Assessment of the performance of industrial incubator’s program: a case study of SIDO.

Development issues have been insisted globally as a tool for entrepreneurship which makes incubation programs to increase rapidly so as to cater the hardships of doing business and provide job opportunities as well as accelerate economic growth. This study adds much to the understanding of industrial incubation programs in Tanzania by dealing on three specific objectives of the study identified from 133 semi-structured interviews. Firstly, identification of indicator for industrial incubator; Also, assessing the industrial incubation based on identified indicators; Lastly, identifying factor that affect industrial incubation in Tanzania. Findings include: The results showed that, out of the variables tested, technology transfer program, information symmetry, networking and mentoring, physical space and other facilities, monitoring and reporting, advertisement and promotion, collaboration and benchmarking and fund raising. Of these, seven were ineffective while only one showed effectiveness which is information symmetry. The study revealed that, though some support services are put on ground for the running of the program, the problem lies with the implementation. Lastly, the results showed that there was positive correlation between some of industrial incubator’s factors affecting growth of SMEs. The study recommends improvement (incubation space, fund, grant, visionary managers, rotation rate, location of the incubator and training) on the ineffective variables high lightened for further improvement and suggestions for further research made.