Florida State University is helping shape the future of entrepreneurship around the globe through a collaboration in Armenia that connects students, faculty and innovators across continents.
The Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship and Learning Systems Institute (LSI) at FSU are implementing the project in partnership with the Armenian State University of Economics (ASUE), the second-largest university in Armenia. Funded by the U.S. Department of State and led by Susana Santos, Jim Moran Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, the project aims to foster innovation and global connections through STEM and social entrepreneurship initiatives.
One of those initiatives is a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project that connects FSU students with students at ASUE through shared coursework, virtual collaboration and design-thinking-based projects. COIL allows professors and students to use technology to engage with their peers at universities around the globe.
The COIL project was implemented in Jim Moran Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship Juliana Binhote’s LDR 2325-Leadership & Empowerment course. Binhote’s students collaborated with students taking a course taught by Hermine Poghsyan, senior marketing lecturer at ASUE. Ten teams of ASUE and FSU students worked across the nine-hour time difference between Tallahassee and Armenia to develop entrepreneurial solutions focused on education, sustainability and social impact.
Morgan Baber, a freshman majoring in commercial entrepreneurship, had never participated in a COIL project before taking Binhote’s course. Her group collaborated with ASUE students on a project focused on helping educational institutions have structured and practical ways to ensure that technology enhances learning.
“We saw the problem of students struggling to maintain focus because of the digital distraction,” she said. “We wanted to create a system that helps teachers monitor the technology and create a fun learning environment for students to engage with helpful tools of technology.”
Baber said the experience strengthened her communication skills. Some of the students at ASUE didn’t speak English, and scheduling was difficult due to the time difference. Despite this, Baber was impressed by the ASUE students’ work ethic, noting that the way they organized each project made her want to do her best.
“It was a great experience collaborating with students across the world,” she said. “I really believe this is the kind of project that every student should be able to partake in.”
The 10 student teams presented their results to ASUE and FSU faculty. The team Eco Points was recognized for its solution that makes waste and plastic sorting rewarding, engaging and accessible.
The COIL project was developed by Vilma Fuentes, an associate in research at LSI who serves as program director of FSU’s Ukraine Task Force and as co-principal investigator on the overall project, with multimedia support from Robert Lengancher, an associate in research at LSI. The collaboration marks a significant step in building Armenia’s next generation of entrepreneurs while giving FSU students hands-on experience in global, cross-cultural problem solving.
“Our COIL project is already promoting entrepreneurial thinking through design thinking and virtual collaboration between American and Armenian students,” Fuentes said. “The business presentations at S212 were an indicator of the progress we have made through the first phase of COIL.”
The first phase of the collaborative project between FSU and ASUE concluded in December 2025 with the establishment of a STEM Social Innovators Incubator (S2I2) at ASUE. S2I2 is a project-based learning environment that integrates scientific innovation, social entrepreneurship and global collaboration to support students in developing entrepreneurial mindsets while addressing real-world challenges through interdisciplinary teamwork and applied problem solving.
“In its very first semester of operation, the S2I2 Entrepreneurship Center proved that the combination of international experience and efforts aimed at developing local potential can foster a new generation of entrepreneurs with knowledge, ideas and the potential for real success,” said Grisha Amirkhanayn, head of ASUE’s Division of Professional Development and Innovations.
Amirkhanayn visited FSU’s Tallahassee campus in September along with Lusine Danielyan, director of ASUE’s Internationalization, Development and Partnerships Department, to continue working on the collaboration.
Building on this momentum, S2I2 has already launched a new slate of dynamic educational initiatives, trainings, and open classes this semester for aspiring entrepreneurs, as ASUE advances its mission to expand access to innovative STEM and social entrepreneurship education for its students.
“Your success is the success of our university,” ASUE Rector Armen Grigoryan told the group. “Have confidence in your abilities, think globally, develop courage, and go to win, whether in Armenia or beyond its borders. If dozens of students with this mindset enter the labor market every year, we will have a stronger society. Go and inspire your classmates as well, so that there are more ‘door-opening’ people here.”
LSI strives to lead the way in creating innovative educational solutions that seamlessly connect theory with practice. Through advanced research, we develop industry-leading methods and implementation strategies to enhance systematic learning at all levels and in all environments. For more than five decades, LSI has been committed to driving measurable improvements in the performance of both individuals and organizations.
The Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship is the nation’s first standalone College of Entrepreneurship. The college aims to spread entrepreneurship across FSU’s campus and serve all students through collaborative programs, competitions, resources, and more. JMC offers students three undergraduate majors, five graduate majors, 10 minors and extracurricular opportunities to inspire innovation, instill compassion and ignite an entrepreneurial mindset in the next generation of leaders.