AACSB Recognizes 26 Business Schools Innovating Partnerships
AACSB International (AACSB)—the world’s largest business education alliance—announces 26 business schools featured in its Innovations That Inspire member spotlight program.
This annual program recognizes institutions from around the world that serve as champions of change in business education. In 2025, the spotlight is on schools that are innovating through partnerships, forging collaborative solutions that elevate communities and businesses, shape market-responsive curricula, implement cutting-edge learning methods, and develop impactful leaders. These institutions are engaging with organizations locally and globally, from across sectors, to address complex challenges.
Several of this year’s recognized innovations include:
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Academy of Excellence in Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance: Griffith University’s Griffith Business School and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia created the Academy of Excellence in Financial Crime Investigation and Compliance, offering the first-of-its-kind undergraduate and master’s programs dedicated to training professionals to combat financial crime and strengthen the financial system against criminal exploitation.
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MBOE–Mid-Ohio Food Collective Partnership: For seven consecutive years, The Ohio State University’s Master of Business Operational Excellence (MBOE) program has partnered with the Mid-Ohio Food Collective to improve operational efficiencies in combatting food insecurity in Central Ohio while providing students with hands-on problem-solving experience in a real-world setting.
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Strategy in the Anthropocene: The partnership between Emlyon Business School and Carbone 4 launched Sustainable Futures, an immersive learning experience that integrates business education, biophysics, and system dynamics to help master’s and MBA students explore macro-environmental forces and alternative future scenarios.
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V-Bridge to Co-create Future Business Education: Beijing Jiaotong University’s School of Economics and Management developed V-Bridge, a human-AI virtual simulation platform that enables real-world collaboration between students and enterprises, facilitating business strategy optimization, enterprise engagement, and digital transformation.
“This year’s Innovations That Inspire honorees exemplify the power of collaboration between business and higher education in driving positive change. Their dedication to industry-centered education showcases how business schools are fostering innovation and ensuring graduates enter the workforce ready to make an immediate impact,” said Lily Bi, AACSB president and CEO.
Since its launch in 2016, the Innovations That Inspire program has recognized 266 business school initiatives for their trailblazing contributions to education, research, societal impact, entrepreneurship, and leadership. Support for the 2025 Innovations That Inspire initiative is provided by the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business.
More insights and examples are available at aacsb.edu/innovations-that-inspire.