Gary Winfield

Winfield Welcomes CTNext Innovation Places Grant for New Haven

The CTNext Board of Directors today approved a $2 million implementation grant for New Haven’s Innovation Places initiative for fiscal year 2018. Last year the state legislature passed a comprehensive law to help Connecticut embrace the innovation economy. Senator Gary Winfield (D-New Haven) applauded the decision by CTNext to invest in the Elm City Innovation Collaborative.

“I want to congratulate everyone who worked together to create this plan to move New Haven towards a growing business economy,” Sen. Winfield said. “New Haven is home to both young and experienced business professionals who will benefit greatly from the Innovation Places initiative. I look forward to seeing the positive progress of this approach to fostering business in our community.”

Innovation Places are concentrated areas where entrepreneurs and innovators have easy access to tech talent, support organizations and research institutions. These dense areas are intended to be highly walkable, transit-connected, and mixed-use in zoning to facilitate interactions among entrepreneurs and innovators across different organizations, and to be conducive to the creation of start-up companies. This environment is intended to be attractive not only for entrepreneurs to work in, but also to live in and for recreation, to help the community retain the most in-demand workers.

CTNext received Innovation Places applications from 12 communities across the state and, following a comprehensive review, the CTNext Board of Directors selected the finalists. The program will distribute $30 million to the winning cities and communities over a period of five years to support catalytic projects to stimulate their local innovation ecosystem. In total, four designated communities were announced as the winners Tuesday, including New Haven, Hartford/East Hartford, Stamford, and Thames River.

Elm City Innovation Collaborative

Vision: A connected city, growing together, where people want to live, with help for everyone.

New Haven has a thriving innovation economy built around the prestige of our world-class institutions and sustained by the intellectual and cultural life of our city. To catalyze our growth as a global innovation hub, New Haven needs to bridge the separations between its diverse, dynamic communities; unlock the energy of our growing companies and world-class talent; and fuel initiatives that encourage growth, connection, livability, and opportunities for our workers and businesses.

Team/Partners: Yale University, City of New Haven, Medtronics, Alexion, SeeClickFix, The District, Elm Street Ventures, Gnostic Ventures, SCSU, Gateway, The Grove, MakeHaven, MEA Mobile, CfAL, Science Park, New Haven Free Public Library, and Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.

Major Catalytic Projects

Connectivity: New Haven’s rich talent network will grow closer and more accessible through:

• Ives Innovation Commons: using our main library as a front door to entrepreneurship
• Collaboratory: a new partnership bringing YEI’s expertise into each of our communities
• State House: a central hub for art, innovation, craft, and trade, through a diverse array of events, workshops, productions, and experiences

Growth: As New Haven’s housing boom fuels mixed-use development across the City, growing companies will have room to grow locally through:

• Fabric: a new, larger location for graduates from co-working spaces like The Grove
• The District: creating right-size space for growing companies in a developing tech campus
• Vivarium Expansion: providing more capacity for biopharma companies at Science Park

Livability: Key place-making initiatives build on New Haven’s dense, walkable cityscape with parklets, pedestrian infrastructure, and public art.

Talent: With partnerships between five digital skills bootcamps, a new Tech Training Umbrella expands and coordinates the programs that feed talent into our growing companies. New companies will also receive incubation help and guidance through programs like the new Medtronics Incubator and HealthHaven Hub, turning innovative ideas for medical devices and treatments into growing local companies.

Impact Areas: New Haven is focusing its investments in a 5-node district. Three nodes (Downtown/Ninth Square, WAGO and the Medical District) are Core Innovation Centers, each with a ¼ mile walking radius that contains a vibrant urban environment. Two nodes (Yale Science Hill/Science Park and District Square) are considered Emerging Districts that are undergoing a transformation. The three core nodes total 344 acres.