In response to the coronavirus pandemic and out of concern for the health and safety of CCIC participants, AACC, in consultation with the National Science Foundation, made the difficult decision to cancel the Community College Innovation Challenge for 2020.

We have been closely monitoring guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, as well as staying abreast of the closures and state and local ordinances in the Washington, D.C. metro area and of community colleges nationwide. We know that many of you are dealing with challenging situations related to the closures of your colleges and campuses and ensuring that your students, staff, and families remain healthy during this time.

We greatly appreciate all the hard work that has gone into registering team members and preparing submissions; and we strongly encourage you to reapply in the fall. AACC currently anticipates that the call for submissions for the 2021 Community College Innovation Challenge will open in late October 2020 and close in February 2021. We would be happy to carry over any 2020 submissions, from teams that wish us to do so, to be automatically considered for the next Community College Innovation Challenge. We can also extend flexibility regarding current team member eligibility if students graduate prior to the submission period for the next CCIC and still wish to participate.

Thank you again for your interest and efforts in applying for the 2020 Community College Innovation Challenge. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at ccic@aacc.nche.edu.

The Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC) is sponsored by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF). It is a prestigious, two-phase 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; earn full travel support to attend an Innovation Boot Camp in the Washington, DC, metro area; and compete for cash awards.

The Innovation 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 CCIC includes a poster session and reception on Capitol Hill and a formal pitch presentation at the Boot Camp in front of a panel of industry professionals to determine the first and second place winning teams.