The LSE Kick Start program is designed to implement best practices for industrial clusters and collaborative entrepreneurship in a country, and begin the process of establishing a vibrant local software economy.

The target audiences for the LSE Kick Start program are the central/local government departments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and economic agencies charged with the development of an economy through the establishment of a vibrant information and communication technologies industry.

LSE Kick Start provides an actionable framework that facilitates:

• Understanding: Creates a common understanding across all LSE stakeholders of the critical success factors in building ICT based industrial clusters and collaborative entrepreneurship networks, then
  
  
• Actions: Provides specific programs and processes to establish an LSE.

Understanding

Based on international research, the critical success factors are presented to the LSE stakeholders covering:

• Software Cluster Success Factors: this output provides a review of current global research on industrial clusters, and identifies the key success components of these clusters.
  
  
• From an extensive review of extant literature it is argued that the key success components for ICT clusters fall under three categories; core cluster, emerging innovation and globalisation. A combination of all three is required to allow an industrial cluster to form, grow and adapt in dynamic world markets.
  
  
• By reviewing the success attributes underpinning industrial clusters a baseline can be established for decision-making in both the commercial activities of industry vertical groups, as well as local/central government economic policy formulation.
  
  
• Collaborative Entrepreneurship:  Software businesses must maximise all available resources and partnering opportunities in order to compete effectively in the fast-paced, ever-changing global marketplace.
  
  
• To secure opportunities in this frenetic international environment, local exporters need a seemingly contradictory mix of small business agility and the resource base of a large enterprise.

Actions

The action phase of the LSE Kick Start Program encompasses three phases:

• LSE Audit: Undertakes an audit of the LSE against the back drop of the industrial and collaborative best practices. The outputs from this phase being a mapping of key stakeholders and influencers in the LSE. 
  
  
• LSE strategy and alignment: Provides an actionable plan to implement alignment of the LSE stakeholder and the various existing programs identified in the LSE audit phase, through to the successful creation of a vibrant LSE in the geographic region. 
  
  
• LSE Execution: Establishes the various LSE programs and activities defined in the LSE strategy phase, including:
  
  
• LSE Programs: Establishment of both technology and business competency programs inside the LSE
  
• LSE Research: Establishment of specific business research in the LSE that is linked to technology research, product innovation and industry cluster development.