An annual initiative, the Innovations That Inspire challenge recognizes institutions from around the world serving as champions of change in the business education landscape. Now in its sixth year, the 2021 Innovations That Inspire seeks to highlight business school initiatives that are contributing to positive societal impact, a key opportunity of AACSB’s Collective Vision for Business Education. Submissions were requested that demonstrate positive societal impact through one of the following ways:
Each AACSB member school was invited to submit up to two initiatives. All submissions will be populated in DataDirect and selected submissions will be featured as highlights of the 2021 Innovations That Inspire. The submission period has now ended. Highlights will be announced in April 2021.
AACSB members can access all Innovations That Inspire submissions, including those from prior years, through DataDirect. This robust repository—featuring new, user-friendly enhancements—includes nearly 1,000 effective and innovative practices by business schools within their curricular offerings and programming, thought leadership, operations, and community engagement. AACSB member login is required.
Many submissions have also been featured on the AACSB blog and social media. AACSB thanks its members for their enthusiastic participation in this initiative.
Innovations That Inspire is an excellent opportunity to highlight your school’s exciting initiatives. In 2020, 100 percent of highlighted schools participated in the media announcement, amplifying the message of the initiative. Outreach efforts reached nearly 600,000 individuals on social media, with more than 380,000 engagements across platforms.
For questions related to the challenge or for media inquiries, email challenges@aacsb.edu. Please review the Frequently Asked Questions to prepare for a future submission. For questions regarding DataDirect’s Innovations That Inspire Quick Reports Search, email research@aacsb.edu. Sponsorship opportunities are available to align your brand with exciting business school initiatives. For more information, email engage@aacsb.edu.
“The future calls for business schools to capitalize on academic strengths in order to grow and develop the rich space between theory and practice in ways that positively impact society. To do so, schools will need to pursue operational models and strategies that firmly position themselves at the intersection of industry and practice, as conveners and partners in the knowledge creation ecosystem rather than just suppliers.”
—AACSB International, A Collective Vision for Business Education