The Incubator Initiative was launched in 2002, with support from the Government of Japan. Today, infoDev supports a global network of over 60 business incubators and similar institutions that promote ICT-enabled entrepreneurship in developing countries. These organizations reflect the enormous diversity of business models for delivering business development services to ICT entrepreneurs, and the common and unique challenges faced in the respective local environments. infoDev supports these incubators with both financing and capacity building, and regional and global networking is facilitated through workshops and forums.

In 2006, regional networks were launched with the aim of bringing together these organizations to share lessons and experiences. Regional networks are now active in:

	Africa
	Asia
	Eastern Europe & Central Asia
	Latin America & the Caribbean
	Middle East and North Africa

Building Local Capacity: infoDev

• provides financial and technical assistance to help existing incubators improve and scale up their operations
• facilitates the development of new business incubators in areas that are currently not served
• encourages innovative use of ICT based on local needs and contexts
• enables a network of knowledge-sharing among business incubators that support ICT-enabled private sector development.

Generating New Knowledge: The Incubator Initiative is dedicated to capturing and disseminating knowledge and best practices on promoting ICT-enabled entrepreneurship. infoDev therefore leverages this network to identify and understand the primary constraints to ICT-enabled innovation, new business creation and expansion across the economy. This includes financial and human resource limitations, as well as policy and regulatory challenges.

Providing Advice: The knowledge created through the Incubator Initiative is used to deliver customized advisory services to donors. Recent examples of such services includes advise provided to the European Commission in their work to promote ICT-enabled entrepreneurship in Eastern Caribbean.

Who Funds the Incubator Initiative?

The Incubator Initiative was established with a multi-year contribution from the government of Japan. In 2006 the governments of Finland and India provided additional funds and resources. Incubators further leverage infoDev's funding by obtaining local support local from organizations such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and the European Commission.