UConn's influence on the Connecticut economy is profound, sustaining more than 29,000 jobs across the state and contributing $2.3 billion to Connecticut’s gross domestic product. The University shapes and strengthens Connecticut’s economic, social, cultural, and natural landscape through research, teaching, community engagement, and public and private partnerships. Here are just a few examples:

  • UConn's Research and Development Corporation helps transform faculty research into profitable products and businesses. Licensed underground cable maintenance technology developed from a decade of research at UConn provided the foundation for Imcorp, recently named one of the nation’s 25 fastest growing engineering firms by Inc. Magazine. Imcorp, which recently moved from Storrs to Manchester, currently employs 30 people, and expect to employ 50 in the next three years.

  • The University of Connecticut Technology Incubation Program (TIP) helps to accelerate the success and viability of entrepreneurial companies by leveraging university technologies and facilities, and providing cost-effective business and research services. TIP facilities total 10,000 sq.ft and are located at Storrs, UCHC and Avery Point campuses. Currently, 12 companies are using TIP resources and facilities in such industries as bioengineering, alternative energy, medical technology, and pharmaceuticals.

  • The research and development efforts of 30 Connecticut firms are receiving support through UConn's Institute of Materials Science Associates Program. The program provides member companies with special training, access to UConn's state-of-the-art lab facilities and the expertise of more than 100 University faculty.

  • The Connecticut Information Technology Institute in Stamford partners with companies across the state to address technology education needs, offering customized training and professional development courses, certificate programs, seminars, and other corporate services.

  • Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim, two giant Connecticut-based pharmaceutical companies, are among those that turn to UConn's Center for Pharmaceutical Processing Research to carry out cooperative research efforts that include exploring novel technology for manufacturing drugs and improving product quality.

  • The Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI), located in East Hartford within the UConn School of Business, supports new business development by assisting new and existing companies in solving complex business problems such as globalization strategies and marketing analysis.

  • The Eminent Faculty Initiative in Sustainable Energy and the Connecticut Global Fuel Cell Center, launched in 2007 with state, federal, and corporate funding, have given Connecticut the nation's most advanced research resources in the area of alternative and sustainable energy.

  • Scientists at the University's main campus in Storrs and the UConn Health Center in Farmington are working on unlocking the secrets of stem cells through the stat's new Stem Cell Institute, working to identify new medical breakthroughs, therapies, and technologies.

These are a small sampling of how UConn’s outstanding faculty, research facilities, and academic resources have been harnessed to promote innovation, economic development, job creation, and business leadership in Connecticut. To learn more, read UConnomy, a report summarizing in detail the numerous benefits of having a world-class research university in our small state.

Learn more about how tomorrow's UConn will help drive tomorrow's Connecticut.