Powering Civic Innovation
Across New York City
The Institute for Nonpartisan Innovation (INI) Collaboration Network helps faculty, students, and community partners discover expertise, build cross-campus partnerships, and turn research into real-world civic impact.
Co-powered by CUNY campuses and Vngle: The Civic Insights Company, connecting fragmented academic and civic efforts into a unified innovation ecosystem.
Why This Platform Matters
CUNY represents one of the world’s largest concentrations of public talent, research, and lived experience. Yet, valuable work often remains siloed across campuses, departments, and organizations.
The INI Collaboration Network creates a shared collaboration layer where institutions and communities can:
- ✓Discover aligned faculty, researchers, and civic organizations
- ✓Build interdisciplinary and cross-campus teams
- ✓Identify overlapping research and community priorities
- ✓Accelerate research into civic and policy impact
- ✓Strengthen partnerships between campuses and communities
"We believe the future of civic innovation depends on making collaboration more visible, accessible, and actionable across NYC."
A Unified Ecosystem
Connecting experts across NYC
Accelerated Innovation
From research to real-world impact
Civic Application
Empowering student & civic projects
What the Platform Enables
Empowering active, community-led innovation pathways across academic and urban boundaries.
Cross-Campus Collaboration
Connect expertise, initiatives, and opportunities across CUNY’s 25-campus system.
Research to Civic Impact
Bridge academic insight with community-informed action and public problem-solving.
Community-Connected Innovation
Strengthen collaboration between faculty, students, and trusted civic partners across NYC.
Collaboration Infrastructure Built for CUNY
Built systematically to make finding partners and mapping connections effortless.
Expert Directory
Search a growing database of faculty, researchers, staff, and civic collaborators. Discover CUNY talent in seconds.
Interactive Network Map
Visualize relationships, research clusters, and collaboration opportunities across campuses in real-time.
Collaboration Hub
Form teams, share active civic/research opportunities, and coordinate cross-campus initiatives.
AI Collaboration Copilot
Receive contextual guidance on researchers, initiatives, and collaboration pathways across the CUNY ecosystem.
Built to Strengthen NYC’s Civic Ecosystem
The INI Collaboration Network is more than a directory or project board. It is emerging civic infrastructure designed to help New York City collaborate at the scale today’s urban challenges demand.