Cornell has a rich history of community and economic development and the University Center will be supported by a coordinated effort of CaRDI, which will leverage the Cornell Cooperation Extension system and Cornell University economic resources. The University Center builds on partnerships with key entities at Cornell that provide economic development services, including the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Department of City and Regional Planning, the College of Industrial and Labor Relations, the Johnson School, and the Cornell Center for Technology, Enterprise and Commercialization.


Entities networked with the University Center:

Cornell’s Community and Rural Development Institute (CaRDI)
CaRDI supports CCE Associations that meet local needs through community and economic development programming. CaRDI is a multidisciplinary center committed to building strong, vital and healthy communities through strengthening community economic development; facilitating community and government capacity building; and developing effective and collaborative land use management approaches and policies. Working in concert with others, CaRDI mobilizes and makes accessible Cornell University programs and resources to strengthen and support New York’s communities and citizens. The approach is interdisciplinary, incorporating economic opportunity, environmental health, and community participation.


Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE)
CCE “puts knowledge to work” by providing timely, research-based information and expertise from Cornell University. CCE has a local presence in all of New York State’s 57 counties as well as New York City. The CCE system includes Cornell specialists and researchers and 500 extension educators. Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations are vital partners in fulfilling the land-grant and extension missions of Cornell University. Associations' educational programs are supported by the research conducted by faculty on the Cornell campus as well as other land-grant universities throughout the country. By extending the work of faculty, Cornell Cooperative Extension Associations provide "portals" to Cornell University and serve as the only direct contact many New Yorkers will have with their land-grant institution. Central to the system's design is the idea of strong partnerships with local governments and that communities should be a part of decisions about educational programming. Local programs are tailor ed to local needs, while maintaining system-wide integrity and connection to Cornell.


Cornell Center for Technology, Enterprise and Commercialization (CCTEC)
CCTEC was created in 2004 to serve the intellectual property (IP), technology transfer, licensing, company creation and economic development mission of Cornell University. CCTEC includes the Offices of Intellectual Property Management and Licensing in Ithaca and Weill Medical College in New York City, Cornell Research Foundation and the Office of Economic Development (OED). CCTEC fosters university-industry research collaborations, promotes innovation and inventiveness on campus and encourages entrepreneurship. CCTEC is solely responsible for commercializing the University’s inventions and is a campus focal point for coordinating resources to increase research collaboration and foster economic development. CCTEC has strategic intellectual property/tech transfer relationships with colleges, centers and departments that establish it as the nexus for a broad range of technology-based economic development activities.