At the ICA-CCR 2025 Global Research Conference, the International Co-operative Business Education Consortium (ICBEC) brought together voices from around the world to showcase how collaboration is transforming co-operative business education. The panel, “Collaboration and Tools for Enhancing Co-operative Business Education,” highlighted the power of shared tools, pedagogical innovation, and global partnerships in advancing the co-operative model in classrooms and boardrooms alike.
Moderated by Ilana Gotz, the session featured dynamic contributions from Canada, Brazil, and Europe, each illustrating how cross-institutional work can fill critical gaps in co-op business education.
One key initiative celebrated was the Ivey Co-operative Business Case Consortium, supported by the Canadian Centre for the Study of Co-operatives (CCSC). The project is building a much-needed library of real-world co-operative case studies within the Ivey Publishing platform—making it easier for business schools to integrate co-operative content into mainstream curricula.
The PortailCoop Teaching Collection, curated by HEC Montréal’s IICADD, was another highlight. As the largest digital library on co-operatives, it now includes teaching cases, tools, and institutional profiles, helping educators around the world bring the co-op model into their classrooms.
The panel also showcased global examples of implementation. From Favoo Coop in Brazil embedding co-operative values into every facet of a business degree, to study tours and Master Classes organized by Saint Mary’s University’s International Centre for Co-operative Management, participants demonstrated the real-world impact of co-operative education done collaboratively.
Above all, the panel emphasized that co-operative values – solidarity, mutualism, and identity – are not just content, but methods. The tools being built by ICBEC and its partners are making it easier for institutions to share resources, inspire students, and strengthen co-operatives worldwide.
It’s not just about teaching co-operatives. It’s about teaching differently, together.
For more information or to get involved in ICBEC’s work, visit icbec.coop