The state will invest $50.5 million in downtown New Haven with the intent to strengthen Connecticut’s life sciences industry and position the city as a national hub for emerging quantum technologies, Gov. Ned Lamont announced Friday.
The funding, the first awarded under the state’s new Connecticut Innovation Clusters Program, will support public infrastructure, research facilities and development projects designed to accelerate business growth and create jobs in high-tech industries. The program is administered by the state Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD).
“Every day in downtown New Haven, workers are developing the research, technologies, and products that are changing the world,” Lamont said in a statement. “These targeted investments will enable us to further partner with these businesses and accelerate job growth and more opportunities here in Connecticut.”
Projects to be funded through the initiative include:
- $10 million for QuantumCT, a nonprofit coordinating statewide quantum computing research and infrastructure.
- $1.3 million for an early-stage startup space within 101 College Street.
- $17.5 million for climate-resilient streetscapes and mobility improvements to support development of Parcel B, a site created after the removal of the Route 34 expressway.
Additional allocations will back new life sciences facilities at the former New Haven Coliseum site, pedestrian bridges and promenades, and programming by industry group BioCT.
Daniel O’Keefe, DECD commissioner and the state’s chief innovation officer, said the investment “doubles down on areas where Connecticut already has competitive advantages,” adding that the growth of these sectors will help attract talent and companies to the state.
QuantumCT, a collaboration between Yale University and the University of Connecticut, will operate a shared testbed facility, support venture creation and workforce training and seek additional federal funding through the National Science Foundation.
Albert Green, QuantumCT’s CEO, called the award a “clear signal that Connecticut is committed to investing in transformative technologies that will drive competitiveness, attract global companies, and create opportunity for our residents for decades to come.”
New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker said the funding will accelerate the city’s role as a hub for biosciences and quantum technology while also generating new jobs and expanding the tax base.
The Innovation Clusters Program is a $100 million state initiative supporting growth industries such as biotechnology, fintech and advanced manufacturing. The cities of Hartford and Stamford are also in the running for funding.
Hartford wants to use the funding to create an AI innovation center downtown.
