The Pardubice Business Incubator (P-PINK) started its operations today in renovated buildings in the regional city. The organisation helps entrepreneurs with their projects, maintain their business, develop it, thanks to which they do not have to leave for other regions, according to Jiří Janků, the director.
“In the first three years, seven out of ten budding entrepreneurs quit. Some of them would not have to quit if they could come for advice,” Janků said. For example, entrepreneurs need advice on financing, he added.
P-PINK is a subsidiary of the Regional Development Agency of the Pardubice Region. The incubator started operating in March 2018. Until now, it was located in the House of Technology in Pardubice. Thanks to the support of the Pardubice Region, the organisation is gradually expanding its activities to other cities, with branches in Česká Třebová, Moravská Třebová and Svitavy.
The incubator is now located in Jana Palacha Street, the house belongs to the city and was rented for five years. The construction work on the house with descriptive numbers 363 and 372 began last March. The reconstruction cost CZK 43 million, Pardubice contributed CZK 23 million, the European subsidy was CZK 18 million, CZK 2 million was provided by the Pardubice Region.
The original cost was supposed to be around CZK 30 million. “The reconstruction was very demanding, it is an old house. Prices have just gone up a lot. We tried to minimize the increase in costs as much as possible, but we still came in above the planned budget,” Janků said.
There are 14 separate and 14 shared offices in the building. Gradually, according to the director, there will be a business community that can exchange experiences and help each other, according to Janků. “There are workshops with 3D printers where entrepreneurs can print prototypes, they can also make podcasts, videos, and there is also a photography studio. The rent will be very friendly,” the director said.
High school student Rudolf Samuel Mašek and his two colleagues have been working for several years on a concept for an aqua reactor to process organic waste in the most efficient way possible. They want to build a prototype. “It could be revolutionary in the field of circular economy. We are doing empirical experiments in the greenhouse at the high school. It seems to us that conventional biogas plants are not a great solution, they have a lot of shortcomings,” Mašek said.
The young people have been working with the incubator for several years. “The first year they connected us with a lawyer for example for a patent, later they worked with us more actively, we had regular online meetings every Wednesday. They would tell each other what we had done, what we were planning, that moved us a lot,” Mašek said. P-PINK helps them with grants or to contact companies and experts.
“For all start-ups and small entrepreneurs, the incubator is a good help, it provides them with facilities and methodical guidance. I know a lot of people who had good ideas, but because they didn’t have practical experience, they didn’t get into anything,” said Mayor Jan Nadrchal (ANO).
One of the partners of the incubators is the Centre for Technology and Knowledge Transfer of the University of Pardubice. “If an academic, researcher or student implements an innovative technology project, we do not have the business know-how for it. For example, the incubator will help them to set up a company to develop their project,” said Karolina Kašparová, head of the centre.
Source: P-PINK and CTK
Further information about Business incubator can be found on the link below.
