CCIT's role is to be aware of all new ITS technology and research developments, facilitate partnerships between the University researchers, Caltrans, and private industry to select projects for deployment, coordinate plans for implementing these new technologies, then manage and execute the necessary steps to reach full scale deployment for the most promising new innovations. In the context of Caltrans' Five Stages of Research Deployment, CCIT's role is to help projects progress through stages 3 (Controlled Field Demonstration Stages), 4 (First Application Field Pilot stage), and 5 (Specifications and Standards with Full Corporate Deployment). This support comes in many forms, including technical expertise, project management expertise, and a state of the art facility to accommodate deployment efforts.

A small number of projects are in partnership with PATH researchers; however, many of these projects are funded directly by Caltrans. CCIT has secured funding through Caltrans contracts for specific projects that Caltrans wants deployed in the districts and that are not necessarily linked directly to UC research innovations. CCIT has informal relationships with other UC research centers but in its current role is not intimately involved with research projects in the beginning stages of concept development and prototyping (i.e. stages 1 and 2). CCIT aims to change its strategic direction to focus more on partnerships with UC research centers such that research projects are destined for deployment from the beginning. Therefore, CCIT's role will include involvement in research projects during all five stages of deployment.