2003 Awards Categories

2003 Incubator of the Year
This award honors exemplary NBIA member incubation programs. To qualify for the award, the incubator must have on-site management, provide a full range of business development services and must have a policy that provides for graduating companies.

From the Incubator of the Year finalists, NBIA recognizes one incubator as the Randall M. Whaley Incubator of the Year. This award, which recognizes overall excellence in business incubation programs, is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Whaley, NBIA's chairman of the board from 1985-88. The Friends of University City Science Center, comprising prominent Philadelphia business people and academics who worked with Dr. Whaley, endowed this award.

And the winners are ...

The Friends of University City Science Center endowed the Randall M. Whaley Incubator of the Year award.

2003 Outstanding Incubator Client
This award recognizes outstanding client firms of NBIA member incubation programs. Incubator clients may be either on-site companies or those that receive full incubation services through an affiliates (outreach) program. Companies that have participated only in a stand-alone program (microloan borrower, seminar open to public, etc.) are not eligible.

And the winners are ...

2003 Outstanding Incubator Graduate
This award recognizes firms that are successful by anyone's measures. Incubator "graduate" companies have met the incubation program's specified exit criteria. They may have been either on-site clients or companies that received full incubation services through the incubator's affiliates (outreach) program. A candidate may now be an anchor tenant that resides in the incubator but has ceased to use incubator business development services.

And the winner is ...

Turnstone, a Steelcase Company, sponsors the Outstanding Incubator Graduate awards.

2003 Innovation Award
This award honors incubation program innovation that benefits clients by going either beyond normal incubation services or by introducing a creative way to implement an "old" idea. The project, program or activity can be of short or long duration. The incubation program must have implemented the innovation for at least six months at the time of the application. In the case of shorter-term projects, the innovation must be complete at entry deadline.

And the winner is ...

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation sponsors the Innovation Award.