Oftentimes, entrepreneurial minds are not born but made. The University of California: Santa Cruz (UCSC) knows this better than most, founding its Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurial Development (CIED) to foster young and innovative minds in an environment with like-minded peers. CIED collaborates with the Santa Cruz community’s academic, business, and government sectors to inspire students to flex their entrepreneurial muscles in practical settings. CIED was created by UCSC professor and “Father of Fiber Optics,” Dr. Narinder Kapany, and celebrated its 45-year anniversary in 2024.

Within its lifetime, CIED has been recognized for cultivating an emerging ecosystem of young leaders. The Center hosted the 2024 Santa Cruz Launchpad to encourage students to pitch startup ideas and potentially win cash prizes. Likewise, CIED’s Ideathon, a 3-day startup sprint, enabled participants to pitch, refine, and elevate their preliminary company concepts. In giving the next generation of business leaders a platform to shine, UCSC’s CIED has been awarded the Excellence in Entrepreneurship Teaching and Pedagogical Innovation Award at this year’s Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers (GCEC) Conference.

The GCEC Conference was held at Babson College in Boston, Massachusetts, from November 14-16. It is here where the nation’s various entrepreneurial programs can gather to learn from one another, exchanging ideas surrounding programs, initiatives, and practices to best support budding talent. Approximately 300 different colleges are GCEC members, with UCSC in attendance for the 2024 conference cohort. The award, bestowed upon 16 university entrepreneurial programs, celebrates centers that have significantly shaped the entrepreneurial space. This is quantitatively measured through existing program success, measurable learning outcomes, student engagement, and stakeholder support.

Other notable winners of the award include:

• Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking, Yale University: Exceptional Activities in Entrepreneurship Across Disciplines

• Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, University of Chicago: Outstanding Contributions to Venture Creation

• University of Toronto Entrepreneurship: Multiple awards, including Outstanding Contributions to Venture Creation

Faculty Director Provost Manel Camps and Project Manager Nada Miljković celebrated the prestigious recognition, emphasizing the importance of CIED’s continued mission to empower visionary leaders in the Santa Cruz community.

“This recognition underscores CIED’s leadership in entrepreneurship education and our commitment to fostering innovation, excellence, and impactful learning experiences for students,” they wrote in a press release regarding the award, “We’re incredibly grateful for your continued support and look forward to building on this momentum together with our vibrant community.”

Miljković also took to LinkedIn to announce the exciting news: “Let’s continue to foster innovation, challenge the status quo, and create opportunities for the next generation of change makers... it’s inspiring to be part of such a dynamic and forward-thinking community!”

CIED’s victory at the GCEC Conference is undoubtedly a testament to UCSC’s leadership in the entrepreneurial space. The existence of The Center, alongside its partnerships with growing companies like Cruz Foam, Joby Aviation, and the familiar Santa Cruz Works, cements Santa Cruz’s reputation as a thriving hub of innovation, progress, and entrepreneurial excellence. As these aspiring leaders break into the startup and business worlds, we can only marvel at their potential to redefine what it means to be an entrepreneur!