NBIA Publication Provides Systematic Approach to Incubation Program Evaluations

November 12, 2003

Contact:
Meredith Erlewine
NBIA Director of Publications
(740) 593-4331
merlewine@nbia.org

ATHENS, Ohio—The National Business Incubation Association (NBIA) today announced the release of the Self-Evaluation Workbook for Business Incubators, a tool that can help industry practitioners better evaluate their programs’ operations.

Since incubator policies, procedures and services can become ineffective without periodic evaluation and fine-tuning, NBIA recommends that business incubators perform comprehensive self-evaluations once a year, carefully assessing everything from their mission statements to their marketing plans.

The Self-Evaluation Workbook provides a systematic approach for such evaluations, which can prevent important issues from slipping through the cracks, help management prioritize projects, provide evidence of success to financial sponsors, and improve services to young client businesses.

“The beauty of this tool is that it can help incubator managers think through every significant aspect of their program and determine where their strengths and weaknesses are,” said Dinah Adkins, NBIA president and CEO. “It can help them engage in a continuous process of self-improvement.”

NBIA pilot-tested the self-evaluation concept in its member newsletter, NBIA Review, and in intensive workshops, gathering feedback from both seasoned incubation professionals and those new to the industry. The resulting Self-Evaluation Workbook contains descriptions of successful business incubation practices in 12 key areas; more than 300 evaluation criteria to help pinpoint program strengths and weaknesses; charts to help identify and document strategies for improvement; and a CD-ROM with tools for facilitating a team approach to evaluating incubation programs.

The Self-Evaluation Workbook for Business Incubators was funded in part by the Long Island High Technology Incubator in Stony Brook, N.Y.; Rose-Hulman Ventures in Terre Haute, Ind.; and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The National Business Incubation Association is the world’s leading organization advancing business incubation and entrepreneurship. Since 1985, NBIA has provided industry professionals with the information, education, advocacy and networking resources to bring excellence to the process of assisting early-stage companies.

Business incubation programs catalyze the process of starting and growing companies by providing entrepreneurs with the expertise, networks and tools they need to make their ventures successful. In 2001 alone, North American incubators assisted more than 35,000 start-up companies that provided full-time employment for nearly 82,000 workers and generated earnings of more than $7 billion.

For more information or to purchase the Self-Evaluation Workbook for Business Incubators, contact NBIA, 20 E. Circle Drive #37198, Athens, Ohio 45701-3571; telephone: (740) 593-4331; fax: (740) 593-1996; or visit NBIA’s online bookstore, www.nbia.org/store, to place secure orders. Price is $55 for NBIA members and $75 for nonmembers.