This week, UCCS celebrated the launch of C3 Innovation. C3, which is located on the third floor of the Kraemer Family Library, was founded by Seth M. Porter, Senior Executive Director of Innovation & Technology and Dean of the Library, and Benjamin Kwitek, Executive Director of Innovation & Technology, Inventor-in-Residence and Creative Consigliere at UCCS.
C3 stands for curiosity, creativity and community, values that C3 Innovation hopes to foster, aiming to unite faculty, students and external partners from various fields – including engineering, business, humanities, health sciences and cybersecurity – in one central hub for interdisciplinary collaboration, merging creativity, advanced technology, and real-world problem-solving.
“My vision is to make UCCS the first true Innovation Grant University, where creativity, community, and curiosity drive today’s breakthroughs and tomorrow’s,” said Porter. “Just as land grant institutions transformed higher education and this country, we aim to build a university that prioritizes cross-disciplinary innovation, impacting our community and transforming our campus by hacking through bureaucracy to unleash the creativity of our people. With C3, we are laying the groundwork for a university that leads, adapts, and inspires. A university prepared to meet the future through boundless innovation—C3 Innovation is the foundation of this work.”
Porter and Kwitek have already secured strategic collaborations and dedicated funding to sustain and expand the innovation ecosystem. In the near future, they’ll be launching a design lab, which will offer a dedicated space for creative problem-solving, design thinking and iOS application training in the Apple ecosystem, as well as a collaboration with Deloitte.
“Innovators do not wait for permission – they invent and create the future they want to see,” said Kwitek. “Invention and entrepreneurship have shaped my life. As a professor of innovation, I see firsthand how traditional degrees and established careers are outmoded. Students want to customize their education and build a bespoke life for themselves. Innovation is the gateway to these goals.”
Another innovation is the C3 Innovation Fellows program, which offers funding for faculty to use their knowledge for university and community benefit, sponsored by the El Pomar Foundation. With that support from El Pomar, the C3 Innovation Fellows will apply their expertise to real-world challenges in the local community. Fellows will lead projects that foster creativity, problem-solving, and regional impact.
Faculty, staff, students and community partners working in C3 Innovation will help propel UCCS forward as a leader in interdisciplinary innovation, offering practical solutions to global challenges and fostering local economic and social growth. Ultimately, C3 Innovation will connect the ingenuity of those across the UCCS colleges and divisions to amplify their exceptional talent and the impact the university has on the community.
To learn more about C3 or support the initiative, please visit give.uccs.edu/c3innovation.
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