UC nationally recognized for innovation in economic engagement

For 2022, UC received the IEP Economic Engageent Connections award, the top prize in the awards competition, recognizing excellence across three award categories. 

Recognized as the birthplace of cooperative education more than 116 years ago, UC offers a multidisciplinary approach with hands-on experiences for students, faculty, staff and corporate partners. In recent years, UC has ramped up its commitment to commercialization by opening the UC 1819 Innovation Hub, launching the Venture Lab to aid startups and simplifying the path to the marketplace for researchers and inventors.

As a result, UC has experienced a 51% increase in faculty disclosures and a 94% increase in patents issued, and the Venture Lab has launched six times as many startups, for a total of 94.

APLU’s IEP designation program helps higher education institutions codify, elevate and advance their enterprise supporting economic and community development while providing national recognition to institutions committed to university economic development. In order to earn the designation, institutions complete a rigorous self-study and stakeholder engagement process. They also identify their economic development strengths and areas of growth and improvement.

Featured image at top: Ryan Hays, UC executive vice president and chief innovation and strategy officer, accepts the Innovation & Economic Prosperity Award from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. Photo by Josh Gold Photography