A great challenge for startup companies is the lack of market knowledge and access to resources. Knowledge and resources can be acquired through networking, however, as many startup companies are young and unknown, they have difficulties establishing themselves in relevant networks. Incubators have for many years been an important instrument for the development of new companies and regional development. One important segment incubators offers startup companies is the access to a network. Networking establishes connections and strengthens relationships, which promotes a richer social capital. The purpose of the study is studying which factors of an incubator that impacts a startup companies’ development of social capital through networking and the challenges associated with networking. The underlying idea in the study is that the association with an incubator can strengthen the startup company’s legitimacy and develop the startup company's social capital by offering access to a network. For a young and unknown company, legitimacy and trust are important elements for network establishment. Young companies that are run by founders without previous qualifications often lack legitimacy and become just one of many others who tries to be heard in the startup business noise. The study uses a qualitative approach and three semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from two incubator firms and one industry organization that specializes in networking. The data was analyzed through a deductive thematic analysis. The theoretical field which the study is based on comes from theories within the business administration field and concerning entrepreneurship, organizational networks, business incubators and the creation of social capital within an organizational environment. The study finds that the association with an incubator can increase the company's legitimacy in the form of competency-based trust, which is based on knowledge or involvement with another actor. However, the study finds trust that is based on the founder’s reputation and past experience has a greater legitimating effect compared to only being associated with an incubator. The study also finds that the network an incubator makes available to startup companies consist of a network within the incubators own ecosystem. Network ties consist of specialized mentors with a recognized good level of knowledge within a certain or several fields, as well as incubator management, which can be interpreted as, the incubator offers a qualitative social capital which startup companies can acquire knowledge and resources from.  The study finds that aspiring Born Global founders who wants access to an international network should first review what type of network the incubator can offer. The study identifies the challenges associated with networking through an incubator. Internal networking is challenged by competition between companies, a perception that networking does not add any value, and fear of accidentally sharing technological secrets, which shifts companies from interacting and generating a richer social capital to become isolated or more focused on already established contacts the founder trusts. Challenges linked to networking with mentors includes the lack of truthfulness and complete transparency. Challenges linked to external networking outside the incubator’s ecosystem may include stakeholder recommendations to only network within the incubator's own ecosystem. / En stor utmaning för startupbolag är bristen på marknadskunskaper och tillgång till resurser. Kunskaper och resurser kan förvärvas genom nätverkande, men då många startupbolag är unga och okända har de svårt att etablera sig i relevanta nätverk. Inkubatorer har i många år varit ett viktigt instrument för att utveckla nyföretagande och regional utveckling. En viktig del inkubatorn erbjuder startupbolag är tillgången till ett nätverk.Genom nätverkande etableras förbindelser och stärks relationer, vilket leder till ett rikare socialt kapital. Studiens syfte är att studera vilka faktorer hos en inkubator som påverkar utvecklingen av socialt kapital genom nätverkande och de utmaningar som föreligger med nätverkande. Den bakomliggande idén i studien är att associationen med en inkubator kan stärka startupbolagets legitimitet samt utveckla startupbolagets sociala kapital genom att inkubatorn erbjuder tillgång till ett nätverk. För det unga och okända bolaget är legitimitet och tillit viktiga faktorer för etablering i nätverk. Unga bolag som drivs av en entreprenör utan tidigare meriter saknar ofta legitimitet och blir därför en av många andra som försöker höras i bruset. Studien använder en kvalitativ ansats där tre semi-strukturerade intervjuer utförts med representanter från två inkubatorverksamheter och en branschorganisation som specialiserar sig på nätverkande. Data analyserades genom en deduktiv tematisk analys. Det teoretiska fältet som studien baserar sig kommer från teorier inom det företagsekonomiska fältet och rörande entreprenörskap, organisatoriska nätverk, företagsinkubatorer och skapandet av socialt kapital inom en organisatorisk miljö.Studien finner att medlemskapet hos en inkubator kan höja startupbolagets legitimitet i form av kompetensbaserade tillit, vilket grundar sig på kunskaper eller involvering med en annan aktör. Studien finner dock att tillit som grundar sig på bolagsgrundarens tidigare erfarenheter och rykte på marknaden har en större legitimerande effekt jämfört med att endast ingå hos en inkubator. Studien finner även att nätverket inkubatorn gör tillgängligt för startupbolagen består av ett nätverk inom ramen av inkubatorprogrammets egna ekosystem. Nätverksförbindelser inkubatorn erbjuder består av specialiserade mentorer med erkänt goda kunskaper inom ett eller flera områden samt programmets ledning, vilket kan tolkas som att inkubatorn främjar utvecklingen av ett kvalitativt socialt kapital där nödvändiga kunskaper och resurser kan förvärvas.  Studien finner även att aspirerande Born Globals grundare som vill ha tillgång till ett internationellt nätverk först bör granska vilket typ av nätverk inkubatorn kan erbjuda. Studien identifierar de utmaningar som finns förknippat med nätverkande genom en inkubator. Det interna nätverkandet utmanas av konkurrens mellan bolag, uppfattningen att nätverkade inte tillför något värde, samt en rädsla för att råka dela med sig av teknologiska hemligheter, vilket skiftar bolagen från att interagera och utveckla ett rikare socialt kapital till att bli isolerade eller mer fokuserade på att endast nätverka med redan etablerade kontakter grundaren har tillit till. Hinder för nätverkande med mentorer omfattar avsaknaden av öppenhet och full transparens. Hinder kopplat till extern nätverkande utanför inkubatorns ekosystem kan innefatta rekommendationer från intressenter att endast nätverka inom inkubatorns egna ekosystem.

Open innovation is a term that has become popularised over the years, due to changes in how business is done as a result of globalisation and digital transformation. Efforts are being made by incumbent companies to collaborate with external parties to a greater extent, and at the same time, the startup landscape has contributed with new technologies and innovations that in some cases have disrupted markets. A collaboration between large companies and startups can bring about positive synergies since these two types of organisations are different and have the possibility to complement each other. This master thesis looks into the outside-in model of open innovation, specifically examining corporate accelerator programs and incubation hubs from a startup perspective. The following research explores what key services that are offered within these corporate programs and how they can be improved according to startups that have previously partaken in them. This research is a qualitative study with an abductive approach. As part of the research, 10 semi-structured, in-depth interviews were held with representatives from a variety of startups. The major services desired by the interviewees to be included in corporate-run startup programs range from access to internal and external networks to putting more focus on a variety of funding alternatives. Early-stage startups expressed the desire of receiving help with understanding their market and customers. The key improvement areas brought up by the startup companies included the presence of internal champions that can help speed up certain processes and act as a facilitator for important meetings. Many startups point to the importance of having the influence to customize their program experience. In addition, accelerator and incubator employees with previous entrepreneurial experience are considered very helpful by the startups since they can grasp the struggles of the startup in a better way. Furthermore, to have more financing opportunities is desirable. / Genom åren har öppen innovation blivit alltmer populariserad,på grund av förändringar i hur affärer görs till följd av globalisering och digital transformation. Stora företag satsar i större utsträckning på att samarbeta med externa parter, och samtidigt har startup ekosystemet bidragit till ny och radikal teknologi och innovationer som har rubbat vissa marknader. Ett öppen innovation-samarbete mellan ett stort företag och en startup kan bidra positiva synergier eftersom dessa två typer av organisationer är olika och har möjlighet att komplettera varandra. Detta examensarbete undersöker den så kallade outside-in modell för öppen innovation, mer specifikt undersöks företagsacceleratorer och företagsinkubatorer från ett startup-perspektiv. Följande forskning undersöker vilka nyckeltjänster som erbjuds inom dessa företagsprogram och hur de kan förbättras enligt startups som tidigare har deltagit i dem. Denna studie är en kvalitativ studie med en abduktiv ansats. Som en del av forskningen hölls 10 semistrukturerade djupintervjuer med representanter från en rad olika startups. De viktigaste tjänsterna som eftertraktas av intervjuobjekten som del av företagsacceleratorer och företagsinkubatorer gäller tillgång till interna och externa nätverk, som i sin tur kan förse tillgång till flera olika finansieringsalternativ. Startups som befinner sig i en tidig utvecklingsfas uttryckte en önskan att få hjälp med att förstå deras marknad och kunder. Förbättringsområden som identifierades av startupföretagen omfattar förekomsten av internal champions, som kan hjälpa till att påskynda vissa processer och som kan facilitera viktiga möten. Många startups pekar på vikten av att ha inflytande över att anpassa sin programupplevelse. Dessutom är accelerator- och inkubatormedarbetare med tidigare entreprenöriell erfarenhet väldigt eftertraktade, eftersom de kan förstå sig på startupföretagen på ett bättre sätt. Vidare, är det önskvärt att ha fler finansieringsmöjligheter.

The aim of this thesis paper is to analyse the support of incubator and accelerator programs inthe German entrepreneurial ecosystem with the impact of COVID-19. Incubator and accelerator programs have been established across multiple innovation hubs worldwide over the last decade. They have become a substantial support system for entrepreneurship providing help for young companies to innovate. The benefits offered usually include access to capital, network, mentorship and office space in exchange for equity or to simply foster innovation. With a lot of uncertainties deriving from the current pandemic, entrepreneurship has an increasingly relevant role to ensure a flourishing economy in the future. As the world is adapting to new circumstances, incubators and accelerators need to reevaluate their support to startups as well. The literature review consists of relevant literature by elaborating on the existing entrepreneurial ecosystem theories. It further discusses incubators and accelerators and the German entrepreneurial market before introducing the theoretical framework for the paper. As part of the research, this thesis uses a collective case study method by conducting interviews with startup founders and employees of incubator and accelerator programs in Germany. The qualitative data collection will undergo a deductive reasoning approach to analyse the research phenomenon and to contribute to the field of entrepreneurship. After introducing each company from the collective case study, the empirical findings systematically lay out the data from the interviews by separating the data into a section for incubators and accelerators and a section for startups. The data highlights relevant changes regarding the support of the programs with and without the impact of COVID-19. The discussion chapter points out the findings by comparing the data with the literature and the theoretical framework. The findings are broken down into subsections that point out the importance of the support programs as well as the proposed changes in the offerings. Concluded, changes can be made in the area of mentorships and coachings as there is a need for more individuality. Also regular feedback cycles, a higher capital support and the change to a hybrid model with a remote and on-site structure as well as the use of software to stay connected are possibilities for accelerators and incubators to help the startups. / Syftet med denna uppsats är att analysera stödet av inkubator och accelerationsprogram i det tyska enterepenörella ekosystemet och hur det påverkats av COVID-19. Inkubator och acceleratorprogrammen har etablerats under olika innovationscenter över hela världen det senaste decenniet. De har blivit ett betydande stödsystem för entrepenörskap som ska ge stöttning åt nystartade företag för att hjälpa dom bli innovativa. Förmånerna är tillgång till kapital, nätverk, mentorsskap och lokaler, detta sker i utbyte mot delägarskap eller att bidra till att främja innovation. Med osäkerheten orsakat av den nuvarande pandemin, har entrepenörskap en mycket viktig roll för att säkerställa en uppåtgående ekonomi i framtiden. Då världen anpassar sig till nya omständigheter, behöver inkubationer och accelerationer se över stödet till startup företag. Litteraturöversikten innehåller relevant litteratur som utarbetarde redan existerande teorier inom det entrepenörella ekosystemet. Vidare diskuteras inkubatorer och accelerationer och den tyska entrepönerella marknaden, följt av introduktionen av det teoretiska ramverket för uppsatsen. Som en del av forskningen används en kollektivtfallstudie metod där det genomförts intervjuer med start up grundare och anställda på inkubator och accelerator program i Tyskland. Den kvalitativa inhämtningen av data genomgår ett slutligt resonemang för att analysera forskningsfenomenet och bidra till forskningsområdet entrepenörskap. Efter att ha introducerat varje företag för den utvalda fallstudien, visas datasystematisk med de empiriska resultaten från intervjuerna. Detta görs igenom att separera data i två sektioner. En för inkubatorer och accelationer, och en sektion för start ups. Uppgifterna belyser relevanta förändringar när det gäller stödet till programmen med och utan inverkan av COVID-19. I diskussionskapitlet pekas resultaten ut genom att uppgifterna jämförs medlitteraturen och den teoretiska ramen. Resultaten delas upp i under avsnitt som pekar ut stödprogrammens betydelse samt de föreslagna förändringarna i utbudet. Slutsatsen är att förändringar kan göras inom området mentorskap och coachning eftersom det finns ett behov av mer individualitet. Regelbundna feedbackcykler, ett högre kapitalstöd och en övergång tillen hybridmodell med en struktur på distans och på plats samt användning av programvara föratt hålla kontakten är möjligheter för acceleratorer och inkubatorer att hjälpa nystartade företag.

The function of the construction industry in an economy has proven to be beneficial, especially during the economic downturn. The nature of the products of the construction industry makes it possible for the government to utilise the industry as a means to accelerate and multiply the economy by utilising the fiscal budget to build infrastructures. By so doing, the economy will be multiplied as the construction industry is an industry that produces investment goods. However, due to the nature of the Malaysian construction sector, the expenses required to stimulate the economy could not be made to the maximum extent, as the industry relies heavily on immigrant construction workers to address its labour supply problem. Immigrant construction workers are known for their high tendency to remit their salary to their country of their origin. This scenario disturbs the economic cycle within the Malaysian economy and, hence, dampens the function of the construction industry as the multiplier-accelerator provider. This research was undertaken to better manage the cash flow economic cycle leakage by adopting some economic measures coupled with improvised management of immigrant construction workers exercised through legislation. The adopted research methodology used transformative mixed-methods to balance the limitations of a single research approach. A literature review of the economic models and tools were conducted in a search for the most suitable measures, while attempting to understand the nature of construction industry by highlighting the structure and the problems associated with the industry. Special attention was also given to investigate the motivation behind the human migration to justify and support the research. Other than issues involving the use of immigrant workers, special attention was given to issues of remittances and its impacts on the global economy. The findings underpinned by literature and the research findings were used to develop the conceptual framework to manage the economic cycle leakage that is entrenched in the construction industry s economic cycle. The integrated framework consists of economic, management and legislation and was developed to address the issues highlighted. The use of economic tools can only be materialised through better management and the execution of legislation. The framework was encapsulated in a combination of process protocol and a maturity framework to allow time for the policy makers to implement it. Considerations have been made to develop the framework to ensure the smooth transition its implementation. The framework was self-validated through formative evaluations where data were attained from several parties to reduce any bias perspective. In addition, most of the measures suggested were derived from interviews conducted among the respondents. Several benefits of the framework were identified. It is concluded that the impact of immigrant construction workers employment can be managed by considering the appropriate tools in the form of economic, managerial and legislation measures. This research has developed an integrated process protocol maturity framework that addresses the three aforementioned aspects. The framework is simple and easily understandable with detailed activity zones that entail specific tasks that must implemented by different parties. The developed framework is expected to aid the authorities in managing immigrant construction in Malaysia and to effectively manage these workers. The framework also allows time for its implementation through the maturity stages suggested.

An overview of the beam diagnostics for the laser wakefield acceleration project at the Texas Petawatt Laser facility is presented. In this experiment, short and intense laser pulses of 165 fs and up to 190 J will be used to accelerate electrons up to the GeV energy range using laser wakefield acceleration. The density variation of the plasma generated in a helium gas cell will be measured with different optical detection systems such as frequency domain holography. Spectra of the transmitted laser beam and optical transition radiation will yield information about the energy transfer to the plasma and the energy of the electrons, respectively. In addition, a calorimeter will measure accelerated electron energies. Prior to the final experiment, preliminary frequency shift measurements and simulations on optical transition radiation were performed. / text

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The goal of this research was to devise a new analytical technique, using Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), to measure Platinum Group Element (PGE) concentrations to the sup-ppb levels in natural, insulating, samples. The challenges were threefold. First, a method of sputtering an insulating sample to successfully produce a stable beam of anions needed to be devised. Second, a suitable standard of known PGE concentrations had to be found and third, spectral analysis of the beam had to verify any claims of PGE abundance. The first challenge was met by employing a modified high intensity negative ion source flooded with neutral caesium that successfully sputtered insulators to produce a beam of negative ions. The second challenge, that of finding a suitable standard, was fraught with difficulties, as no synthesized standards available were found to be appropriate for this work. As a result, direction is provided for future production of standards by ion implantation. The third challenge, successful spectral analysis, was accomplished using a newly designed gas ionization detector which allowed for resolution of the interfering molecular fragment from the PGE ions. Coupled with the use of the SRIM computer programme, positive identification of all peaks in the spectra of the analyzed samples was accomplished. The success of the first and third challenges lead to the qualitative analyses of geological samples for sub-ppb levels of PGE by AMS. Quantitative analyses await only for the appropriate standards and with those will come a whole new range of research possibilities for measuring sub-ppb levels of PGE in insulating samples by AMS.

The developments of nuclear medicine lead to an increasing demand for the production of radioisotopes with suitable nuclear and chemical properties. Furthermore, from the literature it is evident that the production of radioisotopes using charged-particle accelerators instead of nuclear reactors is gaining increasing popularity. The main advantages of producing medical isotopes with accelerators are carrier free radionuclides of short lived isotopes, improved handling, reduction of the radioactive waste, and lower cost of isotope fabrication. Proton-rich isotopes are the result of nuclear interactions between enriched stable isotopes and energetic protons. An interesting observation is that during the production of proton-rich isotopes, fast and intermediately fast neutrons from nuclear reactions such as (p,xn) are also produced as a by-product in the nuclear reactions. This observation suggests that it is perhaps possible to use these neutrons to activate secondary targets for the production of neutron-rich isotopes. The study of secondary radioisotope production with fast neutrons from (p,xn) reactions using a particle accelerator is the main goal of the research in this thesis.

This thesis will describe the latest work from the Feedback On Nanosecond Timescales project, commonly known as FONT. The goal of the FONT project is the development of a beamline feedback system to be installed at the interaction point (IP) of a future linear collider in order to maximize the luminosity that can be achieved. The prototype FONT feedback system is beam-based, meaning that the correction is determined from direct measurement of the position of the beam, and intra-train, meaning that the correction is applied within the duration of the current bunch train. The FONT system, consisting of three stripline beam position monitors, a digital processor unit built around a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and a pair of electromagnetic kickers, is described. Recent improvements to the position measurement process are detailed and the performance of the feedback system is presented. The modification of the firmware to operate on a machine with a large number of bunch trains, such as the International Linear Collider, is described and the design is verified through the use of a laboratory test bench developed to simulate such a machine. The FONT5 digital board is proved capable of operating on a train resembling the specification for the International Linear Collider: 2820 bunches separated in time by 308 ns.

The commissioning and development of a laser-wire transverse electron beam profile monitor at the Accelerator Test Facility 2 in Japan is presented. The experimental setup used including a gigawatt laser system is detailed and characterised. Results from data taking in December 2010 are presented detailing the use of the laser-wire to tune the electron beam. In conjunction with this, the use of a fibre-based laser system as a suitable laser source for a laser-wire is discussed. A test bed fibre laser system was constructed to investigate the suitability of fibre lasers and the results are presented demonstrating high efficiency and excellent spatial quality. From this, a laser system capable of high resolution and high repetition intra-train scanning for demonstration at the Accelerator Test Facility 2 was designed, constructed and characterised. A commercial fibre laser system was extended using a photonic crystal fibre where periodic amplification designed to match the duty cycle of an accelerator was used advantageously to achieve higher than normal pulse energies. The results and techniques developed to measure them are presented.