ARCA, Sicily
Import data are more relevant than export, as the region depends a lot on external sources.
The tertiary sector is the most important one, with a turnover of 59,1 billions euro, representing 80% of regional added value, although in agro-food sector most production activities are concentrated, as well as metal products manufacturing companies and wood companies.
In 2005, regional employment was distributed as follows: 7,7% in agriculture, 19,2% in the industrial sector (building companies included), 73,1% in the services sector.
The rate of unemployment reached in 2005 the percentage of 16,2%. As for the area of Palermo, in which the ARCA incubator is located, it is critically depending upon the public sector (headquarters of the regional government). The industrial system is actually very weak. The largest private sector is retail. Enterprises are small, in most cases traditional and public-oriented. Big companies are missing or have reduced their presence in years.
The ARCA consortium has been established with the aim to introduce the business incubation methodology in the research centres operating in our region.
ARCA is actually financed by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development to support new enterprises coming from spin-off of research groups located in Sicily.
The mission of ARCA can be pointed out as follows:
- Creating qualified jobs
- Supporting local economy through the start-up of new high-potential enterprises
- Promoting technology transfer and deployment of the results of research activities
- Promoting ICT
- Developing entrepreneurial mentality among the researchers
Universities and research centres operating in Sicily have good competences in industrial sectors with high rate of growth and local enterprises and public bodies are asking for innovative solutions. ARCA operates in such environment in order to develop a network of high-tech enterprises that will help the research centres to focus their activity on themes useful for the local development.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PARK OF SICILY
The Science and Technology Park of Sicily (STPS) is a joint-stock consortium company born from the association of research centres and of companies operating in different sectors of the Sicilian economy since 1991.
Thanks to the teamwork with the University of Palermo, Catania and Messina and to a deep knowledge of regional area, the STPS is able to create elements of competitive advantages, fundamental for the realisation of new products, new processes, new organizational systems, new activities and new enterprises.
In particular, the STPS of Sicily wants to identify itself as a useful instrument for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in order to facilitate their growth and to increase their visibility and competitiveness in international markets.
The operative model that has been thought for the STPS allows to optimize the use of different sources of applied knowledge and technologies. The presence in the consortium of various companies with different Know-how and core-business supplies STPS with a large "catchment area" from which it gathers qualified competences, for the development of projects in various sectors.
Its goals are:
- To consolidate relationships with the University and enterprise development;
- To boost technological improvement of local enterprises;
- To develop innovative research activities;
- To increase competitiveness of local enterprises;
- To attract new investments for Hi-Tech enterprises;
- To promote an economic system based on knowledge and quality
Main areas of interest are:
- Agro-food productions;
- Advanced biology and its applications;
- Conservation and valorisation and use of cultural and environmental resources, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
The premises are in Brancaccio (Palermo), in the headquarters of Industrial Development Area, whereas research laboratories, training and services are located in Catania.
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
As for the Research and Development (R&D) sector, in Sicily in 2003 expenditure destined for this sector covered 4% of the national total and amounted to 589,581,000 Euros.
63.1% of this sum is represented by university expenditure, whilst only 13.9% of the overall sum comes from Public Administration. As for personnel involved in R&D in Sicily, in the same period (2003), there was a 1.1% growth (compared to 2002) in the number of full-time equivalent units employed over all; 66.5% of those involved were university personnel.
In all, personnel involved in R&D in Sicily represented 4.8% of the corresponding total at the national level.
Sviluppo Italia Sicilia, one of the members of ARCA, has set up three business incubators in Catania, Messina and Termini Imerese (Palermo). They are characterized by strong links of collaboration with local Universities and with the industrial development areas (ASI).
In particular the ARCA Incubator is located inside the campus of the University of Palermo and it can host up to 15 start-ups.
The number of persons with vocational qualifications or a secondary school-leaving certificate is above 25.4% in the Region, whereas 33.6% of the population have the primary school certificate. Finally, 6.9% have a university degree.
The most popular secondary schools are the technical institutes which take in 33.5% of pupils, followed by the vocational institutes and the "Liceo" (scientific, classical and artistic), which make up 21.6% and 32.8% respectively.
THE METROPOLITAN OF PALERMO
As it concerns the province of Palermo, more than 1.000.000 people live in the metropolitan area and more than 60.000 students are attending the University of Palermo. It counts about 3.000 researchers/professors in the university and the related research centres.
ARCA supports innovative business star-ups through:
- Shared offices and laboratories
- IT facilities
Educational and consulting services including:
- Training in business management
- Marketing
- Business planning and support to business development
- Technology assessment
- Consultancy on finance, taxation and HR
- Managerial mentoring
Our staff operates in tight relationship with the local industrial associations and development agencies in order to introduce the new enterprise in the valuable existing business networks.
START CUP PALERMO
Start Cup Palermo Award is a business plan competition promoted by the University of Palermo in cooperation with Consorzio Arca, Banca Nuova, Engineering Ingegneria Informatica and Milano Finanza and with the organizational support of the Association SINTESI. Its aim is to promote the creation of enterprises with innovative content.
The competition is addressed to groups of people who can initially propose "business ideas" based on research and innovation.
The competition is divided in two different phases. In the first phase the best 10 "business ideas" are selected. Then the selected groups present a complete "business plan" including economic - financial estimates of the enterprise to be constituted. The best three "business plans" are awarded prizes.
In May and June seminars and a training course, addressed to the participants of the competition, are developed.
This year the second edition of Start Cup Palermo took place from April, 7th to October 25th 2006, when the first three groups have been awarded with 9.000, 6.000 and 3.000 Euros prizes.
The Award is connected with the activities of the project "Applied Research and Academic spin-off Centre" for the creation of a technological Incubator. All the "business ideas" of the participants can be evaluated also for their access to the technological Incubator managed by Consorzio ARCA within the University of Palermo.
MOST IMPORTANT SERVICES
Consulting services:
- As a business Incubator, our aim is to devise a business development tool able to accelerate the growth and the success of new enterprises supplying location, consultancy and other balanced services.
- The main goal of our incubator is thus to generate successful companies that reach financial independence at the end of the support program.
- We offer to our SMES not just 'bricks', but also a cooperative network of relationships with local authorities, Universities and research centres, with potential business partners, with customers and suppliers, and all the support they need to start up.
Training in Business development:
- Our training programme to business management concerns different areas such as: marketing, business planning and support to business development, technology assessment, consultancy on finance, taxation and HR.
- Specific training seminars are organized in the frame of the Start Cup business competition once a year and are open to start-up companies which are hosted in the incubator.
Managerial mentoring:
- We offer scouting of business opportunities, opening of shared offices, set-up of the IT system, educational and consulting services, managerial mentoring.
- As for scouting activities, we refer to focus groups in the research centres, Internet site and electronic newsletter, database of the research activities accessible via Internet, face-to-face meetings with the spin-off promoters, support for the feasibility study, check of the patent opportunities.
- We provide temporary managers that will be recruited for a period to the new enterprises with the aim to cover specific roles in the business. With this approach we want to balance the scientific character of the business promoters with a managerial approach focused on the success of the business idea.
Research of industrial partners:
- With the support of local entrepreneurs' associations, we support our SMEs in identifying Call for tenders concerning innovation, research and development that can be of interest for them and help them apply for funding within these Calls. The collaboration with larger companies to work out business development projects is very important for our SMEs to consolidate their market positioning.
LINKS TO MOST IMPORTANT WEBSITES OF OUR REGION
www.regione.sicilia.it
http://www.pa.camcom.it
http://www.pa.camcom.it/
http://www.me.camcom.it
http://www.cameradicommerciocatania.info
