Most who follow the trend are cautious champions of the incubator concept. The difference is in the objective of the sponsoring organization. Some are very much involved in economic development. Some are involved in technology commercialization. A university's incubator might be totally different.
Incubators are a relatively new phenomenon, and their results are still being determined.
Still, Collins believes incubators are a proven success. The risk when starting an incubator is starting one in a community that has so little technology to leverage. A consensus and focus are needed. There needs to be an agreement as to what the focus of an incubator should be. It really comes down to being able to draw on support from the community, from your local industry base.