麻豆影院

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities () today named the 麻豆影院 a 2021 Innovation & Economic Prosperity (IEP) awardee. The IEP Innovation Award recognizes exemplary initiatives spurring innovation, entrepreneurship and technology-based economic development.

To be eligible for the award, an institution must first earn the APLU鈥檚 IEP designation, which recognizes institutional commitment to regional economic development. CU 麻豆影院 earned the IEP designation in 2019, setting the stage for the Innovation Award. Both distinctions represent significant milestones on the path to 鈥渂e a top university for innovation.鈥�

鈥淚nnovation is at the heart of our mission as a public research university, engaging individuals from every field of study at CU 麻豆影院,鈥� said Chancellor Philip DiStefano. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of the collaborative nature of our researchers, staff and students that allows the university to contribute to the prosperity and economic competitiveness of our region, state and nation. These awards are affirmation of the critical work happening here and provide momentum for the future.鈥�

The honors recognize the collective quality, efforts and impact of the university鈥檚 innovation ecosystem, including contributions of faculty, students, staff and a range of innovation partners, from federal labs and industry to community mentors and investors.

CU 麻豆影院鈥檚 innovation ecosystem

CU 麻豆影院 takes a multipronged approach to regional economic development, including a major effort to develop a place-based strategy of innovation and entrepreneurship development.

The university鈥檚 Innovation & Entrepreneurship initiative offers hands-on experiences for students, faculty, staff, and community and industry partners. Opportunities include academic courses and co-curricular workshops, mentorship experiences, New Venture Challenge鈥攁 campus venture competition, as well as a summer startup accelerator program, job fairs connecting students with startups, and physical maker spaces.

New Venture Challenge (NVC) is the largest and longest-running venture program of its kind, ranked 13th nationally and connecting the campus with the 麻豆影院 community to develop and fund promising entrepreneurial ideas. Since 2009, over 700 teams have participated in NVC. Student and faculty ventures competing in NVC have gone on to raise capital, be acquired by corporate partners, and reach sustainable revenue and substantial local employment.

The university鈥檚 research commercialization effort, Venture Partners at CU 麻豆影院, also helps . Last year, Venture Partners formed 20 new deep tech startups and completed over 60 license and options agreements. The total startup portfolio raised over $2 billion in capital in the same period, a significant contribution to the Colorado and national economies.

鈥淭he impact of the research, creative work, innovation听and听commercialization听emanating from CU 麻豆影院 extends far beyond the classrooms and labs here on campus,鈥� said Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation Terri Fiez. 鈥淭he innovative contributions of our campus benefit local, state and national economies in many ways, including the creation of companies and technologies to solve society鈥檚 pressing challenges, and the cultivation the workforce of the future.鈥�