The Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation is one of 13 organizations recently recognized with UTRGV’s Community Partner Recognition Award for the 2024-2025 academic year. The recognition is connected to UTRGV’s Carnegie Community Engagement Reclassification work and highlights partners whose collaboration supports community engagement across the Valley.

BCIC’s recognition reflects its long-running partnership with UTRGV’s Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center. Together, BCIC and UTRGV ECC operate the eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization and deliver entrepreneurship programs that serve founders and small businesses throughout the Rio Grande Valley.

Through the BCIC and UTRGV ECC partnership at eBridge, programs and initiatives include:

• Business Incubation Program

• Open Space coworking at eBridge

• SoftLanding Global Pad

• Blueprint Business Program (Kauffman FastTrac)

• 1 Million Cups

• The Failure Institute

• Startup Texas (AdvanceUp Accelerator curriculum)

• RGV Startup Week

UTRGV’s Community Partner Recognition Award adds to a documented track record of national awards for the partnership and underscores the ongoing work being delivered through eBridge in Brownsville and across the Rio Grande Valley.

BCIC has also earned International Economic Development Council Excellence Awards recognizing work delivered through its partnership with UTRGV ECC. In 2024, the partnership’s RGV Startup Week work received two IEDC Gold Awards: Special Event and Postsecondary Education Partnership. In 2023, BCIC and received an IEDC Gold Award for Partnerships with Educational Institutions for the eBridge Center for Business and Commercialization. The eBridge Center project was also recognized in 2022 with an IEDC Bronze Award for Entrepreneurship.