Inkubátory

Inkubátory, plural of inkubátor, is used in Czech and Slovak to refer to devices or facilities that create controlled environmental conditions to support the development or growth of living organisms, eggs, or cultured cells, as well as to support early-stage businesses. The term covers a range of technologies, from medical equipment to agricultural equipment and business support programs.

In medical contexts, neonatal incubators provide a stable combination of temperature, humidity, and oxygen to protect and nurture premature or ill newborns. They are part of neonatal intensive care units and include monitoring equipment and fail-safes. In agriculture, egg incubators reproduce the conditions of a natural nest by controlling temperature, humidity, ventilation, and sometimes turning to prevent embryo adhesion.

In laboratories, cell culture incubators maintain specific temperatures and CO2 or humidity levels to sustain microbial or mammalian cell growth; CO2 incubators regulate atmosphere for pH balance in culture media. In the business world, startup incubators or innovation incubators offer physical space, mentorship, training, and sometimes funding to early-stage companies, aiming to accelerate product development and market entry.

The concept originated in the broader use of incubators to provide life-supporting environments; the term is common in Czech and Slovak, with translations into other languages as "incubator" or "incubators."