Welcome to the first-ever edition of Ignition Schools, a collaboration between Fast Company and our sibling publication, Inc. The Ignition Schools list honors the top academic institutions that play an enormous role in shaping the businesses that influence society. Innovation and entrepreneurship—the editorial lodestars for Fast Company and Inc., respectively—are also the focus of Ignition Schools. The 50 colleges and universities we’re honoring in our inaugural list don’t just produce elite students and groundbreaking research; they also are economic engines that generate the ideas, businesses, and opportunities that move cities, regions, and countries toward a better future.