Over and above the obvious cost and convenience incentives, those involved in the study and management of incubators say the key aspect of the facilities is that they provide a nurturing environment to encourage success.  "Incubators provide the basic emotional support that helps bring companies to life," says R. Mark Van Allen, president of the Bridgeport Innovation Center in Bridgeport, Conn.  "It's almost like having fruit flies in a petri dish.  The companies grow and interact, and we try to provide support to encourage that interaction."

"One of the things we offer is courage," says John Black, general manager of operations at the Minneapolis Business and Technology Center, home for 68 fledgling businesses.  "Office space is just the beginning.  People may not have the guts to start, and we offer them an easy way to take that step."

Carlos Morales, founder and first executive director of the National Business Incubator Association (NBIA), and now head of a consulting firm specializing in the development of business incubators in the U. S. and abroad, concurs.  "Starting a business is hard.  You've got nothing going for you.  In some cases, even your own mother won't lend you money.  There is little positive reinforcement.  You may be called mistaken, or foolish, but never crazy."

Morales expects to see over 1,000 incubators up and running in the U.S. by 1992 ("probably only one-tenth of what's needed"); there are currently some 330 nationwide based on NBIA statistics.  In fact, incubators have become a worldwide trend, with over 200 in Europe, 60 in West Germany, and several in Canada and Japan.  Incubators are also starting in Australia, the Caribbean, the People's Republic of China, the Philippines, South America and four African nations.

Dinah Adkins, current executive director of the NBIA, takes this emulation from overseas as a positive sign for American competitiveness.  "Even the Japanese are looking at incubators as a way to foster the development of small, entrepreneurial firms," she comments.  "As with so many other innovations, they are looking to the U.S. as a world leader, and attempting to replicate our advances."