2008 BIIA Awards Application

NOMINATION DOCUMENTATION   

This Award honours exemplary best practice.  To qualify for the awards, the Incubator must have full or part time on-site management, provide a full range of business development services and must have a policy that provides for graduating companies.

Please provide the following information about your Incubator and associated programs in the order requested.  Please double space text and be careful not to exceed the maximum word count for each question.  Points at the end of questions indicate the weight judges will give your response (total possible points — 35).

•         Incubator name, address, phone number, contact person for this award.

•         A paragraph describing the Incubator’s mission and up to three specific goals.  This is important because judges will evaluate the Incubator’s accomplishments in light of these factors.

•         Year incubation program was founded.

•         Currentgross lettable area (in square metres, exclude space permanently rented to anchor tenants who do not receive business incubation services).

•         Indicate your Incubator’s tax status.  If non-profit, who are your major stakeholders/sponsors

2.1Business Development Services: Provide a complete description — limited to 300 words — of what business services the Incubator offers its client companies. (A reference list of potential services is provided on the back of the transmittal sheet.) Also describe how you assess your companies’ needs and tell who delivers the service and how service is disseminated. Include any innovative systems, fee arrangements, partnerships or other strategies that enhance your overall service program. (5 points)

2.2Program Results: Describe — in no more than 300 words — your program’s most significant accomplishments in relation to your mission and each of your described goals. For instance, if you have a goal of creating jobs, how many have you created and how do you verify that? If you aim to commercialise technology, how many companies and patents can your Incubator claim? Be sure to include any barriers your Incubator had to overcome to achieve these results. Where appropriate, provide statistics to back up your statements, but you may also provide qualitative measures. (5 points)

2.3Financial Stability. Describe in 200 words or less your Incubator’s financial stability, indicating your sources of income and the percentage each represents. Indicate any challenges to financial stability your Incubator has met and how. Include information on how you financed development as well as current operations. Be sure to include any innovative approaches to generating revenue. (5 points).

2.4Success Stories: In 300 words or less, describe any significant company success stories that exemplify how effective your Incubator has been. Where appropriate, provide statistics to back up your statements (company revenues, new products to market, employees, third party investments, etc.) Place particular emphasis on the interaction between the Incubator and the tenants and how it led to those successes. (5 points).

2.5Other help: In no more than 100 words please describe other office/building services the Incubator makes available to its clients, such as special equipment, flexible space, Internet access and so forth. (See reference list at end.) (2 points).

2.6Extra information: Submit your (1) tenant listing and (2) most recent fiscal year statement (no details required other than a brief summary of major income v expense groupings). If there are revenues or grants/subsidies that do not show up in your income statement, please submit notes to explain.  (2 points).

2.7Web site Provide your Website URL  (1 point)

This section will be judged by your Incubator’s mission and goals

•         Number of (1) Incubator tenants residing in your facility,  (2) affiliates not located in your facility

•         Number of Incubator graduates, excluding those who left the program without meeting graduation criteria (Indicate whether this number is documented or estimated)

•         List each staff position at your Incubator and the numbers of hours per week each person officially works.

•         On average during the 2007/6 financial year, what was the occupancy rate for the business incubation facility as a percentage of gross lettable area?  (Exclude space rented to anchor tenants).

•         Considering all the firms that have graduated since inception, what percentage is still in business?

What events / activities / programs would make your Incubator qualify as “outstanding”? Please outline in no more than 300 words.

NOMINATION DOCUMENTATION

2008 AUSTRALIA : INCUBATOR CLIENT THE YEAR AWARD

This award honours small businesses that are current clients of the incubator, including virtual tenants, resident tenants and graduates (within the period July 07 to June 08).  Candidates may be either on-site clients or business that receive full incubation services through your Incubator’s virtual tenancy or outreach program.  Businesses that have participated only in stand-alone training courses, or business support services that are not part of your mainstream incubation program, are not eligible to be considered for this award.

Please provide all the following information about the nominee(s) in the order requested.  Be mindful not to exceed the maximum word count for each question.  Points at the end of questions indicate the weight judges will give your response (total possible points — 15)

•         Business name,  address, and contact person with phone, fax and e-mail

•         Incubator name, address, phone number and contact person for this application

•         Business Sector 

•         Year client business was founded

•         Year company entered the Incubation Program or Centre

•         A paragraph describing, the clients product or service, including information that explains why this product/service is significant in its market

2.1          Client’s accomplishments: Please provide a complete description — limited to 200 words — of what this firm has accomplished and why it should be considered for this award.  Rapid growth, overcoming significant obstacles, achievement of goals, awards or grants, investments obtained, important clients and development of unique technology, product or service are only a few of the factors that could be relevant. (4 points)

2.2          Business development help: Please provide a complete description — limited to 200 words — of what business development services the Incubator has provided the client and how it has helped the firm grow and professionalise operations. This would include help with or linkages to such things as marketing, personal skills development, debt and equity financing, professional services, legal services, cash flow management, regulatory compliance, intellectual property management and any other relevant help. See the glossary for a list of many services  (4 points)

2.3          Other help: In no more than 100 words please describe other office/building/virtual services the Incubator has made to the client, such as special equipment, flexible space, reception services and so forth.  (1 point)

2.4          Extra information: Client website, please supply website URL. (1 point)

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3.1.What were the client’s combined total revenues — including all sources except grants and subsidies — in its first year in the Incubator? The most recent fiscal year 2007/8? 

3.2.How many employees, including company owners, did the company have in the first year?  The most recent fiscal year 2007/8? 

3.3.What were the company’s combined salaries and wages in its first year in the Incubator? In the most recent fiscal year 2007/8?

Attachment 1

List of Potential Incubation Services

NOMINATION DOCUMENTATION

•         Help with business basics (business plan, pro formas, etc

•         Personnel development/training

•         Management team development

•         Comprehensive business training programs

•         Shared administrative/office services

•         Accounting/financial management

•         Shadow boards/mentors

•         Linkages to investors and/or strategic partners

•         Access to commercial loans/loan funds/loan guarantee programs

•         Management Information Systems

•         Marketing assistance

•         Regulatory compliance

•         General legal services

•         Networking among clients

•         Customer/supplier contacts

•         Federal procurement assistance

•         Commercialising technology

•         International trade assistance

•         New product/service/concept assessment

•         Intellectual property management

•         Assistance with manufacturing practices, processes, and technology (CNC, CAM)

•         Assistance with product design and development practices, process and technology (CAE, CAD)

•         Linkages to higher education resources

•         Programs offering discounts on services/products

•         Micro-lending groups

•         Loaned executive to act in management capacity

Office/Building Services

•         Conference room     

•         Kitchen/lunchroom   

•         Shared equipment    

•         Flexible leases/space

•         Video conferencing

•         Seminar/workshop rooms   

•         Computer labs        

•         Telephone network

High speed Internet access