The event will draw more than 300 participants from 60 - 70 countries, and including representatives of the public, private, academic and not-for-profit sectors. The event will provide an opportunity to:

1. network with other participants to informally exchange ideas and explore opportunities for partnership
   
2. learn from the achievements and lessons of infoDev's Global Network of Incubators
   
3. attend training sessions designed to increase the capacity of incubator managers, and
   
4. initiate plans of action for regional and global networks of organizations seeking to promote ICT-enabled entrepreneurship and innovation

The 2 Global Forum is being hosted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, the State of Andhra Pradesh, and the Information for Development Program (infoDev), a multi-donor research and advisory service organization focused on how to most effectively utilize ICT to achieve development results.

Background:

The first Global Forum on Business Incubation was held in New Delhi in 2004. The Forum brought together innovators and entrepreneurs, policymakers, donors, and other partners from around the globe to explore how ICT-enabled innovation and business incubation can expand economic opportunities for developing countries. It also served as the first meeting of infoDev's Global Network of Incubators, which brings together infoDev-supported business incubators and others promoting ICT-enabled innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the world, for mutual support, knowledge sharing, advocacy and joint action.

Since the first Forum, infoDev's Incubator Initiative has grown to encompass organizations from more than 50 countries, and Regional Networks have been formed in Africa, Asia, Latin America/the Caribbean and Eastern/Central Europe, forming the backbone of the growing Global Network.

Developing countries, and the international donor community, are increasingly recognizing the power of ICT as tools to create new economic opportunities, grow innovative businesses, and support entrepreneurship. infoDev's Global Innovation Network aims to be a resource for organizations that seek to realize these opportunities, enabling them to learn from each other, and design the policies, investments and initiatives that will allow developing countries to realize the potential of ICT-enabled innovation and entrepreneurship to reach development goals.

Participants:

Participants are expected to be from the public, private, academic, and not-for-profit sectors from about 60 – 70 countries. Participation will be by invitation only.