Community College Innovation Challenge 2025

The Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC) is led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF). It is a national competition where community college student teams, working with a faculty or administrator mentor, use science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to innovate solutions to real-world problems; participate in an Innovation Boot Camp; and compete for cash awards.

AACC is pleased to announce that planning is underway to hold the Innovation Boot Camp in Washington, D.C. on June 9-12, 2025—and full travel support will be provided to the finalist teams to attend.

The Boot Camp provides professional development, mentoring, and coaching designed to build strategic communication and entrepreneurial skills to help students advance their innovations in both the private and public sectors. The event culminates in a poster session and engagement opportunity with STEM leaders and Congressional stakeholders, and a pitch presentation in front of a panel of industry and entrepreneurial professionals to determine the first, second, and third place winning teams.

TO APPLY:

Each team, working with their mentor, should review the rules of eligibility on the CCIC webpage, and if eligible, develop their breakthrough idea that addresses a real-world problem. They will then sign up the entire team, and submit their proposal. 

Learn about previous InnovATEBIO program submissions:  Del Mar College and Los Angeles Mission College

The CCIC is led by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Submissions open January 21, 2025, and the deadline for applications is April 3, 2025 at 11:59 PDT.