The AAST Entrepreneurship Center (AASTEC), established in 2015 by the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), has been awarded the ICSB 2025 Entrepreneurship Center Global Impact Award in recognition of its extraordinary contribution to entrepreneurship development in Egypt, the Arab region, and across Africa. As one of the most comprehensive university-based entrepreneurship platforms in the area, AASTEC has distinguished itself through measurable impact, regional replication, and long-term ecosystem transformation.
From its inception, AASTEC was designed not simply as an incubator but as a full-scale entrepreneurship ecosystem builder. Its mission extends across students, startups, universities, policymakers, investors, and development partners. Through its flagship RIPPLE Program, AASTEC has strengthened entrepreneurship centers at more than 35 universities and facilitated cross-border collaboration through regional and international summits. This institutional capacity-building approach has enabled entire universities and communities to develop sustainable entrepreneurship pipelines, positioning AASTEC as a scalable model for national and regional development.
The Center’s direct economic and social impact is both wide-reaching and deeply rooted in local communities. Through the nationally celebrated Egypt Rally Entrepreneurship Competition, AASTEC has reached more than 47,000 beneficiaries and supported over 2,000 startups across Egypt. These ventures have attracted substantial investment and created employment opportunities for youth in both urban and underserved regions. AASTEC also pioneered sector-focused incubation in high-impact industries through the MASAR Agribusiness Incubator, Mashreq Tourism Incubator, and Supply Chain & Logistics Incubator, aligning entrepreneurship with national development priorities. Its commitment to inclusive growth is reflected through the Goodwill Incubator, which empowers entrepreneurs with disabilities, and large-scale entrepreneurship programs serving rural communities in Upper Egypt.
On the international stage, AASTEC serves as a regional hub for knowledge and policy transfer. It actively collaborates with leading global and regional institutions, including UNIDO, the ILO, USAID, GIZ, the Union of Arab Chambers, ICSB, and the SME World Forum. Through these partnerships, AASTEC has transferred best practices, incubation models, and startup support frameworks across borders, while launching Knowledge Hubs that provide entrepreneurs with access to global research, tools, and mentorship in areas such as human-centered entrepreneurship, sustainability, and innovation.
A strong governance and sustainability model also drives the Center’s success. Backed by diversified financial support from AASTMT, national banks, international donors, and private-sector partners, AASTEC has built one of the most stable entrepreneurship infrastructures in the region. Under the leadership of Dr. Heba El-Ashry, an internationally certified entrepreneurship coach trained at Babson College and Ciputra University, the Center operates with a highly skilled multidisciplinary team that delivers programs across Egypt and the wider Arab world.
The ICSB Entrepreneurship Center Global Impact Award recognizes institutions that demonstrate not just excellence, but enduring transformation. AASTEC was selected because it embodies the whole meaning of global impact—youth empowerment at scale, ecosystem capacity building, inclusive development, regional replication, and sustainable economic contribution. Its achievements over the past decade stand as proof that when entrepreneurship is embedded into education, policy, and community development, it becomes a powerful engine for national growth and global progress.
Past Winners:
ICSB Entrepreneurship Center Global Impact Award Current and Past Winners:
2025: Dr.Heba Alashry, AAST Entrepreneurship Center, Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), League of Arab States, https://ec.aast.edu/, Cairo, Egypt
2024: Matin Abdullah, Centre for Entrepreneurship Development, BRAC University, https://ced.bracu.ac.bd/, Dhaka, Bangladesh
2023: Noha Afifi, Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology (E-JUST), https://www.ejust.edu.eg/, Alexandria Governorate, Egypt
2021: Eric Liguori, Rowan Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, https://ent.rowan.edu/rcie/, New Jersey, USA