UBI Global has released its World University-linked Business Incubator and Accelerator Ranking, and McGill’s Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship came in at #8 in the World Top Business Incubator – Managed by a University category.

The news is the latest in a string of exciting announcements for Dobson this year. In July, the John Dobson Foundation donated $2 million to support the McGill X-1 Accelerator for the next ten years. The X-1 Accelerator wrapped up a successful five-city demo day tour in the fall.

McGill’s X-1 accelerator, started in 2015, is an intensive 10-week summer program designed to accelerate the growth of later-stage McGill startups toward investment readiness and launch in the fall. The program is open to teams, of which at least one must have a McGill affiliation, as a current student, recent alumni, faculty or staff. It runs from June to August, and concludes with demo days in the fall.

UBI’s bi-annual ranking recognizes business incubators and accelerators connected with a higher education institution that have achieved excellence in catalyzing startups and in fostering a broader ecosystem of innovation. The Dobson Centre was among 259 finalists from 53 countries, all selected from 1,370 submissions.

“We’re thrilled to be included in UBI Global’s 2017/2018 rankings for the first time in the Dobson Centre’s history. Ranking 8th in the world is a meaningful form of validation from our international peers and an inspiration to attain even greater heights in supporting McGill’s brilliant community of entrepreneurs and innovators,” Renjie Butalid, Associate Director of the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship, told MTLinTECH.

The final results were announced at the World Incubation Summit 2018 in Toronto, Canada on February 22. The full list can be found online.

Over the last decade, the McGill Dobson Centre has helped establish 125 active startups that employ over 1,200 people and have raised $110 million to date. As the hub for entrepreneurial activity at McGill University, its mission is to find, teach and develop world-class McGill entrepreneurs through initiatives such as the McGill X-1 Accelerator, the McGill Lean Startup Program and the McGill Dobson Cup.