Has the ERDF successfully supported the development of business incubators?

The value of virtual incu‑ The effectiveness of the benchmarked bation is demonstrated by the fact that EC‑BIC certified incubators, which the number of start‑ups created by the were of a comparable size to the audited incubators greatly exceeds the ones audited by the Court, was much number of tenants in the incubators. [...] initiatives had the potential to make The document, which was produced a contribution to the accumulation of on the basis of the experience of EBN relevant knowledge within the Com‑ members, describes the main factors mission, and also to the dissemination and processes which exert the greatest of this knowledge and relevant good influence on the success of business practices among interested stak. [...] Common reply to III and IV The Commission welcomes the Court’s conclusion To increase the knowledge of managing author‑ concerning the ERDF financial contribution to the ities in the field, the European Commission drafted creation of business infrastructure. [...] ‘A guide to regional innovation strategies (RIS).’ In addition, the Commission provided guidance based The Commission notes that the classification of the on the experience of the different generations of performance of the audited incubators as mod‑ regional innovation strategies. [...] Reply of the Commission 37 VII VII (a) Within the framework for cohesion, the Commission The Commission fully supports the need to estab‑ is not involved in the selection of projects, except lish business incubators on the basis of detailed and for the approval of major projects.