Have an idea for a project or a venture you want to pursue, but don’t know where to start?

Want to connect with clubs, programs, or resources geared toward student innovation and creative thinking?

Not sure where your interests rest, and just want to see what kind of innovative opportunities UConn has to offer?

If so, regardless of your year, your school, or your major, the Experience Innovation Expo is for you.

All UConn undergrads are invited to learn more about opportunities for exploring their own creativity, engaging in entrepreneurial pursuits, and finding a path to innovation at the 2026 Experience Innovation Expo on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Student Union Room 304 at UConn Storrs.

“Whether students are in their first year, wanting to learn more about programs, or in their senior looking for jobs, the Experience Innovation Expo is a place to make connections with some of the most involved organizations, groups, and students on campus,” says Laura Park ’29 (ENG/CLAS), the Experience Innovation Expo’s planning team lead. “It’s a great place to make personal connections that can lead to future opportunities through casual and low-stakes conversation.”

First launched in 2018, the Experience Innovation Expo has evolved – and changed names – over the years, but the Expo’s goal has remained the same. This student-organized event offers a one-stop shop where undergraduates can get first-hand experience from their peers about programs, centers, events, clubs, organizations, and opportunities within the realm of innovation at UConn.

“There’s a lot at UConn that’s easy to miss,” says Eshwar Balakumar ’28 (BUS), the expo’s event materials lead. “You could stumble on a research program, a club, funding, a makerspace, or an internship that turns out to be a great fit. And talking to someone who’s actually in a program beats reading about it online. You can ask what they do day-to-day and whether it’d suit you. Even if you show up with no idea what you’re looking for, you’ll probably leave with a couple of things to look into.”

Sponsored by the Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the expo is part of the University’s 2026 Day of Discovery, designed to help students connect with opportunities for enrichment, research, and innovation.

This year’s expo will feature UConn organizations like Formula SAE; the School of Business Innovate Labs; the Center for Career Readiness and Life Skills; the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, or CCEI; the Intellectual Property Law Clinic; and the Entrepreneurship in Food and Agriculture course, as well as information about academic offerings and additional courses and information about resources – including financial – to help students pursue ideas.

“It’s really a good opportunity to learn,” says Jeremy Richard ’29 (ENG), marketing lead for the student organizing team. “You don’t have to know everything, you can just go up to each table and literally ask, ‘What does your club/organization do?’ You can explore interests, get advice, gain new perspectives, and make connections that could lead to future opportunities.”

“I think students should plan to attend the Experience Innovation Expo to get a better understanding of the opportunities available to them at UConn related to innovation, entrepreneurship, design, research, and more,” says Daris Pon Mohan Kumar ’27 (ENG), the expo’s logistics co-lead. “I think that everyone who attends can find an opportunity that they are interested in and get involved!”

In addition to Balakumar, Kumar, Park, and Richard, this year’s Experience Innovation Expo student organizing team includes Anthony Carisio ’29 (BUS), logistics co-lead, and Andre LaRochelle IV ’29 (BUS), technology lead.

The entire team, says Park, has been responsible for planning and coordinating the event, which they hope their fellow undergrads will take advantage of this year.

“This event is made for students by students with the goal of connecting students from all years and majors to UConn’s premiere programs in innovation across disciplines,” Park says. “Working with this team has been a particularly rewarding experience for me; my team’s creativity and ideas create a positive feedback loop for our innovation and ultimately drives the success of putting on this event.”

The Experience Innovation Expo, part of UConn’s Day of Discovery, is a free event for UConn students.

To learn more about educational, networking, and entrepreneurial opportunities available through the Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, visit werth.institute.uconn.edu.