InBIA Awards
Each year, the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA) recognizes business incubators and entrepreneurship centers with proven track records of excellence. These organizations and the outstanding companies they serve are the foundation for regional economic growth in communities around the world. InBIA’s awards celebrate the heart of business incubation and entrepreneurial economic development organizations. Urban or rural, specialized, technology or mixed-use, we’re looking for high impact entrepreneurship programs that showcase excellence in sustainability growing companies that drive economic growth.
The Dinah Adkins Entrepreneurship Center of the Year Award & the Randall M. Whaley Entrepreneurship Center of the Year Award
These are InBIA’s two largest and most prestigious awards. The Dinah Adkins Entrepreneurship Center of the Year Award pays tribute to the accomplishments and contributions of honorary life-long InBIA member and pioneer Dinah Adkins, who entered the industry in 1982 to manage the Ohio University Innovation Center, the nation’s 12th incubator. She was a speaker at the early SBA incubation conferences, became an InBIA founding member in 1985 and took over the fledgling association in 1988 as president and CEO, a position she held until her retirement in 2009. Each Dinah Adkins Entrepreneurship Center of the Year Award winner receives a cash award, made possible by the generous donations of contributors to the Dinah Adkins Fund.
The Randall M. Whaley Entrepreneurship Center of the Year Award is InBIA’s highest honor, dedicated to the memory of Dr. Whaley, the Association’s first chairman of the board, who served from 1985 to 1988. During Whaley’s tenure, InBIA conducted the first national conference on business incubation, published the first guide to incubator management, and first became recognized as a world leader in promoting business incubation and entrepreneurship. The award is InBIA’s only endowed award and is sponsored by the Friends of University City Science Center of Philadelphia. The University City Science Center is the urban research park and incubator Dr. Whaley managed for many years. The winner of this award also receives a cash award.
Winners of the annual Dinah Adkins Entrepreneurship Center of the Year Award and Randall M. Whaley Entrepreneurship Center of the Year Award will be chosen from the applicants of the Entrepreneurship Center Member Awards.
Learn With Us
Training
InBIA offers the premier credential for ESO staff members in the Entrepreneurship Center Management certificate, as well as other field-specific professional development courses.
Events
Hundreds of entrepreneur support and ecosystem-building professionals gather to exchange strategies and ideas each year through InBIA’s two flagship events: the International Conference on Business Incubation (ICBI) and the Ecosystem Builders (e.Builders) Forum.
