Incubator successes: lessons learned from successful incubators towards the 21st century

Purpose: The objective of this paper is twofold (1) Discuss and analyze the successful adoption of incubators worldwide, and (2) The lessons learned from successful incubators towards the 21^st century.

Design/methodology/approach: The research methodologies adopted in this study are a mixed-methods approach: quantitative (survey) and qualitative (five international case studies).

Findings: Incubators contribute to the international economy and play a vital role not only in the economic recovery but also in smart growth and economic development. These findings will assist incubator managers, policy makers and government parties in successful implementation of incubator policies.

Originality/value: This paper contributes to the current literate on the best practices worldwide. Furthermore, it presents future perspectives for academicians and practitioners.

Keywords: Incubators, Economic development, Technology transfer, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Job creation.