BusinessWorld Online
ICT incubation vans rolled out in Mindanao
By Maricel E. Estavillo, Reporter
An incubation facility housed in re-designed container vans has been rolled out in
A bellwether in Mindanao, the ICT Incubation Center inside the Brokenshire College is a product of a joint venture agreement between Davao-based ICT services firm 3G Communications International Inc. and Brokenshire Learning Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of Brokenshire College.
The 14 multi-colored container vans, with floor space of 2 1/2 x 10 meters each, are equipped with airconditioning units and compartments to resemble traditional office spaces. The vans were once used as mobile public calling offices of a private telecommunication company.
Now designed as fixtures inside the Brokenshire campus,the organizers have spent over P1.8 million in transforming the mobile vans to office units, said 3G Communications special project coordinator Romulo Suleik in a telephone interview yesterday.
The center will initially accommodate up to eight start-up firms and scheduled to open before the end of this month, according to the project's concept paper furnished BusinessWorld.
Qualified ICT locators are small-and-middle-sized firms engaged in research, development and design of ICT products, services, and processes; inward investing companies that intend to start-up and expand in Davao City; and operators of ICT businesses who place knowledge-based innovations that encompass decision-making, research, product and market development, advanced and prototype manufacturing, and customer support and associate services.
These firms shall be provided by the center with office spaces and utilities such as electricity, telephone, bandwidth, and water for free for a period of one year from start of operations; administrative support such as secretarial pool, bookkeeping, marketing, sales and compliance with government regulations; and legal and business assistance from related organization and ICT experts and professionals.
"[It] provides value-added services and flexible facilities to accelerate the formation and growth of early-stage technology ventures, and to increase their likelihood of success," read the project's rationale. Value-added services include professional coaching, access to business network and assistance with financing.
Citing a study from the National Business Incubation Association, the concept paper added that 87% of start-up companies that graduate from incubators remain in business unlike those who have not.
The guidelines of the project said locators should allocate 30% of their equity to the center as payment for the services rendered and to ensure the sustainability of the project.
Meanwhile, the Center will also provide support to enterpreneurs and companies engaged in the ICT business but have not made it to the list of locators.
Mr. Suleik said that they are open to collaborative agreements, particularly with local and international funding agencies, as they are not receiving outside funding from other sources, as of yet.
An ICT hub declared by the government, Davao City is already the location for ICT companies such as Alter Access Infotech Services, Hubport Interactive Inc., Filmindsoft Systems and Dev't Corp., IDS Media, lane Systems Inc., MTTO Transcriptions, Multitask Internet Systems Int'l., Offsourcing InfoTech, Pixel Weaver, and SSP Transcription Services.
Recently, the city tops a list of cities and provinces as potential locations for ICT companies, based on the requirements set by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and its industry association partner Business Processing Association of the
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