November 12, 2007
A delegation from the LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business met with representatives from the Fudan Venture Center in Shanghai on October 22, 2007. Bryan Greenwood, assistant director of the Louisiana Business & Technology Center (LBTC), and Edward Watson, Ourso Professor of Business Analysis in the college’s Department of Information Systems and Decision Sciences (ISDS), met with Jihua Xie, general manager of the Fudan Venture Center, and Xiao Xing, Public Relationship Department Manager.
Fudan Venture Center houses more than 400 businesses in a 60,000-square meter facility. Tenant industries consist of companies in the information technology, environmental protection, bio-pharmacy, management consultation, and new materials fields and of businesses involved in optical, mechanical, and electronic integration.
The purpose of the meeting was to gain insights into the effective operations of a successful Chinese business incubator, to share information on how the LBTC operates its business incubator, to explore collaboration opportunities, and to find ways for the two centers to partner for the benefit of their respective tenants in a global marketplace.
“This program fits into the E. J. Ourso College of Business’ Modern Chinese Business and Culture Initiative that has been sending MBA students to China on a regular basis to learn about the Chinese economy and how U.S. businesses can tap into that large market,” Greenwood said. “This is also compatible with the National Business Incubation Association’s program called Soft Landings, one in which incubators in different countries partner for the mutual good of their client firms.”
During the course of the two-hour meeting, both sides offered information on how their centers were structured, on the types of services that they provide to their tenants, and on the economic impacts the centers deliver to their respective communities. After the meeting, the LSU delegation toured the Fudan Venture Center Facilities and held informal meetings with entrepreneurs to discuss their projects.
The LBTC, 2005 National Business Incubator Association Incubator of the Year, was established in 1989 by a joint venture between the Louisiana Public Facilities Authority, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, and the E. J. Ourso College. Since its inception, the LBTC has graduated over 112 companies that employ more than 2,254 people. For more information on the LBTC, visit www.lbtc.lsu.edu.
Click here to view the Fudan Venture Center Brochure.
Wendy Osborn Luedtke
LSU E. J. Ourso College of Business
225-578-8865
