2026 Economic Inclusion & Innovation Research Conference @ Coppin (EICAC)

Launched in 2016 as the Economic Inclusion Conference at Coppin (EICAC) by Coppin State University’s Center for Strategic Entrepreneurship, the event has run annually since 2021, attracting more than 500 corporate, government, academic, and community leaders from the region each year.

The 2026 Economic Inclusion & Innovation Research Conference (EIIRC) will unite students, educators, researchers, business leaders, and policymakers for a full day of research presentations, dialogue, and action. Building on past success, EIIRC 2026 broadens its scope to include innovative research that drives economic growth.

This year’s theme, Pathways to Opportunity: Intrapreneurship, Innovation, and Economic Mobility, explores how entrepreneurial thinking inside organizations accelerates education-to-employment transitions and powers lasting economic mobility.

EIIRC 2026

1. Advances the groundbreaking work of Excel 2.0: a collaborative initiative designed to strengthen student economic empowerment and workforcereadiness
2. Assembles leading economic mobility thought leaders and researchers
3. Opens doors to high?impact opportunities at the intersection of entrepreneurship and employment

EIIRC 2026 will:

• Showcase student-led innovation
• Highlight intrapreneurship as a bridge between education, employment, and entrepreneurship
• Present new research and models for workforce integration
• Support community transformation and economic mobility
• Strengthen networks across education, policy, business, and community sectors

Join us at EIIRC 2026 as we work together to create lasting change in youth and young adult economic empowerment and innovation research.

Photography and Image Capture Notice: Please be aware that by participating in this conference, you consent to your image, likeness, and voice possibly being captured in photographs, videos, and audio recordings that may be used in future promotional materials, publications, and media outreach. Attendance at the event signifies your permission for your image to be used in this manner without compensation. If you have any concerns or wish for your image not to be used, please get in touch with the Event Coordinator, India McCleod, upon your arrival.

For additional information, contact Victoria Allen at [email protected]

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Host or Publisher Coppin State University College of Business