Innovation & Partnerships

Centers and Institutes

The University of Connecticut is home to over eighty-five Centers and Institutes which have been established to promote scholarly activity and/or support teaching, research, diversity or the outreach mission of the institution.

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Mark Driscoll, co-founder of Shoreline Biome, at work in a lab at the UConn technology incubator in Farmington.

Technology Commercialization Services

Innovation at UConn goes beyond the laboratory. When it’s time to turn concepts into market-ready products or patents, UConn’s Technology Commercialization Services (TCS) provides the resources and expertise to guide inventors through every step of the process. TCS facilitates the transformation of discoveries into products and services that can benefit patients, industries, and society at large. By leveraging a network of experts, TCS accelerates commercialization and supports innovators on their entrepreneurial journeys.

One of TCS’s key programs, the Technology Incubation Program (TIP), offers targeted support for startups looking to disrupt their industries. TIP provides a robust framework to help these companies grow and thrive.

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Innovation Partnership Building at UConn Tech Park

The state-of-the-art Innovation Partnership Building at UConn Tech Park embodies the University’s commitment to research, collaboration, and service to Connecticut. The IPB is home to research and innovation space where UConn partners with some of the state and nation’s leading companies and organizations. The building houses research centers with expertise in a wide range of fields, including cybersecurity, materials testing, and clean energy.

Explore IPB

Exterior view of the UConn Innovation Partnership Building on a bright, sunny day.
A community partnership event where an instructor leads a hands-on outdoor cooking demonstration for a group of diverse children and teens.

Community Partnerships

UConn research collaborates with extensive community partnering networks across Connecticut to tackle both local and global challenges. Through collaborations like UConn Extension, part of the nationwide Cooperative Extension System that connects the public with research and resources from land-grant universities, researchers are addressing local agricultural and environmental issues to build healthier communities. Additionally, partnerships with diverse communities, like those fostered by the Department of Social & Critical Inquiry, ensure that knowledge and resources reach where they are most needed. UConn’s wide breadth of research partnerships is strengthening communities in Connecticut and beyond.

Government Partnerships

Research at UConn is made possible through excellent collaborations with Connecticut legislators and leaders at all levels of government. UConn research is federally funded by the Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Department of Agriculture, and more. Through key government relationships, UConn's advances are making a difference in lives and communities across the state and the country.

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Connecticut State Capitol Government building panorama in Bushnell Park downtown Hartford Connecticut USA