The New London and Groton communities are banding together to create a master plan to make it a go-to destination for technology, innovation and creation.
Susan Froshauer, CEO/President of CURE, and Hannah Gant, director of innovation for Spark Makerspace, were awarded the first part of a grant to make the Groton and New London areas a state-designated Innovation Place.
"It's a knitting together,” Froshauer said.
"A coming together,” Gant chimed in.
The goal is to have the two areas be a place for different businesses to talk to one another, create new ideas and grow together. They also want the community to build new business and invent new technology, and be a vibrant and attractive place for young talent to live.
“The state really is motivated by wanting to help make it easier for people to start businesses, or they want to create jobs and improve the economic center,” Gant said. “But I think that really that manifestation happens when places are healthy and vibrant.”
Froshauer and Gant said the program impacts everyone from sailors to engineers to artists.
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Connecticut College and the Cities of New London and Groton, and the Town of Groton governments have already gotten onboard.
Froshauer and Gant teamed up with the consultants, Regenesis Group, to have people share the history of this area and show how socially and ecologically unique it is.
“Having a discovery process, a creativity process occur,” Froshauer said.
“I got involved because one of the things tech people like is other tech people,” said Kristin Harkness.
Harkness is a software developer who bought and is renovating an office and apartment space in New London. Connecting and generating ideas with people in her field is part of the reason she’s excited about the Innovation Places program.
“To connect with the tech people who are already here and to see what we can do to draw more,” she said.
This first phase is a planning grant. Now Froshauer and Gant are using the award, along with community donations, to put together their master plan for innovation. They'll submit for that for a larger grant come April.
