[kictanet] My 2cts: ICT Parks

Tue Jan 12 10:00:32 EAT 2010

Thank you  for your  input  very  much, Strathmore  university  has  launched  an IT  based  incubation  program dubbed SITT-Strathmore Innovation  Technology transfer program. The  program  is housed at  Strathmore  University  and  seeks  to bridge  failure  of ICT  start ups and IT organizations  in  the  early stages  of  formation. A brief about  the program :

SITT Program

Introduction

The Strathmore Innovation & Technology Transfer (SITT) program is an initiative to establish a technology and business incubator within the Faculty of Information Technology at Strathmore University. The long-term objective of the program is to establish a self-sustaining technology and business incubator in Strathmore University. Technology and business incubation programs are designed to accelerate the successful development of innovations and commercialization of technology through an array of support resources and services. The SITT program will focus on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to take advantage of teaching, learning and research outputs from the Faculty of Information Technology. The program will be developed further in FIT with plans to take in resident incubates.

Program Role

* Creating jobs and wealth
* Fostering a community's entrepreneurial climate
* Business creation and retention
* Commercialization of technology
* Building or accelerating growth of local industry clusters
* Identifying potential spin-in or spin off opportunities

Program Functions

*       Pre-incubation services
*       Business planning
*       Forming and registering a company
*       Training to develop business skills
*       Accounting, legal and other related services
*       Harnessing  intellectual property for wealth  creation
*       Help with import/export and/or partner search abroad
*       Help with e-business and other aspects of ICT
*       Advice on development of new products and services
*       Help with raising bank finance, grants, venture capital
*       Setting-up and disbursement of incubation venture capital fund
*       Facilitation of business angel network
*       Advice on recruitment of staff and personnel management

The process of creating and developing businesses can be shown to have four distinct stages:

* Conception: The entrepreneur identifies a market niche/need on the part of a specific target audience and decides to open a company. The focus at this stage is development of a consistent business plan.
* Emerging company: Based on the already elaborated business plan, entrepreneur begins developing the product and/or service to be offered. The objective at this stage is to have at least one prototype of the product to be offered. The legal formalization of the company may also occur in this stage.
* Consolidation: The next stage in the evolutionary process of the company is consolidation in the market in which it has opted to function, with growth in the number of clients.
* Growth: As of the company's consolidation, the business will seek out new markets and expand its field of activity.

Implementation

* Pre-incubation: The pre-incubation support services are given to would-be entrepreneurs before they launch their businesses. These services may include proactive identification of technologies and would-be entrepreneurs, helping them to develop a business plan, training and advice on forming a company and further development of technologies where necessary.
* Business planning: Business planning services provided by the incubation process can help bridge the market failure in the provision of business support services to the small business market. The services may include help with setting business goals, developing or revamping the business plan, identifying the markets, segmenting the markets, developing a sales and marketing plan, creating a financial plan, etc.
* Financing start-ups: Incubation programs have an important role in bridging the financing gap between the company start-up market and the financial community. Banks and venture capitalists have historically tended to shy away from early-stage companies. Incubation programs play a positive role in addressing market failure in financing start-up companies.
* Networking: The SITT program is presently providing business assistance to start-up and small businesses in an 'outreach' and 'virtual' incubation basis. In addition the program encourages networking among these companies. This helps business relationships to develop and also leads to informal cross-fertilization of ideas and advice among these companies. Apart from business relationships, networking also helps entrepreneurs to overcome the sense of isolation that is often associated with their activities and can help them lobby for changes in government policies and regulation for better business environment.
* Mentorship: It is envisaged that the SITT incubation program will have a mentorship activity for entrepreneurs. This will be a consulting service expected to blend together the experience of successful entrepreneurs, business school professors, talented MBA students, and the experience of Strathmore University in supporting entrepreneurial businesses.

The benefits of such a service to companies would include:

a) Access to first-class business expertise; b) Business consulting services available when needed for specific problems; c) Professional mentoring to help a company identify its problems and develop solutions; d) Improvements of a company's business plan;
e) Coaching on business presentations to potential customers, angel investors, financiers and venture capital firms.

Program Implementation

There are at least three key steps in the design and establishment of a business incubation program:

* Development team: The implementation of SITT  program will be achieved   through   a development  team consisting  of Strathmore  university  and partners.
* Learning and capacity building: Progressive and on-going learning through virtual   and resident  incubate companies.
* Research: To involve continuous collection and  study  of information on innovation technology transfer  intellectual property   and incubation  process.

Links

http://sitt-strathmore.blogspot.com/2009/11/sitt.html
www.strathmore.edu
Strathmore Innovation  Technology Transfer Program (Face book)
http://strathmoreinnovationtechnologytransferprogram.wordpress.com
http://innovationtechnologytransfer.blogspot.com/

For  more    http://www.strathmore.edu/fit/

Such  initiatives  would   benefit  from  association  with  the  corporate.

-----Original Message-----
From: kictanet-bounces+pwalela=strathmore.edu at lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+pwalela=strathmore.edu at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of David Otwoma
Sent: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 9:48 AM
To: Pius W Walela
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] My 2cts: ICT Parks

International good practice for IT parks

http://www.infodev.org/en/Document.557.pdf

On 12/30/09, Victor Gathara <v-gathara at dfid.gov.uk> wrote:
> Dr Ndemo,
>
> The following is an excerpt for a paper I wrote  on the impact of the
> arrival of sub-marine fibre in East
> Africa(http://www.gg.rhul.ac.uk/ict4d/workingpapers/Gathero.doc). In it I
> suggest we adopt consultant Booz Allen Hamilton's six levers for successful
> development of an ICT park strategy for Kenya.
>
> ______________________
>
> ICT Parks
>
>
>
> Kenya's BPO sector cannot succeed without a critical mass of companies at
> least a handful of which must be of significant size (000s of employees).
> The Government can fast-track an environment conducive to ICT sector growth
> by fostering ICT parks - one or more buildings in which there is a full
> range of services including reliable electrical power, high speed lines,
> cabling, physical security and so on. GoK has undertaken the creation of one
> such park in Athi River. Building is expected to commence in July. The park
> will occupy about 5000 acres of land and is expected to employ over 10,000
> people. While a positive undertaking, the park should be considered as part
> of an overall strategy. Consultant firm Booz Allen Hamilton has reviewed the
> learning from global experiences and suggests six main levers for the
> successful development of ICT parks:[1] <outbind://20/#_ftn1>
>
>
>
> * Purpose - This element must be articulated up front as it directly impacts
> the physical environment, regulatory and legal context, economic focus,
> level of integration to the national economy, etc. To illustrate, parks can
> focus on objectives dealing with ICT sector development, attraction of
> foreign investments and/or retention of domestic investments, and incubation
> of new business. The purpose of the Athi River Park should be clearly
> articulated.
>
>
>
> * Value Proposition - Central to the success of an ICT park is the
> definition and enactment of a legal and regulatory framework, provision of
> adequate infrastructure and facilities, availability of support services,
> overall quality of life, and location, to name a few. Importantly, the
> offering of communication-related services such as voice and data
> telecommunications, managed data services, and media broadcast all play a
> key role in shaping the value proposition. It would be good to get a
> blueprint of the park widely circulated showing advantages of businesses
> being housed there. The government can also make it easy for local or
> foreign firms to set up operations for example by giving tax incentives to
> companies, domestic and foreign operating in the park.
>
>
>
>
>
> * Location - The efficiency, effectiveness, and resulting lifestyle in these
> parks are important attributes. As a result, ICT parks tend to be located in
> dedicated areas outside the main city and within a short driving distance.
> They also tend to be located within a short driving distance from the
> airport as well as prominent universities. This clearly suits Athi River as
> a choice location with its distance from Nairobi, Daystar University and
> Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Last but not least, Booz Allen suggests
> the park dedicates 30%-50% of their space to green areas with the objective
> to create a distinctive and attractive environment.
>
>
>
> * Partnership - ICT parks require close links to academic institutions, real
> estate developers, venture capitals and financial institutions, investment
> promotion agencies, and national government agencies involved in the ICT
> sector. To illustrate, and building on the learning of the broader
> experience of technology parks, nearly 50% of such developments are pursued
> within university-related premises. It would be prudent for the government
> to initiate such partnerships in this early stage.
>
>
>
> * Funding - ICT parks can be funded primarily through the private sector
> (e.g., real estate developers, private investors/placement) and government
> agencies if required. They are self-sustainable financially and can generate
> attractive returns. In this regard GoK should seek to enter Private Public
> Partnerships to ensure that there is private sector buy-in.
>
>
>
> * Competitive Positioning - ICT parks can define their competitive
> positioning along three dimensions. Firstly, they need a differentiated
> positioning vis-à-vis other comparable developments within the same region
> (e.g., within the Arabian Peninsula, such as the Dubai Media city).
> Secondly, they need to offer distinctive benefits at a national level, in
> particular when considering that 50% of the tenants could represent already
> established institutions. Thirdly, ICT parks can be defined as part of a
> regional network of parks. Such a 'constellation' of parks aims to create
> cross-border synergies and complementary products, services, and strengths.
> The concept of 'constellation' is already into play at a national level with
> developments such as the Smart Villages in Egypt having planned presences in
> Giza (Cairo), Mansoura (Cairo), and Alexandria. The Athi River Park should
> therefore not be seen in isolation but as part of a constellation of parks.
> Others could be developed in University towns such as Eldoret, Nakuru and
> Juja.
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> [1] <outbind://20/#_ftnref1>  Booz Allen Hamilton: ICT parks offer a
> fast-track development approach for the Middle East,
> http://www.ameinfo.com/66995.html <http://www.ameinfo.com/66995.html>
>
>
>
>
> Victor Gathara| UK Department for International Development| Regional IS
> Manager , East Africa| * email: v-gathara at dfid.gov.uk * Telephone: +254 20
> 2873349 * Fax: +254 20 2873102 * Ftn: 8300 3349 * Mobile: +254 733 414846
> url: www.dfid.gov.uk <http://www.dfid.gov.uk/>
>
>
> DFID, the Department for International Development: leading the UK
> Government's fight against world poverty. Find out more at
> http://www.dfid.gov.uk.
>
> The road to Copenhagen: the UK Government's ambition for a global deal on
> climate change. Find out more at http://www.actoncopenhagen.gov.uk and about
> DFID's work at http://www.dfid.gov.uk/climate.
> ______________________________________________________________________
>
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--
David Otwoma,
Chief Science Secretary,
National Council for Science and Technology,
Utalii House 9th Floor,
Mobile tel: +254 722 141771,
Office tel: +254 (0)20 2346915,
P. O. Box 5687 - 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
email: otwomad at gmail.com & otwoma at ncst.go.ke
www.ncst.go.ke

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