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January 23, 2025

Major projects in Hartford, New Haven and Stamford named finalists in CT’s $100M ‘Innovation Clusters’ program

HBJ PHOTO | STEVE LASCHEVER Daniel O’Keefe, commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development,
By Michael Puffer

Projects based in the cities of Hartford, Stamford and New Haven have been named finalists for a piece of a $100 million state grant funding pool meant to grow new technological industries and jobs.

The “Innovation Clusters” program, announced last year, is meant to leverage public and private partnerships to help put Connecticut on the cutting edge of new industries.

Teams from the three cities beat out 29 others that applied last year. Now, the finalists must submit more detailed proposals by April 15 for final consideration. Each proposal must come up with a dollar-for-dollar match of the state funding it is seeking.

State officials said they expect to announce which of the finalist projects will be funded, and to what amounts, in June.

“Innovation Clusters aims at strong public-private partnerships that incorporate novel technology and innovation in ways that will be truly transformative at the local level for Connecticut’s core industry sectors,” DECD Commissioner Daniel O’Keefe said Thursday. “We received a strong batch of initial responses, and we look forward to reviewing the final proposals.”

The grant program is a major leg of Gov. Ned Lamont’s economic development strategy. It replaces an earlier and similar “Innovation Corridors” program that didn’t get off the ground.

This time, the city of Hartford and its allies are proposing the “Connecticut Center for Applied AI,” a project that would leverage the massive amounts of data already held by the city’s insurance and healthcare companies to create an AI-fueled incubation space.

The AI center would train workers for next-generation jobs and test out new products and services. 

“We want to make this among the most advanced workforces in the world when it comes to AI, and leverage that workforce to test out products and projects for these large corporations,” Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam told the Hartford Business Journal after the city put in its application.

The city is partnered with the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, CIC and developer RMS Cos. The team also has expressions of interest from eight local colleges and universities as well as seven major corporate partners.
Stamford and its partners are also looking to AI to create economic growth. Its team includes CIC, the University of Connecticut and the city’s downtown special services district.

According to DECD, Stamford's “AI Innovation Institute” would act as an incubator for startup industries focused on financial technology, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. UConn would launch the institute with a “state-of-the-art supercomputing platform” and a faculty director.

Stamford’s institute would aim to harness AI technology to enhance efficiency, security and customer experience in Connecticut’s core economic sectors, DECD said. This proposal envisions 800,000 square feet of new residential and commercial development within a half-mile of the Stamford Transportation Center.

New Haven’s “Quantum & Bioscience Cluster” aims to create an “innovation district” tapping Connecticut’s life sciences education and industry infrastructure to grow in quantum technology. The district would take root around the campus of Yale New Haven Health, Yale University and the Connecticut State Gateway Community College, along with more than 3 million square feet of existing life sciences buildings in New Haven.

Ancora L&G would develop Science at Square 10 at 265 South Orange St., and Winstanley Enterprises will construct a new life science building on Parcel B of Downtown Crossing, according to DECD.  That would add more than 550,000 square feet of new space, enabling growth in life sciences, supporting businesses and a home for QuantumCT, the Yale-UConn quantum research and commercialization initiative. 

New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said his city's Quantum and Bioscience Cluster is "honored" to have reached this stage of consideration. 

“Our city is home to cutting-edge research and development and is a growing hub for these industries with promising discoveries in the pipeline," Elicker said. "We look forward to building these partnerships, strengthening our workforce development pipeline and creating an inclusive space for growth that helps connect more New Haven residents to meaningful careers and good paying jobs."

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