The Hartford and UConn launch collaboration to advance business resiliency and worker safety

The Hartford and The University of Connecticut announced the initial phases of a collaboration focused on research related to energy innovation, business resiliency and extreme heat.

The arrangement includes a philanthropic investment in the Korey Stringer Institute, bringing together two leaders in workers’ safety to gain insights that will help employers protect workers from acute and prolonged exposure to extreme heat. The Hartford will also partner with UConn’s Institute of the Environment and Energy to create a fellowship centered around energy innovation.

The Hartford and KSI plan to pilot heat-management programs with select business customers to apply academic research to real-world safety applications. Findings from the research are expected to help businesses better anticipate heat-related risks, strengthen safety protocols, and improve employee productivity and effectiveness.

The Hartford’s partnership with UConn’s Institute of the Environment and Energy also establishes The Hartford Sustainability Research Fellowship within the university’s College of Engineering, with support from the company’s Y‑Risk innovation platform, which focuses on understanding and insuring emerging technologies and business models. This work will examine the evolving energy needs of data centers, and explore the emerging risks related to onsite generation, battery storage, fuel cells, renewable-energy and facility microgrids utilizing the unique Real-Time Digital Simulator and hardware-in-the-loop resources of the Institute of the Environment and Energy. The research will also explore how these technologies are expected to change over time, offering insights into insurance and risk-management needs today and in the future.

“The Hartford is committed to helping businesses safeguard assets, enhance resiliency and protect their employees. Through this strategic relationship with UConn, we are combining academic research with real-world risk expertise to generate practical insights employers can use to improve worker safety, reduce business losses and maintain productivity as climate-driven exposures continue to evolve.” – The Hartford’s President A. Morris ‘Mo’ Tooker.

“The collaboration of The Hartford and UConn directly illustrates the importance of corporate partnerships in advancing the mission of academic and innovation excellence and the health and wellness of our people and our planet – two key pillars in the historic ‘Because of UConn’ philanthropic campaign. Our relationship with The Hartford supports the university’s strategic priorities and showcases the potential of advancing science with real-world impact.” – Amy Yancey, President and CEO of the UConn Foundation.