The thesis is aimed at the substantiation of theoretical principles of the development of business incubation processes in the region and formulation of practical recommendations for the measures of regional policy for their activation. The essence, preconditions and stages of formation and development of business incubation processes in the system of innovation infrastructure with the consideration of measures of regional policy for support and stimulation of their functioning are substantiated. The scientific approaches to the definition of the concepts "regional business incubator" and "business incubation in the region" are generalized and systematized. The term "business incubation in the region" is defined as a process of supporting the development of the innovation infrastructure of the region, a key element of which is the business incubator, which stimulates the development of small and medium-sized businesses by creating favorable conditions for their functioning and leveling out risk factors, ensuring the development of the business environment and intensification of innovation activity of the region. Criteria and classification of business incubators as an element of innovation infrastructure of the region are developed, taking into account qualitative and functional features. The approach to the integrated assessment of the development of innovative business and business incubation processes of the regions is substantiated, based on the system of complementary assessments: the annual rating of the World Bank, author's integral indicator of regional potential assessment for business incubation and expert assessments of representatives of business structures.
The analysis and evaluation of the development of small and medium enterprises and the potential of business incubation of the regions are conducted and the trends and main obstacles to the development of small and medium business, their unrealized opportunities for forming the potential of business incubation in the region are identified.
The foreign experience of conducting the regional policy measures of the organization of business incubation processes in the regions is generalized. Taking into account the accumulated experience of the European countries, the necessity of the combination of principles and standards of conducting regional policy of the European Union countries and national measures for promotion of the development of business incubation processes in the regions is substantiated. The scenarios (negative, indeterminate and positive) of the development of the regional policy of supporting small and medium business and business incubation in the region are formed, which are conditioned by the implicit and explicit character of such a policy. The conceptual approaches to the regulation of business incubation in the regions are proposed, which enable the formation of a complex system of target centers, that comprise a part of the regional business incubator and provide effective development small and medium businesses. The conceptual scheme of regional business incubator management is developed with the definition of specific mutually agreed actions, organized in stages: beginning stage, qualifying stage, growth stage, final stage, is developed. The effectiveness of the proposed conceptual framework is related to the need to change the operating system of the regional business incubator management, to overcome organizational, financial and psychological barriers. At each stage, recommendations for creating and launching a regional business incubator are systematized: an analysis of the current state and prospects of business development in the region; "Launch" of the regional business incubator, taking into account the consistent actions of its organization, which allows identifying possible types of risks in the business incubator activities, determining the methods of their neutralization, and forming the optimal structure of the regional business incubator.
