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Cooperation Partners

European Business and Innovation Centre Network (Belgium)

Over 240 members in EBN

Acronym: EBN

1984 1st EC-Business Innovation Centre (B.I.C.) opened in Liège, Belgium European Business & Innovation Centre Network (EBN) officially established by the EC and industry leaders such as British Steel (industry), Cockerill-Sambre, Natwest, IRI Group, Générale de Belgique, Fiat, Control Data Corp., EVCA, Philips, Barclays etc. The first chairman of EBN was Viscount Etienne Davignon, while Romano Prodi, Lord Carr and Alain Minc were other influential Board members. 1991 First B.I.C.s outside the EU opened in Czech & Slovak Republics 1999 B.I.C.s integrated into mainstream EC Structural Funds 2002 The European Commission officially granted EBN the exclusive licence of the EC B.I.C. trademark Increased recognition of the network by EC-DG Enterprise & DG Research & European Space Agency (ESA). Launch of the European Space Incubators Network (ESINET) as an experimental thematic platform for the transfer of knowledge and technologies in the field of space. 2004 BICs accelerate cooperation with the corporate sector (BT, Procter & Gamble, Gaz de France, HP, BASF, …) 2007 ESA invited EBN, the European Business & Innovation Centre Network, to integrate ESINET as a structural thematic component of the EBN Network and to further professionalize and deploy its operations. 2008 Over 240 members in EBN including 155 BICs and 75 associate members in the 27 E.U. Member states and in 11 other countries (Central and Eastern Europe, Turkey, Canada, USA, Egypt, China…). Establishment of sectorial networks of BICs in maritime, agro-food and ‘cleantech’ sectors as well as space. 2009 EBN celebrates 25 years as a reference point in Europe on innovation, spin-offs, incubation, entrepreneurship, SMEs, and regional economic development. 2012 After a few years of expansion in the EU neighbouring countries, North Africa and the Middle East, EBN started to push ahead the development of its network across Russia, Taiwan and China. EBN has developed strong cooperation links with other networks in the USA (NBIA), Brazil (ANPROTEC), Chile (ChiliINCUBA), China (Beijing, Wuxi, ...).

Website: http://www.ebn.be/

Address:
Avenue de Tervueren, 168
1150 Brussels
Belgium

Projects: