The center of the state’s latest investment is the development of the QuantumCT incubator, a deep-tech hub that will combine co-working and lab space with engineering facilities, quantum testbeds, and on-site technical support. The incubator, which will be built in New Haven, will give startups and university and industry researchers the ability to build, prototype, and refine quantum technologies in real time, according to Albert Green, president and CEO of QuantumCT.
The incubator reflects how the state’s research strengths, manufacturing capacity, and highly skilled workforce are converging to drive quantum innovation, said Daniel O’Keefe, Connecticut’s commissioner of economic development and chief innovation officer. He described the moment as Connecticut’s “Silicon Valley-like” opportunity to shape and lead a transformative sector.
In New Haven, O’Keefe said, quantum investment can help fuel economic growth in industries already central to the region.
“Quantum has broad applications across, really, all industries, but we think it has particularly important implications for the discovery of new therapeutics,” he said. “And New Haven, being the heart of our biotech cluster, is particularly important in that regard.”
As part of the plan to fuel economic growth, QuantumCT is developing a workforce development strategy that will help prepare Connecticut residents for jobs that will be shaped by quantum technologies.
The state funding accompanies more than $1 billion in investments from Yale and UConn, underscoring the coordinated push from Connecticut’s government and its public and private universities to realize economic and scientific gains for the state through advances in quantum research. The universities’ investments help grow quantum infrastructure on both campuses and contribute to the larger quantum ecosystem in the state. Their partnerships are coalescing as quantum breakthroughs edge closer to reshaping nearly every aspect of the nation’s economy, from powering smartphones and GPS, computing, and drug discoveries to major Connecticut industries including manufacturing, insurance , finance, and drug development.
Yale’s quantum investments are underway, including the ongoing construction of a new science and engineering complex, called the Physical Sciences and Engineering Building (PSEB), and the Advanced Instrumentation Development Center (AIDC). Yale’s Upper Science Hill Development complex is one of the largest capital commitments in Yale’s history, totaling more than 600,000 gross square feet.
“We are so excited to be in partnership with UConn and other schools throughout the state, the private sector, local leaders, community partners, and the state of Connecticut — all brought together by QuantumCT. This is a historic partnership,” said Yale President Maurie McInnis, who spoke at the press event along with UConn President Radenka Maric. “It is a collaboration that illustrates what universities do well: working together to help strengthen our communities, make each other more productive, and build the workforce of the future.”
Connecticut has already emerged as a leader in the critical quantum sector. Earlier this fall, QuantumCT was named one of 15 finalists for a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant administered through the Regional Innovation Engines program. The two-year grant, which is worth up to $15 million, has the potential for an additional eight years of funding totaling $160 million.
In September, state officials designated New Haven as Connecticut’s first Innovation Cluster, a $50.5 million initiative to build new infrastructure and resources for the region’s quantum and biotech sectors. The investment from the Innovation Cluster initiative is part of the $121 million that Lamont pledged on Thursday. Including the $121 million investment, the state will invest an additional $60 million contingent on the outcome of the NSF Regional Innovation Engines grant.
NSF previously awarded QuantumCT a $1 million development grant through UConn, which helped launch early quantum projects now underway at UConn, Yale, and partner institutions across the state. Connecticut also matched the NSF award with an additional $1 million, a part of the state’s overall $121 million funding commitment.
“By building shared infrastructure and training the next generation of innovators, we can ensure that quantum technologies take root and grow here in New Haven and throughout Connecticut,” said Mike Crair, vice provost for research at Yale. “These are incredibly promising areas of innovation, and this is a very exciting step forward for our city, the state, and the entire region.”
Lamont’s announcement builds on decades of pioneering quantum research at Yale, which has shaped the global trajectory of the field. Last month, Michel Devoret, the Frederick W. Beinecke Professor Emeritus of Applied Physics at Yale, who is now on faculty at the University of California-Santa Barbara, received the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics for his groundbreaking work in quantum computing. Along with Yale professors Robert Schoelkopf and Steven Girvin, Devoret developed foundational technologies such as circuit quantum electrodynamics (cQED) and the transmon qubit. These breakthroughs underpin today’s most advanced quantum computers and have helped seed a generation of leaders now driving innovation across the nation’s public, private, and university institutions.
“The partnership between UConn and Yale is inspiring,” said New Haven Mayor Justin Elicker. “[The latest investment] is something that will help us as a state for years and years to come.”
“In Connecticut, we say ‘make it here,’” added Elicker, who noted that New Haven is the second largest bioscience hub in New England. “It is clear that ‘make it here’ is not just a tagline, but it is the state backing up words with action.”
