As innovation has become an ever more important topic, the number of incubators and accelerators that aim to help startups has grown.  The growing number of such facilities has not always meant a corresponding rise in effectiveness, however.  For instance, a few years ago a study from Baylor University found that membership of an incubator can often do more harm than good for startups.

The paper found a direct correlation between the establishment of an incubator and a significant worsening of the quality of patents produced by that university.

“Not only do university attempts to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship by incubating businesses seem to reduce the quality of subsequent scientific and technical innovations, but they also appear to reduce the income generated by innovative activities,” the authors say.

A second study of incubators and accelerators across Britain, Germany, and the United States also found extremely mixed results.  It found that the environments were not helpful at all for startups, and almost did more harm than good for their growth prospects.

The study revealed that the sponsors of such programs often fell into the trap of thinking that simply having an accelerator was job done, and therefore didn’t feel the need to provide much support to the startups themselves.  Worryingly, however, the same was also true for the entrepreneurs, who often felt that acceptance into the incubator meant they had succeeded.  It was rare for this to be seen as the beginning of a journey rather than the end.

Effective support

It’s a topic that has been returned to in a new report from the Politecnico di Torino’s Social Innovation Monitor, which aims to assess the 1,200 or so incubators and accelerators operating in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.

The report reveals that the 1,217 facilities in total across the five countries contain 227 university incubators and 182 corporate incubators.  In France alone, there are 284 such facilities, with the UK not far behind with 274.

The most common services offered by these facilities include the provision of physical spaces, shared services, networking events, managerial support, and access to finance.  While it’s not common for incubators and accelerators to take equity in the startups, it is increasingly popular, with 17.5% of them doing so across the 5 territories.

“We are pleased to see that in all the countries that we have examined there is a significant number of incubators/accelerators,” the researchers say. “It is interesting to note that the numbers, especially when compared to the population in each country, are highly comparable.”

Despite the apparent growth in numbers, however, it remains far from clear whether they actually deliver results for the startups entrusted to their care.  That, ultimately, is the measure of their success.