Affiliated Centers

Established in 2007, the Simone Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship has become a university-wide hub for hands-on, experiential learning at RIT. Through various entrepreneurial business offerings and events, students gain a first-hand understanding of the importance of innovation. Student entrepreneurs work together as they seek to realize their own ideas and projects, bringing together students and faculty from business, design, computer science, arts, and technology.

The Leadership Academy @ Saunders, directed by Dr. Molly McGowan, fosters innovative leadership for bridging business and technology. The academy is available to high school, undergraduate and graduate students, as well as alumni and employers. Explore Leadership Academy @ Saunders Experiences to find leadership opportunities tailored for you.

The Competitive Sustainability Center in Saunders College of Business at RIT leverages the strengths of both the college, and RIT, to help new and existing businesses, non-profits, and government agencies find and pursue competitive sustainability opportunities. Currently, the center supports $2.5 million in external-grant-funded projects, and has active projects over 15 countries on four continents.  We also encourage our affiliates to publish their findings, and we work with RIT students, alumni, staff and faculty on competitive sustainability projects as appropriate.

Founded in 2013, the RIT Center for Media, Arts, Games, Interaction & Creativity (MAGIC) is two distinct entities housed within a new 52,000 square foot facility known as MAGIC Spell Studios.  Across both sides we passionately pursue our missions of learning, research, entrepreneurism, commercial outreach and project showcase.

The RIT MAGIC Center is a university-wide research center with a multi-disciplinary entrepreneurial approach to digital media research and production. With a focus on Media, Arts, Games, Interaction, and Creativity, MAGIC blurs the lines between art and technology. MAGIC is a digital sandbox for students and faculty pushing the boundaries of technology, art and design!

MAGIC Spell Studios exists to support the entrepreneurial ambitions of our students and faculty who are seeking to publish and distribute films, games and interactive experiences or start new digital media businesses.  It also serves as a home to outside commercial activity in film production, digital design, and game development, welcoming companies to interact with RIT’s best creative minds.

RIT’s ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute educates and trains cybersecurity professionals; develops new cybersecurity and AI-based knowledge for industry, academia, and government; and provides systems and network security services for critical infrastructure and small- and mid-sized organizations. Home to BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in cybersecurity as well as groundbreaking research and major cybersecurity events like the Global Finals of the Collegiate Penetration Testing Competition, RIT’s ESL Global Cybersecurity Institute is a nexus of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence research and education.

Venture Creations incubator at RIT is a place where early to mid-seed stage companies can advance their concepts on the way to joining the ranks of profitable, viable businesses in New York State. Saunders students and faculty engage with VCI companies through Saunders Consulting Group, Capstone Projects, and provide additional real-world business exposure to the classroom. At Venture Creations business ideas that begin in the classroom get resources and a place to grow for reaching the next level in their development. Many resident companies graduate from Venture Creations after receiving venture capital.

Located just off campus at 125 Tech Park Drive, the incubator has been working with startups for 10 years. On-site staff assist VCI startups directly or put you in touch with RIT faculty, our service provider and investor networks, as well as students who can assist you with the development of your business. In 2009, Venture Creations was awarded designation as a Clean Energy Incubator by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, one of five in the state, expanding our services to companies engaged in a wide range of clean energy businesses.

The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship (CUE), located in the heart of the downtown business district at 40 Franklin Street (the historic Rochester Savings Bank), will help reshape the regional economy and build wealth within the urban community by being the hub for urban entrepreneurial programs and research. CUE provides a viable and successful vehicle to develop a new culture of entrepreneurship in the region, with a particular emphasis on the most underserved populations in the nine-county region.

The Institute for Business, Government, and Society at RIT, directed by Dr. Sandy Rothenberg, serves as a hub for research and teaching that focuses on the intersection of three of the main institutions shaping the world today: business, government, and society.