BUSINESS

Creating New Services, Products,

and Values for Real People

Innovation centers are still quite a novelty in the Czech Republic, yet they have already delivered

a significant output. They can be found in each region: one of the oldest, JIC, operates in the South

-Moravian Region, while the Moravian-Silesian Innovation Center (MSIC) was established only

in 2017. We asked Mr Pavel Csank, the Chairman of the Board and the Head of the Team of Commercial

Innovations at MSIC, about the functions and operation of MSIC and their plans for the future.

Mr Csank, what are the benefits to society and the

purpose of the Innovation Centers?

The aim of the Innovation Centers is to help businesses

create new products, services, and values for humans,

especially those which people have not yet realized

that they might need. It is vital for the development of

a society that somebody thinks up an innovation and tries

to bring it to life. Let me quote Joseph Schumpeter, the

founder of the economics of innovation, who used to say

that “an innovator stands alone with an idea while facing

the suspicion of others.” Innovation Centers are here so

that innovators do not stand alone anymore.

Why do businesses come to your center? What are their

demands and what solutions do they need?

Our services are sought after by two kinds of entrepreneurs:

one group wants to start a new company and needs to

overcome an obstacle, such as technological limitations,

insufficient capital, or lacking capacities. The other group,

and the largest, is entrepreneurs already running their

own business, intending to expand or optimize internal

processes in their companies. One feature common to

both these groups is that there are people with a clear

vision and drive to innovate and implement something

new.

What is the situation in enterprise in the MoravianSilesian Region?

We do our best to enhance the business environment in our

region and to motivate people to start their enterprise at

the very beginning. In this region, there are approximately

60,000 people who have established about 120,000

business entities. These are likeable numbers, however,

they are still not big enough: the Moravian-Silesian Region,

like the Region of Ústí nad Labem, is way behind Prague

or the South-Moravian Region. No region will prosper with

such a low intensity of enterprise. This is why the operation

MORAVIAN-SILESIAN INNOVATION CENTER

MSIC offers its background and expertise to entrepreneurs

starting or upgrading their businesses. One-on-one expert service

begins with the identification of the need or obstacle in the

particular enterprise. Then the entrepreneur is assigned an expert

to search for the best solution. The expert may be another

entrepreneur or an interim manager. MSIC also provides room

in the technological park, e.g. shared labs, consultations with

experts in technologies, specialists fromVŠB–Technical University

of Ostrava, and cooperation with other companies.

28 ǀ POSITIV 3/2020

of the MSIC is focused on the development of the business

environment, services for start-ups and development of

medium and small businesses.

What are the services you provide to these businesses?

These activities are closely connected to the programme

Expand for experienced entrepreneurs. Since 2017, we

have finalized 122 projects in this programme (another

thirty-four are still running). We keep good relations with

participants in Expand, and keep developing mutual trust.

Those entrepreneurs who received our help want to

help others, other starting entrepreneurs above all. Our

innovative community has grown so that we are planning

the Investors Club.

My success is each

client

“ succeeds and comesand everycontract

who

back to

another service.

”

The Investors Club seems an attractive idea. How does

such a club work?

Experienced entrepreneurs support beginning ones with

advice and capital. They invest. Young enterprise thus wins

experience and opportunities to enter international markets.

The Investors Club is another part of the wider sheltering

project Enterprising Region, consisting of activities inviting

new members to the innovative community who are getting

ready to start their own business.

Do you succeed in persuading the shy and hesitating

entrepreneurs to actually start their companies?

We are not alone. Our partners work with the community

of people from the planning stage of their own enterprise.

Together, we created a regional competition/challenge for

start-ups (entrepreneurs and businesses) Startup Voucher,

with almost 100 applicants from all over the region in our

pilot programme. The response makes us very happy. We

intend to announce more programmes and to support more

people capable of transforming their ideas into a business

and give them a go.

What other innovation opportunities have you introduced

in the Moravian-Silesian Region?

There are many. We try to operate in various fields and

we have various strategic partners in each. We actively

deal with trends forming the economy, such as the future

of mobility, the digitization of company processes or