The CCEI is a vehicle of UConn's School of Business to educate present and future business leaders on innovation, creativity, the globalization of products, consumers and the economy, rapidly changing information technology, the demand for quality and continuous improvement, and a culturally diverse workforce. The Center’s vision is to serve as the resource of choice to Connecticut's entrepreneurial business community, while developing innovative and exciting educational opportunities for students, faculty and entrepreneurs.

The CCEI offers a multi-faceted high quality program designed to provide assistance to Connecticut's entrepreneurial businesses, to explore their problems and create solutions, to foster supportive feedback from practitioners, and to develop a continuous integrated learning environment for students, faculty and the entrepreneurial community. The Center functions as the cornerstone of the University of Connecticut Business School's relationships with small- and mid-size entrepreneurial businesses and as a vehicle for better understanding the role of innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship, and change management in the economy.

The Center serves as an interdisciplinary home for a number of entrepreneurial initiatives and, as well, facilitates entrepreneurship curriculum development. Furthermore, the Center is a source of student internships, a conduit for external financial support, enriches the educational offerings of the University, facilitates student and faculty development, and serves the Connecticut entrepreneurial community by helping its members address the innumerable challenges of industry, market, product and the dynamic mechanisms that affect operations. The CCEI is a continuing focal point for expanding the University's emphasis on entrepreneurial education, research, and business partnering.