University of Connecticut

Stem cell research at the University of Connecticut (UConn) has benefited greatly from a bipartisan commitment by state government. In the wake of federal restrictions on funding for stem cell research, several states rose to the challenge, Connecticut being one of them. On June 15, 2005, Governor Jodi Rell signed into law a bill passed by the Connecticut General Assembly, “An Act Permitting Stem Cell Research and Banning the Cloning of Human Beings.” The new law appropriated $100 million over a 10-year period, 2007-2017, for stem cell research. The initial funding was for $20 million, of which more than $11 million went to UConn. This money helped propel UConn to the forefront of stem cell research in the United States. Yale and Wesleyan Universities also ...