UIC (Uppsala Innovation Centre) is a business incubator in Uppsala County and Södertälje Municipality south of Stockholm. UIC is owned equally by STUNS (the Foundation for Collaboration between the Universities in Uppsala, Business, and the Public Sector), the municipality of Uppsala, SLU Holding, and Uppsala University Holding Company.

UIC is the world’s 4th best University-affiliated business incubator according to UBI Global, which compared 259 business incubators from 53 countries. UIC ranks above the global average in impact on economic growth, number of new jobs created, the incubator’s business development competence and in particular the survival rate of the incubator companies.

UBI Global presented their world-wide business incubator rankings during the World Incubation Summit in Toronto on February 22, 2018. UIC was ranked 4th in the category “World Top Business Incubator – Affiliated with University 17/18”, which can be compared with UIC’s previous ranking of 10th in the 2015 global comparison.

UIC is industry independent and offers business development support, knowledge and a network for innovative projects and growing companies that want to develop and scale-up to reach an international market. The UIC model includes business development programs and a broad network of carefully selected business coaches in the commercial and industrial sectors, all focused on helping companies achieve their stated goals. Moreover, UIC has a network of about 20 business partners and 20 specialists, industrialization coaches, experienced in moving from prototype to series production. UIC does not take any ownership interest in the companies. Over 700 projects and companies have received business development support through UIC since it was founded in 1999. Nine out of ten UIC alumni companies remain active in the market today.

The UIC Model in short

• Business development programs for the different phases of entrepreneurship.

• About 20 UIC partners with expert competence available for UIC companies.

• A broad network of carefully selected UIC business coaches within all sectors of industry.

• Independent partner – UIC takes no ownership in UIC companies.

• Focus on business development, not office rentals.

UIC provides different business development programs and services:

1. UIC Business Startup - makes it possible to go from idea to customer in just three months. Entrepreneurs, teams and companies are provided with the knowledge, guidance and networks required for achieving short time to market. Runs for three months

2. UIC Business Lab - aims to strengthen early-development business processes in projects moving towards corporatization or in already-started companies. Provides greater knowledge in business development, financing and what it takes to build a business concept and organization. Runs for three months

3. UIC Business Accelerator - is a tailor made business development program aimed at companies ready to scale or expand to a new or international market. Through individual coaching by a matched business coach and UIC, the scaleups are given access to key resources in the business development process, e.g. business coaching, counselling, support with financing, and a comprehensive business network. Runs for 2-3 years. For companies not fully meeting the criteria when applying to UIC Business Accelerator, UIC offers targeted coaching to selected candidates through UIC Business Prep.

4. UIC Alumni - comprises of companies that have completed the UIC Business Accelerator program and are selected by the UIC board. UIC Alumni companies can exchange experiences with companies within UIC and continue to grow with UIC as a close business partner.

5. Space Incubator ESA BIC Sweden - is run by ABI in Luleå, UIC and Innovatum in Trollhättan. Through UIC and its programs, ESA BIC companies receive both technical and business advice, access to funding and mediation for entrepreneurs from research centres, universities, space and non-space business seeking to realize their innovative ideas and transfer technologies from space to other areas of the economy.

6. Business Coaches, Specialists & UIC Partners - An important part of the UIC model is UIC’s broad network of business coaches and specialists where carefully selected entrepreneurs or persons on leading positions guide the UIC companies towards their stated goals. Moreover, UICs network of about 20 UIC partners support the UIC companies and projects throughout all UIC’s programs - within areas such as product development, IP, marketing, law, and insurance etc.

• 1 SEK of UIC funding pays 12 SEK back to society. The return ratio on the public funding UIC received during 2017 was 12, in the form of taxes the incubator companies and UIC Alumni companies for the past five years paid back to society

• During 2017, venture capital investments in UIC companies reached 391 MSEK (39,8 MEUR) and the total turnover was 500 MSEK (51 MEUR)

• Over 3.2 BSEK (332 MEUR) have been invested in UIC companies since 2004

• About 80 projects, startups and growth companies are admitted to UIC’s business development programs every year 

• UIC evaluate about 230 innovative business ideas yearly

• UIC turnover was 23 MSEK in 2017.

Uppsala Innovation Centre is a business incubator offering well-defined processes to help start-up companies develop their innovations. The mission is to increase the number of successful high-growth companies within the Uppsala region by supporting and inspiring researchers and students in the commercialisation of their ideas and results, and in their cooperation with companies and organizations. UIC also represents a door into the university for businesses and organizations that want to develop through collaborative research or innovations produced here.

UIC companies:

https://uic.se/en/uic-companies/