Philadelphia incubator gains international designation

A Philadelphia incubator and the country’s oldest urban research park has received the National Business Incubation Association’s Soft Landings International Incubator designation.

The University City Science Center of Philadelphia earned the accreditation for its incubator’s focus on welcoming nondomestic firms into its domestic market with translation services, helping them to cut through governmental red tape, providing access to capital, domestic market research and other programs, according to a statement from the incubator association.

The Science Center’s Port Business Incubator helps international companies get a foothold in the region’s life sciences and technology markets with wet labs, work space and access to its business support programs. It also provides specialized assistance to nondomestic firms.

The Science Center, established in 1963, is one of 23 business incubation programs worldwide to earn the designation since NBIA launched the program in 2005.

Among other organizations with the designation are the Commercialization Centre for Innovative Technologies at the Technology Centre of New Jersey in North Brunswick, the Enterprise Development Centre in Newark, New Jersey, and the Central Pennsylvania Small Business Incubator — Murata Business Centre in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Since it introduced the Global Soft Landing Program in 2006, more than 20 companies from 10 countries have participated in the program, said Science Center President and CEO Dr. Stephen S. Tang.

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