Yes it is possible to implement UICollectionView without UICollectionViewController. CollectionViews are just like tableView.
As you probably already know, when you use a UITableView you have to set a data source and a delegate in order to provide the data to display and handle events (like row selection).
Similarly, when you use a UICollectionView you have to set a data source and a delegate as well.
Their roles are the following:
1. The data source (UICollectionViewDataSource) returns information about the number of items in the collection view and their views.
2. The delegate (UICollectionViewDelegate) is notified when events happen such as cells being selected, highlighted, or removed.
And new to UICollectionView, you have a third protocol you must implement – a protocol specific to the layout manager you are using for the collection view.