Brno was once famous for its textile industry. But its subsequent decline in the late 20th century meant that the Czech Republic’s second-largest city had to reinvent itself.
Twenty years ago, a new business center was launched in Brno. JIC (South Moravian Innovation Center) was one of the first technology incubators in the Eastern part of the EU.
Today, its success has made it an attraction for entrepreneurs and companies with an international outlook.
“In the history of JIC, several hundred companies that perform our services … have a turnover of about 700 million euros.”
IDEA StatiCa started from scratch 12 years ago at JIC. Specialists in concrete and steel connections, they are now one of the world leaders in their sector with over 6,500 customers.
Juraj Sabatka, CEO of IDEA StatiCa, told Euronews: “The JIC helps you move forward. “What is more valuable and what comes later with the cooperation of the JIC is consultation [aspect]. It means talking to the community and [using the] “JIC offers specialized services, which means they can review your business plan, review your market model, review your development operations and help you do it.”
JIC has helped create more than 3,500 skilled jobs since 2003. Its total budget is more than 12.5 million euros, 72% of which is funded by the European Cohesion Policy.
One of the slogans of this group is “Entrepreneurship for a better world”. JIC supports startups like Tierra Verde, which specializes in eco-friendly cleaning products. They started by selling organic soap. They now sell 250 products.
Tierra Verde CEO Jan Čillík told Euronews: “Currently, JIC is helping Tierra Verde with two projects. One is focused on automation and the second is on sustainability. And JIC is helping us with the opening. [the] European Market for Tierra Verde.”
In an effort to encourage and raise awareness of entrepreneurship, JIC is currently offering training sessions for future business leaders. Workshops and activities are held in collaboration with Czech universities, and we hope to encourage the youth of the region to develop ideas that will bring about positive changes in the coming years and decades.
“What kind of values do we bring to students? I think it’s brave, says Veronika Rejkova, team leader of JIC’s student development team. It’s also freedom like choosing what they’re going to do, and maybe creativity, that they can really come up with something very new. , which no one had heard of before.
As a token of appreciation for its success so far, JIC has been nominated for the 2022 REGIOSTARS Award – which celebrates Europe’s best projects funded by the EU under Cohesion Policy.
