Regional Policy Improvement for Financially Sustainable Creative Incubator Units
Incubator units for creative industries business start ups provide much needed space and act as vital support mechanisms and catalysts for the development of entrepreneurship and innovation in this sector right across the EU. 

The creative industries (e.g. Advertising, Textiles, Fashion, Television & Radio, Photo Imaging, Graphic Design and Interactive Media, Publishing, Animation, Computer Games, Film and Commercials Production and Post Production) provide significant employment opportunities, and are now recognised as one of “Europe’s most dynamic sectors” (EU green paper: Unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries”), with strong potential to contribute to growth and job creation. 

However, most survive only with some Regional Authority funding or subsidy and, with the current public funding cutbacks, many are now facing serious threats to their financial survival and ability to realise their full potential as a force for change and economic development.
While much research in previously funded projects has focussed on the role and value of specific activities undertaken within creative incubator units, InCompass will focus exclusively on how they can become independently financially sustainable. Using a number of existing incubator units across the EU as the main study vehicle, the project will identify a number of existing good practices that are already providing levels of financial security and transfer them for collective adoption into, and improvement of, regional policy. The adoption into policy of the COMBINATIONS of these good practices will potentially offer "total financial sustainability solutions".                                      

The consortium has 15 partners: 7 regional/local authorities, 3 universities and research institutes, 2 business parks with incubator units, 3 economic and regional growth agencies. All are directly involved in policy development. 9 member states are involved across 4 geographic areas.
All partners appreciate the full value of the project and all expect to both contribute to, and benefit from, the process of the exchange of experience and the opportunity for policy improvement across all regions.
The project involves a programme of: study visits and reports on good practice; thematic seminars to share the findings within the consortium; Regional Implementation Groups of stakeholders to assess the transferability of good practice and make regional policy recommendations. 
The project will deliver the following outputs and results: minimum 12 case study visits; 10 thematic seminars; 12 Regional Implementation Plans with recommendations for policy improvements. Interpretation and translation will be provided as necessary to ensure that language is no barrier. 
Dissemination of the results will be done via the project website, social media, e-newsletters, brochures and conferences - one of which will be the final conference at the Committee of the Regions in Brussels.