The role of entrepreneurship is pivotal in jobs creation and economic development. Government adopts different approaches for promoting entrepreneurship including enabling policies, access to training, access to finance, arranging mentoring & counselling, and business incubation services. Establishing Business Incubation Centers (BICs) is one such approach adopted by many countries. In Pakistan, Government has initiated a flagship ‘Kamyab-Jawan’ programme comprising six actions which aims to establish 50 BICs by 2023. ILO supported this initiative by undertaking a study to design BICs to effectively achieve its objectives.

This study provides a composite analysis of the need to establish business incubation centres in Pakistan, in order to support a vibrant entrepreneurial landscape. It offers an overview of key challenges and arrangements in the incubator sector. It suggests locally viable, though non-exhaustive, models for business incubation centres that can be established within educational, training and commercial institutions. It also offers evidence based, actionable recommendations to make these centres effective and sustainable.