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UNISPIN offers the distilled, practical experience of some of Europe’s most successful spin-off programmes.

UNISPIN offers you a workshop to learn about how successful spin-off schemes operate, a good practice guide, personal consultancy to help you devise a tailor made spin-off scheme for your region and to write a business plan for it.

The UNISPIN Programme is open to all institutions in the European Union (universities, colleges, local and regional authorities, regional development agencies, business and innovation centres, chambers of commerce...) interested in setting up their own regional spin-off programme modelled on some of Europe’s most successful schemes. This scheme is also open to a limited number of participants from Central and Eastern Europe.

You will find details on how to join the UNISPIN programme on the back page.

Operating partners:

University of Twente (NL)	University of Montpellier (F)
University of Ulster (UK)	Business and Technology Centre, Twente(NL)
Dundalk Regional Technical College (IRL)	Consorzio Catania Ricerche (I)
Chalmers University of Technology (S)	Van der Meer & Van Tilburg B.V. (NL)
University of Linkoping (S)	TII asbl Luxembourg (L)

The UNISPIN Programme is supported by the Innovation Programme of the European Commission DGXIII

Successful "campus spin-off" schemes like these can have major cumulative impact on the industrial and employment structure of the home region. They help to create long-term jobs, raise income levels, diversify economic structures, stabilise quality employment in the region, and transfer technology to industry. .

TOP provides the starting entrepreneurs with practical support in technical-and business aspects, basic financing as well as counselling and training. In practice this means:

• support from faculty experts/professors
• use of university laboratories and apparatus
• housing and office facilities at the university
• a risk bearing loan of about 15,000 ECU on very favourable conditions
• possible clients through the LiaisonGroup of the university
• business support and practical counselling by experienced mentors
• training in the course "Innovative Entrepreneurship"

Twente’s TOP scheme continues to operate today, with an annual target of 20 new companies. Follow-up studies have shown that 80% of TOP firms successfully survive the critical first five years. Moreover, 70% of them stay in the area, so the home region is the prime beneficiary.

The start-up and growth of new technology based firms was supported by the University of Twente since 1980. Until now in total almost 300 new university spin-off companies have been established. The university has been transformed into an "entrepreneurial university".

• careful screening of programme entrants, to ensure their sound motivation and aptitude;
• support to foster scientific/technical competence and learnable business skills among the new entrepreneurs;
• networking of the human, financial and other resources of the higher educational institution and it’s region in order to provide a support infrastructure.

The UNISPIN programme will cover these and other related topics.

TEP participants go through a structured programme of formal training covering:

• market research
• marketing strategy
• business management
• production and quality
• patenting and copyright
• sales skills
• finance/investment
• presentation skills
• developing a business plan

In addition, TEP uses experienced managers from successful companies, large and small, to "mentor" the TEP participants as they set up and launch their business. The mentors provide advice based on experience and, frequently, invaluable practical help through their wide networks of contacts.

The TEP programme operates on a fifteen-month cycle and each one produces another 10 new, solidly-based companies in the region.

On of the actual programmes run at the University of . Linköping since 1993 (the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship) is the ENP programme(Entrepreneurship and new business development Programme). Between 10 and 15 new firms are created every year. The survival rate is about 75% and nearly all of them have remained in the area. Since 75% of the established companies are active in the field of information technologies, which is an international growth market, the region can look forward with confidence to increasing employment.

The UNISPIN Programme is proceeding in two main phases.

In the first phase, UNISPIN will provide you with 3 tools in order to make a first report back to your region about the possibility of setting up, operating and financing a spin-off programme.

• UNISPIN is organising a two-day workshop on how to set up : and operate a successful spin-off programme. This workshop will be repeated several times, on different dates and at a different locations around Europe so as to make attendance easy. The four workshops will take place as follows:

  Places	Dates
  Twente (NL)	9-10 October 1997
  Roma (I)	23-24 October 1997
  Linkoping (S)	30-31 October 1997
  Dundalk (IRL)	6 -7 November 1997

  The working language will be English, but translation can be provided in to French, Italian and Spanish. The workshop will introduce you in detail to the spin-off methodologies used by the UNIPIN partners. The number of participants will be limited in order to permit personal interaction. Attendance at the workshop costs 1,800 ECU per participating institution: each institution may send two delegates. This price includes the workbook of the workshop.

• One of the UNISPIN partners will provide you with one day of telephone consultancy to help you to promote this project to potential partners in your region. This is included in the price of the workshop.
• In order to help institutions to make a proposal for a feasibility study, a quick scan consultancy on location can be provided, if required.

In the second phase, UNISPIN will give detailed support to help participants to plan their spin-off programmes in operational detail. Two experienced UNISPIN consultants will be available to help each "region". The focus will be on preparing a detailed business plan for the region, specific to its particular circumstances.

Some regions are expected to launch their spin-off programmes before the end of UNISPIN’s European Commission contract, and the consultants will also be available to help these regions in the start-up phase.

After the formal end of the UNISPIN Programme, the European Association TII (Technology Innovation Information) will give the UNISPIN participants long-term assistance by setting-up a Special Interest Section where they can meet, exchange experience, and develop other interests and activities of mutual interest.

Participation in the second phase of UNISPIN will cost to an average of 10,000 ECU per region.

A translation of this brochure is available on request at TII in Dutch, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Form more information, please contact any of the following operating partners:

University of Twente: (Dick van Barneveld) Tel. +31 534894699
University of Linkoping (Rolf Asplund) Tel. +46 11237590
Consorzio Catania Ricerche (Massimo Alessi) Tel. +39 95 441571 (personal +39 360 401749)
Dundalk Regional Technical College (Colette Henry) Tel. +353 4270413
TII asbl Luxembourg (Cristine Robinson) Tel. +351 463035

I am interested in participating in the UNISPIN Programme with a view to setting up a spin-off programme in my region.

Please send me details of the complete programme of the UNISPIN workshop as soon as it is available. I have noted that workshop attendance costs 1,800 ECU per institution and that two delegates from my institution may attend.

I prefer participating at the workshop in:

( ) Twente NL 9-10 October 1997	( ) Linkoping (S) 30-31 October 1997
( ) Roma (I) 23-24 October 1997	( ) Dundalk (IRL) 6-7 November
( ) Catania (I) 23-24 October 1997

Please complete the following information or attach your business card

Institution.................................................................................................................
Name.......................................................................................................................
Postal Address........................................................................................................
Tel.....................................Fax....................................e-mail...................................

Date:.................................... Signature:..................................

A translation of this brochure is available on request at TII in dutch, French German, Italian and Spanish.

For more information, please contact any of the following operating partners:

University of Twente: (Dick van Barneveld) Tel. +31 534894699
University of Linkoping (Rolf Asplund) Tel. +46 11237590
Consorzio Catania Ricerche (Massimo Alessi) Tel. +39 95 441571
Dundalk Regional Technical College (Colette Henry) Tel. +353 4270413
TII asbl Luxembourg (Cristine Robinson) Tel. +351 463035

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