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South Moravian Innovation Centre

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South Moravian Innovation Centre (SIC) Empowering people to create and grow businesses that change the world.

South Moravian Innovation Centre (Czech: Jihomoravské inovační centrum, JIC) is a Czech association of legal entities in Brno, Czech Republic that supports companies and connects them with universities and research institutions.

JIC members include the South Moravian Region, the statutory city of Brno, Masaryk University, Brno University of Technology, Mendel University in Brno, and the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Companies that were supported by JIC include Kiwi.com, Flowmon Networks, Y Soft,[1] Safetica Technologies, Sewio, FlowUp or Webnode.[2][3]

History

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One of the JIC buildings: biotechnology incubator JIC INBIT in university campus in Brno Bohunice

JIC was established in 2003 as an association of legal entities. JIC was established based on the regional innovation strategy of the South Moravian Region as one of the elements that should help build a knowledge region.[4]

JIC operates three business incubators in Brno (the technological incubator JIC INTECH, the biotechnological incubator JIC INBIT, and the third incubator, JIC INMEC, focused on advanced materials and technologies) and the creative hub KUMST.

Activities

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JIC manages two technological incubators: one on the Brno University of Technology campus and the other, a Biotechnological Incubator, on the university campus in Brno-Bohunice. Since 2020, it also operates the creative hub KUMST in the center of Brno. Within the KUMST initiative, the Czech Republic's first gaming incubator, Gamebaze, was established, which also falls under the JIC.[5]

JIC offers services tailored for different stages of business development, including for startups, scale-ups, and top regional companies. These services range from educational programs, mentoring, and competitions for students with innovative ideas, to acceleration programs for startups, expert business consultations for SMEs aiming to expand internationally, and networking opportunities for established companies seeking growth. Each service is designed to support the entrepreneurial ecosystem in South Moravia, facilitating connections with experts, investors, and potential partners locally and internationally.[6]

JIC assists innovative companies, students with original ideas, researchers, and inventors. Entrepreneurs who started in JIC incubators include Václav Muchna, co-owner of the company Y Soft,[1] who won the title of the Czech Republic's Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 in a competition organized by Ernst & Young. The Šabatka (father and son) from IDEA StatiCa also received the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2020.[7]

JIC also operates FabLab, which is an open digital workshop in the Czech Technology Park in Brno, established in 2017. The company FabLab Brno was founded in 2022.

Awards

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In 2010, JIC won the national round of the European Enterprise Awards and represented the Czech Republic in the European round of the competition in the "Entrepreneurial Environment Development Award" category. At the end of 2011, JIC placed third in the international The Best Incubator Award in the category of the best internationally involved incubator for the year 2011.[8][9]

#brnoregion has been awarded the European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) 2024 award, becoming the first recipient of this title from the Czech Republic. This achievement reflects twenty years of effort to develop the region, closely linked to the activities of the JIC.[10][11]

Subsidiaries

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JIC has three subsidiaries: Intemac Solution, which operates the research center INTEMAC, JIC VENTURES, and FabLab Brno. JIC was involved in the establishment of the network of Czech and Slovak innovation centers, Ynovate.[12]

The JIC (South Moravian Innovation Centre) is actively involved in supporting innovation and entrepreneurship in the Czech Republic. Its connections with EEN (Enterprise Europe Network) and ESA BIC (European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre) are indicative of its involvement in the European innovation ecosystem. JIC also operates projects and subsidiaries.[13]

INTEMAC

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INTEMAC is an organization that specializes in fostering innovation within the context of Industry 4.0, focusing on the digitalization of production processes. It provides a testing environment for companies to explore advancements in smart manufacturing, automation, and robotics. INTEMAC also offers support in the development and optimization of new solutions, compliance with norms, client specifications, and technology presentation spaces. An achievement includes assisting a company (Packung) in significantly boosting its revenue and order fulfillment efficiency through the implementation of a new ERP system.[14]

JIC Ventures

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JIC VENTURES was founded in 2015 with the aim of investing in current and former JIC program participants. The company supports the development of proven companies with investments of hundreds of thousands to millions of Czech crowns. It plans to use successfully realized shares to support other JIC clients. The company invests alone or with other investors. The first investment of JIC VENTURES went to GINA Software in exchange for a 3% stake. GINA Software develops a mapping system for mobile devices that enables navigation in challenging terrain, team coordination, and efficient exchange of geographical information.

Since then JIC VENTURES has invested in a variety of innovative companies, showcasing a commitment to supporting growth and development in diverse sectors. This portfolio includes Myco, focusing on sustainable solutions; NenoVision, pioneers of in-situ correlative microscopy; Arbo Technologies, developing environmental technologies; Localazy, offering software localization tools; Harangi Sound, specializing in audio technology; Wereldo, enhancing logistics efficiency.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Václav Muchna – brněnský Gates" (in Czech). HyperStudent.cz. January 26, 2010. Retrieved 2014-05-15. (in Czech)
  2. ^ "KIWI.com: A rocket from #brnoregion". brnoregion.com. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  3. ^ "JIC - podnikání dává smysl". www.jic.cz. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  4. ^ JIC. "JIC slaví 20 let | JIC". 20let.jic.cz. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  5. ^ Gamebaze. "Gamebaze". gamebaze.cz. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  6. ^ "JIC - podnikání dává smysl". www.jic.cz. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  7. ^ "Titul EY Podnikatele roku Jihomoravského kraje získala IDEA StatiCa". www.ey.com (in Czech). Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  8. ^ "Jihomoravské inovační centrum se řadí mezi nejlepší na světě — Ekonomika — ČT24 — Česká televize" (in Czech). Ceskatelevize.cz. 2012-01-26. Retrieved 2014-05-15. (in Czech)
  9. ^ "Portál Jihomoravského kraje" (in Czech). Kr-jihomoravsky.cz. Retrieved 2014-05-15. (in Czech)
  10. ^ "#brnoregion receives the European Entrepreneurial Region Award". brnoregion.com. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  11. ^ "South Moravia eyes global recognition after winning EU entrepreneurship award". Science|Business. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  12. ^ "Ynovate - innovation development network". www.ynovate.cz. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  13. ^ "JIC - podnikání dává smysl". www.jic.cz. Retrieved 2024-04-15.
  14. ^ "INTEMAC I Náskok v inovacích". www.intemac.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2024-04-15.
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