CEEN 2026 Conference
From Ideas to Impact
Keynotes
Hear from leading founders and key players in the ecosystem.
Sessions
The Conference offers various types of sessions, including workshops, panels, paper presentations, and more.
Annual Gala
An opportunity to recognize individuals and organizations advancing entrepreneurship in Canada.
2026 Conference Theme
This conference brings together researchers, educators, founders, investors, and policymakers to explore how bold ideas become real-world impact. We look at how discoveries move from lab to market in the life sciences, and how the right mix of talent, guidance, and support helps them become viable ventures. We examine how AI is changing the way ventures are built, supported, and grown across innovation ecosystems.
Sustainability and long-term growth stay central, with a focus on resilient, responsible business models. At its core, the program shows how education and research build entrepreneurial skills, open opportunity, and strengthen careers in a changing world.
Submission Deadline: September 18, 2026
Thematic Pillars
- Lab-to-Market & Life Sciences Commercialization
Translating research and discovery into viable ventures through education, policy, and support systems. - AI-Enabled Venture Creation and Support
Leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance entrepreneurial learning, venture development, and ecosystem capacity. - Sustainable Business Models and Durable Growth
Building ventures designed for long-term resilience, responsibility, and impact. - Building Entrepreneurial Skills to Future-Proof Careers
How education and research drive entrepreneurial mindsets
Call for Proposals
Paper, Panel, Workshop, or Discussion Topic
CEEN offers different speaking opportunities for members to share their research and experience during this conference. Researchers, students, and professionals can apply to present their papers, give a workshop, or organize a panel.
Got an idea but not sure how it fits in with this year’s theme?
2026 Award Nominations
Each year, CEEN recognizes excellence and leadership in Canadian entrepreneurship education by individuals and organizations, whose work lifts others and delivers outsized and lasting impact in Canada and across the world.
The CEEN accepts, and encourages, French submissions.
Submission Deadline: September 28, 2026
Awards Available
Which CEEN Award Should You Apply For?
Choose the Mary A. Kilfoil Award if you are an individual best known as a scholar who advanced entrepreneurship education or research through ideas, pedagogy, or curriculum innovation.
Choose the Individual Program Leadership Award if you are an individual recognized for leadership in creating, growing, or sustaining an entrepreneurship program, accelerator, or incubator over time.
Choose the Programming Excellence Award if you are applying on behalf of an organization that created and is offering a specific evidence-based entrepreneurship program with strong design, delivery, inclusion, and measurable entrepreneur or venture outcomes.
Choose the Organization Leadership Award if your organization plays a recognized leadership role in Canada’s entrepreneurship ecosystem by advancing entrepreneurship education and inclusive venture creation across communities or provinces.
Mary A. Kilfoil Award for Outstanding Contributions to Advancing Innovation in Entrepreneurship Education and Research
This award recognizes an individual whose intellectual, pedagogical, and scholarly leadership has significantly advanced entrepreneurship education and research. It honours sustained contributions that shape how entrepreneurship is taught, studied, and integrated with practice, through curriculum innovation, influential scholarship, and meaningful community-engaged research.
Primary focus: Thought leadership, pedagogical innovation, and scholarly impact.
CEEN Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship Program Leadership
This award recognizes an individual who has provided outstanding programmatic and strategic leadership in building, stewarding, scaling, or sustaining entrepreneurship programs, accelerators, or incubators. It honours leaders whose long-term vision and management have resulted in durable programs, strong teams, and meaningful outcomes for entrepreneurs and partners.
Primary focus: Program stewardship, scaling, and sustained operational impact.
CEEN Award for Excellence in Entrepreneurship Programming
This award recognizes organizations that demonstrate excellence in the design and delivery of a specific entrepreneurship program or suite of programs. It honours programs that exhibit high-quality structure, delivery, and measurable entrepreneurial outcomes grounded in entrepreneurship research, evidence-informed pedagogy, or commercialization practice, regardless of organizational type or size.
Primary focus: Research, pedagogy, or commercialization-informed program quality, delivery excellence, and demonstrated outcomes.
CEEN Award for Leadership in Entrepreneurship Education and Inclusive Venture Creation
This award recognizes an organization that plays a system-level leadership role in advancing entrepreneurship education and inclusive venture creation in Canada. It honours organizations with a sustained record of guiding, influencing, and strengthening the entrepreneurship ecosystem through inclusive practices, strategic partnerships, and field-building initiatives.
Primary focus: Organizational leadership and national or regional ecosystem impact.
Hotel Accommodations
Hôtel Le Cantlie Suites
Location @ Concordia University
Learn more about Concordia University and our host District 3 Innovation Hub
Agenda
Register Now | CEEN 2026 @ Montreal
General Attendee
Early bird pricing until Sept 30, 2026
Student Attendee
Early bird pricing until Sept 30, 2026
