Business incubator opened in central Moldova town

Chisinau, 19 June /MOLDPRES/ - The tenth business incubator, constructed with the European Union’s support, was launched in Calarasi town, central Moldova, today, the Economics Ministry’s press service has reported.     
The Calarasi-based Business Incubator has a total area of 2,000 squares metres. A number of 20-26 companies will be hosted there, which might create at least 60 jobs. Presently, 15 companies have already a status of resident of the incubator, of which five will work in the production sector (PVC windows and doors, things made from wrought metal, textiles with embroidered ornaments, clothes for children) and ten companies provide services (accountancy and consultancy in business, real estate, call centre, design and printing, courier’s work, cosmetic, social service).       
Attending the event, Deputy Prime Minister, Economics Minister Octavian Calmic said that business incubators represented a school of business, which should be extended in other districts of Moldova as well. “The implementation of the project on creation of business incubators, backed by our friends from EU, allowed us not only to support entrepreneurs from more settlements of the country, but also to diversify their spheres of activity, to create conditions for training and development for young entrepreneurs, to give them possibility to become more competitive both on the domestic market and on the foreign one. The Economics Ministry will further back the network of business incubators, including by their geographic extension in other districts of the country too,” Octavian Calmic said.     
In the context, a representative of the European Union Delegation in Moldova, Aneil Singh, said that the project of business incubators had proved to be successful in Moldova, as it contributed to starting more businesses in different sectors of the national economy, created jobs, launched new services and products on the Moldovan market. “I am sure that the Calarasi Business Incubator will be a platform not only for initiating and launching new enterprises, but also a bridge in the process of economic development of the district and Moldova, on the whole,” the EU official stressed.      
For her part, the director general of the Organization for Small and Medium Enterprises Sector Development (ODIMM), Iulia Iabanji, specified that the project on carrying out the Calarasi-based Business Incubator was estimated at 8.5 million lei, of which about 850,000 lei was the contribution of the district council.     
Starting from 2009, with the support of the European Union and the Norwegian government, ODIMM, in partnership with the Economics Ministry and local public authorities’ representatives, created a network of business incubators throughout Moldova. Presently, such incubators work in the districts of  Stefan Voda, Leova, Rezina, Singerei, Ceadir-Lunga, Nisporeni, Cimislia, Cosnita village, eastern Dubasari district (built with EU’s support) and Soroca (carried out with Norway’s support). These incubators hosted 289 companies, of which 144 successfully finished the incubation period. As many as 950 jobs were created through business incubators. On the immediately next period, a new Business Incubator will be launched in the southern Cahul city.      
(Reporter A. Mardare, editor L. Alcaza)