The Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC), headquartered at the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, brought leading university entrepreneurship programs together to celebrate creativity and innovation in university-based entrepreneurship education for its milestone 30th anniversary annual conference Oct. 15-17 and announced the top programs in higher education.
The conference, hosted by the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, is the flagship event of the GCEC, which facilitates collaboration among global entrepreneurship center leaders to advance, strengthen and celebrate the role universities play in educating future entrepreneurs. More than 400 leaders from universities and colleges around the world participated in more than 90 breakout sessions, where entrepreneurship educators shared their expertise and showcased their programs.
At the close of the conference, 15 programs and two individuals were awarded top honors. In honor of its 30th anniversary, the GCEC also introduced a new award recognizing individual contributions to the community. The 2026 GCEC awardees:
Outstanding Emerging Entrepreneurship Center (Enrollment 7,500 or Fewer)
Winner: The Bootstrap Collaborative at Central Wyoming College
Outstanding Emerging Entrepreneurship Center (Enrollment Over 7,500)
Winner: Millénium Québecor at Université de Montréal
Exceptional Activities in Entrepreneurship Across Disciplines
Winner: Venture Lab at Durham University
Outstanding Contributions to Venture Creation
Winner: Velocity at the University of Waterloo
Excellence in Specialty Entrepreneurship Education
Winner 1: J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute, SPORTx at Arizona State University
Winner 2: Rutgers Advanced Institute for the Study of Entrepreneurship & Development (RAISED)
Outstanding Student Engagement & Leadership (Enrollment 7,500 or Fewer)
Winner: Flemming Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Hampden-Sydney College
Outstanding Student Engagement & Leadership (Enrollment Over 7,500)
Winner 1: Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Institute at the University of Texas at Austin
Winner 2: Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute at Georgia State University
Exceptional Contributions in Entrepreneurship Research
Winner: Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of Tennessee
Excellence in Entrepreneurship Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation
Winner: Derby Entrepreneurship Center at Tufts University
The GCEC Center of Entrepreneurial Excellence award represents the highest honor that a university entrepreneurship center can receive:
GCEC Center of Entrepreneurial Excellence (Enrollment 7,500 or Fewer)
Winner: Diller Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Shippensburg University
GCEC Center of Entrepreneurial Excellence (Enrollment Over 7,500)
Winner: Northwestern University
Each year, the GCEC recognizes the institutions that host its convenings. This year’s award honors the hosts of the GCEC Global Summit, held in July in São Paulo, and of the annual conference, held in October in Tallahassee:
GCEC Center of Entrepreneurial Leadership
Winner 1: Escola Superior de Propaganda e Marketing (ESPM)
Winner 2: Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship at Florida State University
Two awards recognized individuals for their contributions to the GCEC community and the field. New this year, the GCEC Trailblazer Award honors an early- to mid-career individual who embodies the spirit of the GCEC’s founders through meaningful contributions to the growth and evolution of the GCEC network. The GCEC Legacy Award recognizes an individual for pioneering work advancing entrepreneurship in universities and for directing a university entrepreneurship center that has had a lasting impact on the field.
GCEC Trailblazer Award (inaugural)
Winner: Jeff Reid, founding director of Georgetown Entrepreneurship and long-time member of the GCEC Board of Advisors, Georgetown University
GCEC Legacy Award
Winner: Brad Burke, former executive director of the Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship and of the GCEC, Rice University
Professor Gurpreet Singh Jagpal OBE of Aston University chairs the annual awards with honorees chosen by a panel of peers and previous winners.
Under the leadership of executive director Holly DeArmond, who is charged with accelerating the institution’s growth and longevity, GCEC is rolling out additional offerings for members. “We’re continuing to strengthen and expand the GCEC portfolio to better serve our members and attract new members worldwide,” DeArmond said.
That expansion is already underway. At this year’s conference, the GCEC launched new affinity groups to connect members around shared interests. In January, it will launch a redesigned Leadership Certificate, a five-month virtual program for new center leaders, assistant and associate directors and faculty leads. Participants will build a strategic plan through seven interactive modules on strategy, operations, AI and program development with one-on-one mentor matching.
Looking ahead to 2027, the GCEC will welcome members to Salt Lake City for the 31st annual GCEC Conference, hosted by the University of Utah on Oct. 14-16. The conference will explore the theme of Entrepreneurial Pathways, continuing the consortium’s work to advance and celebrate universities’ role in educating future entrepreneurs.