PORTLAND, Maine — The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs is moving its programs to the University of Maine System starting on Oct. 1.

The Maine Center for Entrepreneurs is a nonprofit founded in 1997 to provide training, mentorship and connections to Maine business owners. The organization announced the move on Tuesday alongside representatives from the university system. 

The reason for the merger, according to a news release from UMS, is to combine the MCE’s programs with research opportunities at the universities. The MCE will be located within UMaine’s Graduate and Professional Center in Portland, also referred to as the Maine Center.

“This is not just the coming together of a couple of organizations,” UMS Chancellor Dannel Malloy said. “It’s bringing together and recognizing that what has transpired over the last 30 years cannot be allowed to die.”

A $2 million investment from the Harold Alfond Foundation, which is the philanthropic foundation formed after the passing of the founder of Dexter Shoe Company, is helping to facilitate the merger. 

Anyone who is currently in the MCE’s programs will see the same staff and services after the merger, according to the release. And the MCE will be located within a new entrepreneurship and innovation hub opening in downtown Portland early next year. The new hub will have a Business and Law clinic, AI training and other services to support startups. 

After the integration, the Maine Center will support more than 200 entrepreneurs and small businesses annually, according to the release. 

The announcement was held at Luke’s Lobster in Portland, which is a family-owned business that is involved with both the MCE and UMS. Seth Goodall, the executive director of the UMS Graduate and Professional Center, said small businesses create two out of three jobs in Maine.

“Small businesses can also grow in scale, like Luke’s Lobster has done,” Goodall said. “That’s why we’re here. We want to engage students in full strength at the University of Maine System with the Maine Center.”

Editor's Note: This story was updated on Sept. 16, 2026, to correctly identify that the University of Maine System was involved with the Maine Center for Entrepreneurs' merger.