Business incubators are one of the state means intended to support small and medium-sized businesses. Business incubators supply beginner enterprisers with assistance and information necessary for initiating new businesses. The year of 1998 is considered to be the beginning of business incubators in Lithuania, as in the month of June in 1998 the first business incubator was officially registered in Kaunas. The business incubator of Telšiai region and the business incubator of Vilnija were registered in November of the same year and business incubator of Alytus was registered in December of this year. In January of 1999 the business incubator in Šiauliai was recorded. In the august of the year 2000 Kazlų Rūda business incubator was registered. Finally, in 2004 the seventh business incubator in Lithuania, which was established in Ignalina, began to function under the auspices of the state government. The main objective of business incubators is to support beginner enterprisers, to promote establishing new work places, to minimise (decrease) the risk of business operations and help businesses with initiative ideas yet short of financial resources to undertake self-sufficient practice and compete in the market successfully. In Lithuania businesses are held in the business incubator for three years. During the first year they pay 25% of rental taxes, during the second year they pay 50% of rental taxes and during the third year they pay 75% of rental taxes. The remaining sum is... [to full text]