CU Boulder and CSU: On-field Rivals, Off-field Partners in Innovation

While Buffs and Rams gear up for the best in-state football rivalry going, the Rocky Mountain Showdown on Sept. 16, it’s a good time to reflect on the incredible work both institutions do to solve an array of global and local challenges.

Take the area of natural resources like air and water, and sustainability, things we hold especially dear in Colorado.

Colorado State University, the state’s public land grant university founded in 1870, is a Tier 1 research institution, home to the nation’s No. 2 veterinary school and top programs in atmospheric science, natural resources, and agricultural innovation, among other fields.

The University of Colorado Boulder, flagship campus of the CU system, touts its place as one of America’s leading research universities with global prominence in space, climate and environmental science, bioscience, among other fields.

Both campuses are deeply committed to sustainability.

The two institutions collaborate on research projects—librarians at CU Boulder count more than 1,900 co-authored articles—but the research happening on both campuses also collectively improves the lives of Coloradans and people around the world. About 1,400 of the co-authored articles are available open access which means that researchers globally can freely access to synthesize knowledge for the betterment of humanity.

The two institutions are also vital to workforce development in Colorado, along with sparking the ideas and innovation that lead to new industries and businesses.

For instance, commercialization activities by CU Boulder had an economic impact of $8 billion nationally and $5.2 billion in the state of Colorado (2018–22). CSU startup and spinoff companies generate about $228 million of regional economic impact annually. CSU Fort Collins has launched 50 new startup companies since 2006 and supports more than 750 active inventions. These startup companies account for hundreds of private-sector jobs in Colorado.

Here are just a few additional partnerships we’d like to highlight as we head into game day.