Innovation & New Knowledge

Innovation Pitch Fest 2025

Advancing Health Through Innovation

Advancing healthcare collaborations between the Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing and College of Engineering to promote new healthcare technology innovations.

Every Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing student is educated on health care and nursing innovation within their core program curriculum. All students have the opportunity to pursue an idea for innovation development with mentored guidance in the University of Connecticut Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing and the University at large.

Innovation is a core value of the University of Connecticut. We are dedicated to discovery and communication of breakthrough and foundational ideas; to translation and collaboration across disciplines and communities; and to positive transformation through research, scholarship, and creative works.

Tiffany Kelley

Tiffany Kelley

PhD, MBA, RN, NI-BC, FNAP

Professor in Residence

Co-Director, Nursing and Engineering Innovation Center

Director, Healthcare Innovation Online Graduate Certificate Program

Affiliate Faculty, Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

To her knowledge, Dr. Kelley is the first nurse in the United States to be appointed as a visiting professor dedicated to integrating innovation into the nursing curriculum across degree programs. By preparing our nursing students and current nurses and advancing their education with the appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward innovative behaviors and culture, we hold the potential to drive significant positive change in the profession of nursing and health care at large. Dr. Kelley’s combined academic background, professional experiences, and overall vision uniquely prepared her for her appointed role at UConn. She is a leading expert on the topics of health care innovation and informatics in the contemporary times of delivering safe, efficient, timely, patient-centered, effective and equitable care to patients and their families.

Healthcare Innovation Online Graduate Certificate

Offered through the Elisabeth DeLuca School of Nursing, the Healthcare Innovation Online Graduate Certificate is a 12-credit program that brings together nurses and health care professionals who share a common goal of developing solutions and introducing positive change to the industry.

While nurses, health care professionals, and others have to be innovators in their day-to day-work, their innovations tend to be work-arounds that deliver the necessary care to each patient on a case-by-case basis. Daily workarounds expose existing gaps in standard system-level solutions and can be indicators of formal innovation opportunities.

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Additional Innovation Resources at UConn

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Grants and Accelerator Programs

UConn offers several programs that support innovation development across all stages from initial seed funding to venture development and commercialization. Funding is available on a competitive basis to UConn-affiliated and Connecticut-based companies through many state-funded and private sources.

Peter J. Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation

The Werth Institute serves the University of Connecticut through an interdisciplinary approach to entrepreneurship and innovation that is inclusive of existing and new programs. We facilitate opportunities for all students, while continually driving to promote the University’s academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular programs.

Technology Innovation Fellows & Commercialization Services Programs

Summer research fellowships are available for undergraduate and masters’ nursing students in bioscience, health, and bioengineering inter-related areas. Students are paired with on-campus UConn-affiliated startup companies for mentored research internships and fellowships in business or STEM areas.