Open Cross Cluster Incubator - Support structures for start-ups at the intersections of industry clusters

Purpose - In the last decade increasing amounts of innovative technologies and business plans have been formed at the interfaces of highly divergent disciplines that had no, or only a few connections before. In contrast, over the years established incubator structures in industry clusters have supported entrepreneurs mainly in one specific field. Thus, there is a gap of support structures offering custom-tailored services for start-ups in new emerging sectors. Based on this problem, the paper introduces a novel approach for Open Cross Cluster Incubators (OCCI). Design/methodology/approach - The OCCI concept implies the linkage of actors of different clusters to support early stage projects with incubation services. In detail, these incubation services are not bound to one institution, but distributed across research institutions, regional business development and transfer agencies, and industry associations. The main goals of an OCCI are mapping and networking existing services (e.g. market research, fund scouting, international marketing, business modelling, partner search, consortia building, and IP issues) as well as building up new functional components based on identified, emerging demands of entrepreneurs. Consequently, this virtual incubator model comes up with new challenges in coordination and synchronization as well as allocation of responsibilities. These issues must be solved to explore and capitalize on the synergetic potential of technology regions and its ecosystems. The OCCI approach is discussed with examples of a two-year cross cluster project funded by the European Union demonstrating first measurements of this concept and demand analysis. Originality/value - The approach focuses on a gap of incubation services for start-ups that do not fit into a specific scope of current cluster structures and support activities. For these potentially emerging industries a new way of customized incubation is designed. Practical implications - The paper names the benefits of OCCI services, outlines a roadmap for a sustainable implementation, and shows the results of a study that provides information on how to collect data of uprising entrepreneurial demands.