The University Economic Development Association (UEDA) is currently seeking nominations for its annual Awards of Excellence program, which recognizes leading edge university-based economic development initiatives from across the country. The Awards of Excellence Program recognizes higher education institutions and their partners who are transforming their campuses into engines of economic prosperity through creative initiatives in five categories:
- Community Connected Campus: initiatives that promote the physical development of quality connected campuses and their surrounding communities;
- Research and Analysis: initiatives that enhance the capacity of colleges and universities to provide new forms of research and tools for community, economic and workforce development practitioners;
- Leadership and Collaboration: initiatives that support the development of collaborative economic development strategies and the leaders required to implement them;
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship: initiatives designed to support startups, high-growth companies and clusters within a region; and
- Talent Development: initiatives that promote the development of 21st-century skills.