Harrisburg students study global innovation hubs

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Six Penn State Harrisburg students recently shared their findings as the first cohort of the Global Entrepreneurs Summer Fellowship, a program run by the Harrisburg LaunchBox powered by Penn State, which helped them explore connections between Central Pennsylvania and innovation hubs around the world.

The Global Entrepreneurs Summer Fellowship program ran from July to August. The six participants included computer science major Enrin Debbarma, finance major Vishan Koirala, electrical engineering major Pushkar Bhattarai, computer science major Adya Singh, computer science major Pranshav Lakhia, and electrical engineering major Jeremiah Ddumba.

The students gathered for four interactive sessions, where they explored key aspects of entrepreneurship through discussions with local and international speakers.

Students also chose a global innovation hub - London, Hsinchu, Dubai, Nepal and Singapore - and an industry to study, conducting interviews with Penn State faculty, local entrepreneurs, or international contacts to gain firsthand insights.

The goal was to get students thinking critically about what really makes an innovation hub thrive - and to challenge them to think beyond big cities or Silicon Valley as the only places for startups and innovation, according to Melissa Orr, manager of the Harrisburg LaunchBox and director of Penn State Harrisburg's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

"Even though each student examined an international hub for reference, the goal was to break it down into its core components to understand why it works and ask: What do we already have here in Harrisburg, and what steps could we take to strengthen and build on it?" Orr said. "The hope was for students to see that innovation doesn't only happen somewhere else or in their future careers. It's something they can engage with right now by tapping into community resources, connecting with the LaunchBox, and initiating their own projects now on campus."

LaunchBox developed the program along with Robert William, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Center for International Exchange and Partnership.

The students combined their data and interviews into an analysis of global entrepreneurship trends, highlighting the unique characteristics of the innovation hubs they chose, key stakeholders driving growth, and industry-specific performance indicators. They compared their findings to the local region and offered recommendations for Central Pennsylvania, as well.

The students presented their findings during a luncheon, which also served as the first event in the 2025-26 Truist Empowered Entrepreneurs Executive Seminar Series.

Jeremiah Ddumba researched Hsinchu Science Park, a global semiconductor powerhouse in Taiwan. But along the way, he discovered that Central Pennsylvania is known as the "connector capital of the world," giving him a new perspective on the region.

"I didn't realize how much Central Pennsylvania has to offer," Ddumba said.

Adya Singh chose to study AI innovation in Dubai and Central Pennsylvania, and the lessons the regions could learn from each other. She lived in Dubai for 10 years, she said, but still learned a great deal. As a computer science major who plans to pursue a doctorate someday, Singh said she was happy to have interviewed someone from industry as well as academia, giving her different perspectives on the field.

"If anyone plans to join this program, take full advantage of the interviews you will be offered, because you will get to know so much more. It's so eye-opening," she said.

Pushkar Bhattarai said the program "opened my eyes to, globally, what you can do." He is an electrical engineering major, so if he creates a gadget or product, he'll need to manufacture it. His goal is to manufacture in Nepal, the country he studied along with finance student Vishan Koirala.

"Learning another global hub allows me to expand on what they need. … It helped me realize there are other markets to explore and there's other things to be made," Bhattarai said.

The Global Entrepreneur Summer Fellowship participants' full proposals can be viewed online. The program is expected to be held again in summer 2026.