial liaison office and launched a series of projects and activities in this area

• Main aims:– Foster relations with industrial firms in the region

– Promote spin-offs in high-tech sectors


Some of the ILO projects

• Talent for competitiveness – PhD programs co-financed (50% UPM – 50% firms)

• Database of competences– People, projects, research structures

• Supporting spin-offs from research– Support for development of a business plan – Minority shares in initial capital – Use of university facilities (in the incubation phase)


Spin-off promoted, 2001-2207Name Activity

Nautes Knowledge management software

A.MI.CA. Innovative building materials

ArieLAB Telecommunication systems

Arteis Measurement and diagnostoc technology

CEDAR Solutions CAD-CAM in printed circuits production

BINT Biotechnology

EcoTechSystems Environmental technology

INGEGNA Industrial automation in the footwear sector

L.I.V.E. Models for intangible factors

Oce.AN Artificial breeding of tropical fish

P.C.Q. Technical controls in building constructions

S.I.B.E. Bio-energy

SeiTec Building protection against earthquakes

Smart Space Solutions Security and domotica – NOT ENGLISH

STRATEGIE Refrigeration technology

Thermal TIDE Innovative building materials


Time for a new phase...Supporting take-off

UPM is aware of the need to provide support for spin-offs to sustain their development

– Projects with local governments to create incubators and technology parks for the location of spin-offs and high-tech firms

– Agreements with financial institutions to facilitate the raising of capital

• Specific bank loans• Regional government support measures


Lessons from experience

• Providing tangible factors (technology parks, incubators, financial aids) is not a sufficient condition for technology startups

• The development of tangible factors must follow rather than precede the early development of the phenomenon

• Other factors are required in the early phases


Intangible factors to foster high-tech start-ups

• Induce universities to play a proactive role in technology transfer activities

• Promote an entrepreneurial culture within research institutions (universities)

• Identify regional strengths in terms of research capabilities and possible relationships with business activity


Promoting an entrepreneurial culture

• Stimulate highly educated people to embrace an entrepreneurial career– Legitimation (it is an interesting and respected

career path) and feasibility proof (someone like me has succeeded)

• Actions– courses on entrepreneurship and business plan– nurturing activity of young entrepreneurs by

academics


From tangible to intangible factors

• Policy based on intangible factors is more complex than policy based on tangible factors

• Problems:– Requires ‘visionary’ leaders in local institutions– Requires coordination between institutions– Requires changes in organizations and in people’s

behavior– Requires focus and selection – Outcomes not easily observable in the short period

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