🔒Gov. Lamont: Connecticut is doubling down on innovation (opinion)

Connecticut isn’t just talking about innovation — we’re building the conditions for it to thrive.

From new programs and capital investments to smarter regulation and talent development, we are creating an environment where innovation can take root and scale across industries, communities and regions. We’ve supercharged our R&D biotech tax credit, boosting it to 90% from 65%. That’s a clear signal: if you’re building the future, we want you to build it here. Earlier this year, we launched a $25 million Strategic Supply Chain Initiative to bring advanced manufacturing home — harnessing AI, automation and robotics to reshore production in clean tech, aerospace and defense. Through a public-private partnership between the state, Yale University and UConn, QuantumCT is relying on cutting-edge university research as part of our big bet on frontier technologies. At the center of this work is our newly funded Office of Innovation (OOI). As Connecticut’s hub for statewide innovation strategy, there are dedicated resources to support startups, entrepreneurs and tech-enabled companies, connecting them to capital, mentors, academic partnerships and one another. It’s how we’ll make sure the large, one-time investments we’re deploying — like those through Innovation Clusters — translate into sustained momentum.

Innovation Clusters are a cornerstone of our strategy. Backed by up to $100 million, this program is designed to catalyze regional ecosystems where talent, research and capital converge. While we’re still finalizing our first project announcement, the vision is clear: scale what’s working, seed what’s next, and position Connecticut to lead in AI, quantum computing and life sciences. This momentum comes despite real challenges. Businesses face uncertainty from the federal government on everything from tax and trade policy to the future of AI. At the same time, housing supply and affordability are limiting our ability to grow the workforce we need. These headwinds don’t discourage us — they sharpen our focus. In this environment, states that lead on innovation policy, execution and culture will define the next generation of economic competitiveness. That’s the role our administration intends to play — governing, building and reimagining our economy through the lens of innovation and what comes next. This year, we modernized decades-old cleanup regulations to unlock underused properties faster. We launched a $50 million Greyfield Revitalization Program to transform aging retail corridors into new spaces for housing, retail and innovation. Our longstanding Brownfield Remediation Program has expanded, raising the project cap to $6 million and allowing phased funding — smart updates that will help communities of every size imagine what’s next. These three programs — greyfields, brownfields and environmental reform — show how we are applying modernization not just in labs or boardrooms, but in how we govern. We’re reimagining the physical infrastructure of the past to serve the economy of the future. At the same time, we’re investing in the people who power that economy. A historic $300 million Universal Childcare Endowment championed by our administration will improve access to affordable, high-quality care while increasing pay for early educators. It’s a workforce policy, a business policy, and an equity policy all in one — because without a strong talent pipeline, innovation can’t scale. On their own, each of these initiatives would represent progress. Together, they form a coordinated, future-forward strategy to position Connecticut as the best place in America to build, innovate and thrive. We’re not limiting innovation to elite institutions or niche industries. In Connecticut, it lives in every founder, machinist, coder, educator and student building something new. We’re not just giving people a reason to stay — we’re giving them a way to make it here. Ned Lamont is the Democratic governor of Connecticut. Daniel O’Keefe is the commissioner of the state Department of Economic and Community Development and the state’s chief innovation officer.