Best Practice: Support Open Data Start Ups

Challenge

Getting a PSI / open data inspired based business up and running requires a multitude of fields of knowledge and mentoring.

Solution

Universities are well inter-connected, they have the required knowledge necessary for open data startups like (statisitics, visualisation, programming), and they usually have the necessary relationships to practitioners, and other academics to complete missing skills and knwoledge.

Furthermore they can provide:

• Resources: They often own facilities which are not used upto their full capacity.
• Mentoring: University nodes can act as a trusted third party intermediary, who can establish the first contacts, or bring the first 5 customers.
• Networking to startups: Professors, Professionals.
• Potential Entrepreneurs like students, Alumni, SMEs, Individuals.

Why is this a Best Practice? What’s the impact of the Best Practice

It contributes to sustainable growth and entrepreneurship based on Open Data, in Europe.

Links to the Revised PSI Directive

Policies and Legislation

Why is there a need for this Best Practice?

Europe Startup culture is lagging behind the US. Innovation and productivity has to rise in order to remain competitive.

What do you need for this Best Practice?

A new structure in a University or other similar educational institute is needed.

Detailed steps towards the academic startup incubator:

• make open data via web services available to students: provide some initial tools, training, technology groups;
• expand on successful startup examples, generalize and apply to other areas of business;
• make long lasting competitions, as one month is not enough in order to distill ideas;
• connect with the outer world: journalists;
• provide legal advice for the establishment, IPR and privacy;
• mentors should also come from successful startups;
• The loudest bird survives: Blog on every activity, involve students into that process;
• team up with another academic school (unite media and technics);
• provide intercultural communication education, as startups are likely to provide services on an international scale;
• first identify friendly customers, then make them enthusiasts.