UConn Shipbuilding Initiative
The UConn Shipbuilding Initiative has launched to meet unprecedented maritime and shipbuilding demand. This new and transformative endeavor strategically aligns Connecticut’s flagship university to support regional shipbuilding and maritime workforce needs across New England and the nation.
Formed in response to sustained increases in shipbuilding activity and long-term maritime industrial requirements, the UConn Shipbuilding Initiative delivers basic and applied research. The Initiative 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.
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 fleet by training innovative workforce and by accelerating the research, development, and transition of key enabling technologies.
NIUVT is a hallmark of regional collaboration focused on applied research. This University-Industry Partnership brings together UConn, The University of Rhode Island (URI), 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, inclusive, education-to-career pipeline, spanning elementary, secondary, and higher education while igniting a passion for STEM in all its participants.
In 2025,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)
To fulfill the technological and production needs of the Shipbuilding Initiative, the supply chain needs to be efficient. The Shipbuilding Supply Chain Initiative (SSCI) aims to eliminate the bottlenecks that halt progress. The SSCI utilizes data, expertise, AI, and more to partner with supply chain companies to optimize processes and identify future areas for innovation.
UConn AUKUS
The UConn Shipbuilding Initiative serves as the academic hub since 2023, with close regional and international partners, to support the trilateral security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, known as AUKUS. The partnership ensures a more secure, peaceful, and sustainable Indo-Pacific region.
UConn is at the forefront of US AUKUS activities in academia, building on a U.S. State Department IDEAS grant 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 beyond.
AUKUS Program Director