44th SPICE Meeting 73rd ICECE Work Group event

Tallinn, Estonia
16 – 19 Jun 2001

The first day of the meeting was devoted to the SPICE Anniversary Workshop, hosted by Raivo Tamkivi and attended by 17 people from 8 countries—all high level experts. The discussion focused on the experience gained from business incubation activities during the last decade. Members reported from several CEE countries and stated as am important achievement that now the importance of SMEs and business incubation have become an integral part of government policies—namely in the Baltic States. In Western countries a new phase of business incubation has begun. This is characterized by competition between incubators, by improving the quality of services provided and by finding new financial models.

First time a SPOAC (SPICE Picnic and Open Air Concert) was held outside Hungary. The historical fishermen village of Altja provided the unforgettable scenery for the picnic, with local food and national specialties offered by the SPICE members present. The music part of this "open air concert" was an accordion player—and the voices of the singing participants.

The second and third day concentrated on the business plan and strategies to establish the Tallinn Technology Park. The intense discussion moderated by Heinz Fiedler covered all topics important for a technology park development. SPICE experts commented on the material provided by the local preparation team and contributed their views and experience. As a result of this workshop the consent of all the institutions and administrations, necessary to get a technology park started was reached.

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