HARTFORD, CT — Connecticut will invest $20 million to establish a 100,000-square-foot Hartford Innovation Center campus at State House Square in downtown Hartford, Gov. Ned Lamont announced last week.
The funding, awarded through the Connecticut Innovation Clusters Program, will help transform vacant downtown space into a workforce development and technology hub focused in part on artificial intelligence.
Plans call for collaborative laboratories, classrooms and project spaces where workers, students, researchers, startups, businesses and public agencies can work on technology projects and workforce training.
The center is expected to focus particularly on industries important to Greater Hartford, including insurance and healthcare, while also working with the financial services, advanced manufacturing and government sectors.
"Today's investment signals our commitment to accelerating economic growth in Hartford while ensuring workers and employers alike benefit from cutting-edge innovation," Lamont said in announcing the award.
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said the project would give residents, students, businesses, and entrepreneurs a place to collaborate while bringing new activity to downtown Hartford.
"By transforming a vacant downtown space into a hub for learning, collaboration, and opportunity, we are putting Hartford residents first to ensure that nobody gets left behind," Arulampalam said.
The project has received multiyear financial commitments from Hartford HealthCare, The Hartford, Travelers, Nassau, Google, and QuantumCT, according to the Lamont administration.
Additional public and private organizations will have opportunities to participate as the project develops.
The center will also work with the Connecticut AI Alliance, a group representing 21 higher education institutions in the state.
Fiscal oversight and operational stewardship are expected to be provided by the Trustworthy AI Network, or TWAIN, a nonprofit organization scheduled to launch later this year.
The Hartford Innovation Center was piloted last year and currently operates from a 7,000-square-foot interim location at 10 Constitution Plaza.
Under the planned operating structure, major floors at the new campus will be leased to operators with defined missions and business plans, according to the governor's office.
The $20 million grant is the second award through the state's Connecticut Innovation Clusters Program.
The $100 million initiative, established in 2024, is intended to encourage investment in sectors including biotechnology, financial technology, insurance technology and advanced manufacturing.
The program's first award came in September 2025, when the state announced a $50.5 million investment in downtown New Haven to support quantum technology and its applications across industries, including life sciences.
Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Daniel O'Keefe said the Hartford project is part of the state's effort to prepare businesses and workers for advances in artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
"This project is another great example of how we continue to make forward-looking investments in our people, our employers, and our shared future," O'Keefe said.
The Hartford award follows months of work involving the Lamont administration, City of Hartford, Capital Region Development Authority, Connecticut AI Alliance, and corporate and higher education partners
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