UConn Shipbuilding Initiatives
The UConn Shipbuilding Initiatives (USI) have launched to meet unprecedented maritime and shipbuilding demand. These transformative endeavors strategically align Connecticut’s flagship university to support regional shipbuilding capabilities and maritime workforce needs across New England and the nation. USI delivers basic and applied research capabilities, support and partnerships with the maritime industrial base supply chain, and a workforce development pipeline. USI also includes collaborations with universities, government, and industry partners in Australia and the United Kingdom in support of the AUKUS agreement.
Formed in response to sustained increases in shipbuilding activity and long-term maritime industrial requirements, the Initiatives deliver basic and applied research. USI includes workforce and supply chain development and AUKUS collaborations to engage UConn’s research and education with partners in industry, government, and academia in support of the U.S. Maritime Industrial Base.
The UConn Shipbuilding Initiatives bring a proven record of more than $130 million in federal, state, and industry-supported research, education, and infrastructure investments aligned with maritime and defense priorities.
National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology (NIUVT)
The National Institute for Undersea Vehicle Technology (NIUVT) is a university-industry partnership that collaborates with the Navy to advance the capabilities of the next generation U.S. undersea by accelerating the research, development, and transition of key enabling technologies.
NIUVT is a hallmark of regional collaboration focused on applied research, advancing applied research for the next generation of submarines. This University-Industry-Government Partnership brings together UConn, The University of Rhode Island (URI), NUWC, and Groton-based General Dynamic-Electric Boat.
Through significant funding from the Office of Naval Research, NIUVT accelerates the research, development, and transition of key enabling technologies for the next generation of undersea vehicles. Its mission includes conducting applied research in research areas across UConn’s College of Engineering, while supporting a technically skilled and innovative workforce through Navy-focused graduate programs.
NIUVT Co-Director
Navy STEM Coalition
The UConn–URI Navy STEM Coalition is a regional partnership between the University of Connecticut and the University of Rhode Island advancing STEM education and workforce development aligned with U.S. Navy science and technology priorities, particularly in the maritime and submarine sectors.
UConn and URI have partnered for nearly 10 years in the Navy STEM Coalition, a robust workforce development program engaging students across southern New England. The Navy STEM program responds to workforce demands in a nationally significant hub for naval operations and submarine manufacturing. Its core mission is to build a sustained, education-to-career pipeline, spanning elementary, secondary, and higher education while igniting a passion for STEM in all its participants.
In 2024, the ANCHOR (Advancing Naval Careers through Higher-ed Outreach and Research) program made a significant investment in the Coalition. Managed by General Dynamics Electric Boat and funded by the U.S. Navy through the Maritime Industrial Base Program, the Navy STEM Coalition expands investment in workforce development and STEM education throughout our region and beyond
Navy STEM Program Director
Shipbuilding Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI)
The Shipbuilding Supply Chain Initiative was established to strengthen the efficiency and resilience of the shipbuilding supply base. Working with industry partners, it applies data, advanced analytics, and artificial intelligence to reduce bottlenecks, optimize performance, and drive innovation across the maritime supply chain.
Shipbuilding involves interconnected suppliers at various tiers, each featuring complex manufacturing processes of parts. To ensure timely deliveries, the supply chain needs to be optimized with resilience. The Shipbuilding Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) aims to eliminate the bottlenecks that halt progress and promotes the insertion of advanced technologies. The SSCI utilizes data, physics-informed process modeling, AI, empirical knowledge, and more to partner with shipbuilding industries to ensure productivity and identify future areas for innovation.
SSCI Program Director
UConn Australia–United Kingdom–United States (AUKUS)
USI serves as the university’s academic hub for coordinating efforts related to AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership among Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In collaboration with regional and international partners, the UConn AUKUS Initiative advances efforts to strengthen security and promote a peaceful, sustainable Indo-Pacific region.
UConn is at the forefront of US AUKUS activities in academia, building on a U.S. State Department IDEAS grant awarded in August 2023, to strengthen and establish targeted and meaningful research and workforce development collaboration with our partner universities and government entities across Australia and the U.K.
Through the AUKUS Scholars Program, UConn undergraduate students will participate in international exchanges with institutions in Australia, gaining international, interdisciplinary experience in undersea vehicle technology and submarine design, construction, and maintenance. Graduate student opportunities to leverage research capabilities and facilities are actively being explored. UConn AUKUS provides students with immersive experiences across engineering, political science, and related disciplines.
AUKUS Program Director