2006 Awards Categories

2006 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 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 first board chairman. 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.

2006 Outstanding Incubator Client
This award recognizes outstanding client firms of NBIA member incubation programs. Incubator clients may be located on site or receive full incubation services through an affiliate (outreach) program. Companies that have participated only in a stand-alone program (microloan program, seminar open to public, etc.) are not eligible.

And the winners are ...

2006 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 affiliate (outreach) program. A candidate may 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. This year, Turnstone presented the winner with a $650 gift certificate.

2006 Incubator Innovation Award
The Incubator Innovation Award recognizes incubators that have developed and implemented innovative activities that help them better serve their clients or more effectively accomplish their missions. The project, program or activity can be of short or long duration, but 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 incubators must have completed and evaluated the success of the innovative project as of the entry deadline.

And the winner is ...