UofL established the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research at the J.B. Speed School of Engineering in 2009 in honor of major donors Hank and Rebecca Conn. The Conn Center conducts and facilitates R&D on potentially commercializable renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

Drawing on strengths of academic discipline and commercial pragmatism, the center has earned a reputation for fostering the development of transformational science and accelerating the translation of technology concepts from the lab to pre-commercial scale. Conn Center employs top-notch scientists and engineers as theme leaders for directing these research thrusts and to enable collaborations with faculty researchers and industry partners worldwide.