C3 Innovation wraps eventful fall with fellowship workshops, events and community outreach
C3 Innovation accomplished key steps during the first semester on campus. C3 Innovation was officially revealed in February 2025 with the first initiatives launched in the fall.
Faculty Fellowship Updates
The semester marked a period of growth for the collaborative hub, highlighted by the launch of the C3 Innovation Faculty Fellowship. The inaugural cohort engaged in a series of intensive workshops focused on creative innovation, business model innovation and creativity science.
These sessions are already influencing the fellows’ diverse range of proposed projects, which range from Health & Well-being to Advanced Technology and Community Development. The fellowship is designed to support applied, community-engaged research that addresses specific needs within the Pikes Peak region.
You can review the projects and connect with the faculty through their C3 Innovation bios.
Sponsorships and Community Engagement
C3 Innovation extended its reach beyond the classroom through strategic sponsorships and event support inspire, highlight, and empower the community.
C3-sponsored or supported events
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Guest Speaker: Astronaut Ron Sega
CU Innovation Showcase
Regents Event
Cybersecurity Research Exchange
C3-led events and programs
App Design Lab
C3 Faculty Fellows Training
Creativity Salon series with Theo Edmunds
Exponential Impact (Xi) Business Accelerator
Expanding the Digital Footprint
The fall semester also saw the launch of C3 Innovation’s digital presence. We've introduced official social media channels (@c3innovation.uccs) to showcase student and faculty success stories. We covered events such as Data Mine of the Rockies Symposium, Cybersecurity Research Exchange, and Mountain Lion Research Day. Those stories are saved as highlights on Instagram.
Follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn as we continue building, attending, and exploring the innovation community in the Spring.
Behind the scenes, production began on "Innovation Springs," a new podcast set to launch next semester. The podcast will feature conversations with local innovators from students, faculty, researchers, and business leaders. The feed is a collaboration between C3, EPIIC, and the Digital Humanities Center: the first episodes will drop early 2026.
Looking Ahead to Spring 2026
As the semester closes, C3 Innovation is already looking toward a busy spring.
"We are building momentum for a transformative year," said Hayley Blackburn, the Innovation and Design Librarian who supports C3 Innovation projects. “Now that our social feeds are set up and the fellowship initiatives are moving forward, I’m excited to capture and share the journey with everyone.”
Two priority projects for the spring focus on opening applications for the C3 Student Fellowship program and the launch of the "Innovation Springs" podcast. We also plan to host community events focused on emerging technologies, including sessions on "vibe coding" and the commercialization process for faculty inventions (hosted by CU Ventures).
Faculty fellows will also continue to develop their projects, utilizing the interdisciplinary collaborations formed this fall to drive institutional transformation.
For more updates on innovation at UCCS, follow @c3innovation.uccs on social media, check out our website, and reach out.